Toner container

Abstract

To provide a removable device, a developer container, and an image forming apparatus in which even when a contact type information storage device is installed on the removable device removably installed in an image forming apparatus body, a contact failure is less likely to occur due to a failure in positioning of the information storage device with respect to a body-side terminal of a connector of the image forming apparatus body.SOLUTION: In a removable device 34Y, a holding part 34k holding an information storage device 35 is installed. The information storage device 35 is provided with a substrate 35b that holds an information storage part and a plurality terminals 35a, and is formed with notch parts for positioning engaged with projections 73e3 for positioning installed on an image forming apparatus body 73 to determine the positions of the plurality of terminals 35a. The holding part 34k holds the information processing device 35 to allow it to move on a virtual plane intersecting an attachment and removal direction of the removable device 34Y with respect to the image forming apparatus body 73.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 17

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copier, laser printer, inkjet printer, printing machine, facsimile machine, or a combination machine thereof, a developer container that is detachably installed in the image forming apparatus and stores a developer such as toner or liquid ink, a detachable device such as a process cartridge, developing device, transfer device, fixing device, etc., and a developer container. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, in image forming devices such as copiers, techniques have often been used to detachably install removable devices such as developer containers (toner bottles, toner storage containers, ink cartridges) and process cartridges in the main body of the image forming device (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 to 3, etc.). These removable devices are equipped with information storage devices (information recording unit, non-volatile memory) such as ID chips that store information to be exchanged with the image forming device main body. When the removable device is set in the image forming device main body, information stored in the information storage device (such as the manufacturing date, manufacturing lot number, color and type of toner of the removable device) is sent to the control unit of the image forming device main body, and information (such as the usage history in the image forming device) is sent from the image forming device main body to the information storage device, thereby ensuring thorough quality control between the image forming device main body and the removable device.

[0003] Here, Patent Document 1 and the like disclose a contact-type information storage device (information recording unit). In detail, when a removable device (toner storage container) is set in the image forming apparatus main body, the contact-type information storage device (ID chip) has a metal pad (terminal) that contacts a main body terminal of a connector installed in the image forming apparatus main body. This enables information to be exchanged between the information storage device of the removable device and the control unit (main body information recording unit) of the image forming apparatus. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] To provide a toner container which does not accidentally open a toner discharge port when the container is standalone and can open the toner discharge port in conjunction with the mounting operation when the container is set in an image forming apparatus body. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention provides a toner container that is detachable from an image forming device body, the toner container comprising: a container body that stores toner and rotates to transport the toner to one end side; a cap portion that is provided at the one end side of the container body and rotatably holds the container body; a toner discharge port that is provided below the cap portion when the toner container is attached to the image forming device body and discharges toner within the container body; a shutter member that is capable of opening and closing the toner discharge port, that comes into contact with the image forming device body when the toner container is attached to the image forming device body and receives a pushing back force against a mounting force; and a shutter storage portion that stores a part of the shutter member. the cap portion is disposed above the toner discharge port and has a hole into which a protrusion provided on the image forming apparatus body can be inserted; The shutter member has a shutter main part capable of opening and closing the toner discharge port, a shutter deformation part formed integrally with the shutter main part, and a stopper part that prevents the shutter main part from moving in an opening direction, and when the toner discharge port is closed by the shutter main part, the stopper part is located outside the shutter storage part, and when the shutter deformation part is elastically deformed during the mounting, the shutter member can move in the opening direction. The stopper portion is provided upstream of the opening of the hole portion in the mounting direction of the toner container. It is characterized by: Effect of the Invention

[0027] The present invention relates to A toner container that does not accidentally open the toner discharge port when it is used alone, and that opens the toner discharge port in conjunction with the installation operation when it is set in the image forming apparatus body. can be provided. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0028] [Figure 1] 1 is an overall configuration diagram showing an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which a toner container is installed in a toner supply device. [Figure 4]2 is a schematic perspective view showing a state in which four toner containers are installed in a toner-container mount; FIG. [Diagram 5] 2 is a schematic perspective view showing a state in which one toner container is installed in a toner-container mounting section. FIG. [Figure 6] 4 is a side view showing a state in which the toner container is installed in the toner-container housing portion. FIG. [Figure 7] 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the cap portion is installed on the cap receiving portion. FIG. [Figure 8] 4 is a perspective view showing a cap receiving portion of the toner container mount; FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view showing the vicinity of the front end of the bottle receiving portion. [Figure 10] 13 is a rear view showing a state in which the cap portion of the genuine toner container is set in the bottle receiving portion. FIG. [Figure 11] 13 is a rear view showing a state in which the cap portion of the non-compliant toner container is set in the bottle receiving portion. FIG. [Figure 12] 13 is a perspective view showing the cap receiving portion with the cap portion set in place; FIG. [Figure 13] 13 is a front view showing the cap receiving portion with the cap portion set in place. FIG. [Figure 14] 1A is a rear view showing the cap receiving portion, and FIG. 1B is a partially enlarged view showing the vicinity of the abutment groove surrounded by a dashed line in the cap receiving portion in FIG. [Figure 15] 4 is a perspective view showing the cap receiving portion from diagonally below. FIG. [Figure 16] FIG. [Figure 17] 13 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which an information storage device of the cap portion is set in a connector of the cap receiving portion. FIG. [Figure 18] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the toner container from diagonally below. [Figure 19] FIG. [Figure 20] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the cap side of the toner container from diagonally above. [Figure 21]FIG. 2 is a front view showing the toner container from the cap side. [Figure 22] 4 is a perspective view showing a state in which a shutter member of the toner container closes a toner discharge port. FIG. [Figure 23] 11 is a perspective view showing a state in which a shutter member of the toner container opens a toner discharge port. FIG. [Figure 24] 11A and 11B are schematic diagrams illustrating an opening operation of a shutter member in conjunction with an installation operation of the toner container in the toner-container mount; [Diagram 25] FIG. [Figure 26] FIG. 11 is another perspective view showing the shutter member. [Figure 27] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the cap portion with the information storage device removed. [Figure 28] 3A and 3B are six-sided views showing a holding member of the information storage device. [Figure 29] FIG. 2 is a three-sided view showing an information storage device. [Diagram 30] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the vicinity of a cap portion of a toner container. [Diagram 31] FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a toner container according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 32] 32 is a rear view showing the cap portion of the toner container of FIG. 31. FIG. [Diagram 33] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a holding lid that fits into a holding member. [Diagram 34] 13 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which an information storage device of a toner container according to a third embodiment of the present invention is set in a connector of a cap receiving portion. FIG. [Diagram 35] 13A to 13C are three views showing a substrate of an information storage device in accordance with embodiment 4 of the present invention. [Diagram 36] 13A to 13C are three views showing a substrate of an information storage device in accordance with a fifth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 37] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an information storage device, a holding member, and a connector. [Figure 38] 11 is a perspective view showing a state in which the information storage device is engaged with the connector. FIG. [Figure 39]2 is a schematic diagram showing an electrical circuit of an information storage device and an electrical circuit of a connector. FIG. [Diagram 40] FIG. 2 is a front view showing the information storage device. [Diagram 41] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an information storage device in an inspection process. [Diagram 42] FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a toner container according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 43] FIG. 4 is a front view showing the toner container before the face plate is installed. [Diagram 44] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the toner container with the information storage device and face plate installed. [Diagram 45] 11A and 11B are diagrams illustrating a state in which an information storage device is being inserted into a connector. [Diagram 46] FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a toner container according to another embodiment. [Figure 47] 13A and 13B are diagrams showing still another type of toner container. [Figure 48] FIG. 13 is an exploded perspective view showing a toner container according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 49] FIG. 49 is a cross-sectional view showing the toner container of FIG. 48. [Figure 50] FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing an image forming apparatus in an eighth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 51] 51 shows a toner cartridge installed in the image forming apparatus of FIG. 50, in which (A) is a cross-sectional view and (B) is a bottom view. [Figure 52] FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing an image forming apparatus in accordance with a ninth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 53] 53 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which a connector is connected to an information storage device in the image forming apparatus of FIG. 52. [Figure 54] FIG. 23 is a perspective view showing an ink cartridge in embodiment 10 of the present invention. [Figure 55] FIG. 55 is a top view showing an image forming apparatus in which the ink cartridge of FIG. 54 is installed. [Figure 56] 13 is a perspective view showing a connector of an image forming apparatus in accordance with a tenth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 57] 57 is a three-view diagram showing an information storage device that contacts the connector of FIG. 56. [Figure 58] 11A to 11C are three-sided views showing another type of information storage device. [Figure 59] FIG. 26 is a perspective view showing a toner container according to a twelfth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 60] FIG. 26 is an enlarged perspective view showing the configuration of an information storage device and a holding member in a twelfth embodiment. [Figure 61] FIG. 23 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of an information storage device and a holding member in a twelfth embodiment. [Figure 62] FIG. 26 is an enlarged perspective view showing a fixed state between an information storage device and a holding member in a twelfth embodiment. [Figure 63] 23 is an enlarged perspective view showing a fixed state between an information storage device and a holding member in a thirteenth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 64] FIG. 23 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of an information storage device and a holding member in a thirteenth embodiment. [Figure 65] 23 is an enlarged perspective view showing a fixed state between an information storage device and a holding member in a fourteenth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 66] FIG. 23 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of an information storage device and a holding member in a fourteenth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0029] Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the duplicated description will be appropriately simplified or omitted.

[0030] Embodiment 1 The first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to Figs. 1 to 30. First, the configuration and operation of the entire image forming apparatus will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, toner container storage section 70 located at the top of image forming apparatus main body 100 has four removable devices, toner containers 32Y, 32M, 32C, and 32K (developer containers) corresponding to each color (yellow, magenta, cyan, and black), removably (replaceably) installed (see also FIGS. 3 to 5). An intermediate transfer unit 15 is disposed below the toner container storage section 70. Opposite to the intermediate transfer belt 8 of the intermediate transfer unit 15, image forming sections 6Y, 6M, 6C, and 6K corresponding to the respective colors (yellow, magenta, cyan, and black) are arranged side by side. Toner supply devices 60Y, 60M, 60C, and 60K are disposed below toner containers 32Y, 32M, 32C, and 32K, which are removable devices (developer containers), respectively. The toner contained in toner containers 32Y, 32M, 32C, and 32K is supplied (replenished) into the developing devices of image forming units 6Y, 6M, 6C, and 6K, respectively, by the toner supply devices 60Y, 60M, 60C, and 60K.

[0031] 2, the imaging unit 6Y corresponding to yellow is composed of a photoconductor drum 1Y, a charging unit 4Y arranged around the photoconductor drum 1Y, a developing device 5Y (developing unit), a cleaning unit 2Y, a discharging unit (not shown), etc. Then, an image forming process (charging process, exposure process, developing process, transfer process, cleaning process) is performed on the photoconductor drum 1Y, and a yellow image is formed on the photoconductor drum 1Y.

[0032] The other three image forming units 6M, 6C, and 6K have almost the same configuration as the image forming unit 6Y corresponding to yellow, except for the toner colors used, and form images corresponding to the respective toner colors. In the following, the explanation of the other three image forming units 6M, 6C, and 6K will be omitted as appropriate, and only the image forming unit 6Y corresponding to yellow will be explained.

[0033] 2, the photoconductor drum 1Y is rotated clockwise in FIG 2 by a drive motor (not shown). Then, at the position of the charging unit 4Y, the surface of the photoconductor drum 1Y is uniformly charged (charging process). Thereafter, the surface of the photosensitive drum 1Y reaches a position irradiated with laser light L emitted from an exposure device 7 (see FIG. 1), and an electrostatic latent image corresponding to yellow is formed by exposure scanning at this position (this is the exposure process).

[0034] Thereafter, the surface of the photoconductor drum 1Y reaches a position facing the developing device 5Y, where the electrostatic latent image is developed to form a yellow toner image (developing process). Thereafter, the surface of the photoconductor drum 1Y reaches a position facing the intermediate transfer belt 8 and the first transfer bias roller 9Y, and at this position the toner image on the photoconductor drum 1Y is transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 8 (this is the first transfer step). At this time, a small amount of untransferred toner remains on the photoconductor drum 1Y.

[0035] Thereafter, the surface of the photoreceptor drum 1Y reaches a position facing the cleaning section 2Y, where the untransferred toner remaining on the photoreceptor drum 1Y is mechanically collected by the cleaning blade 2a (cleaning process). Finally, the surface of the photoconductor drum 1Y reaches a position facing a charge removing unit (not shown), where the residual potential on the photoconductor drum 1Y is removed. Thus, a series of image forming processes carried out on the photosensitive drum 1Y is completed.

[0036] The above-mentioned image forming process is performed in the other image forming units 6M, 6C, and 6K in the same manner as in the yellow image forming unit 6Y. That is, laser light L based on image information is irradiated onto the photosensitive drums of the image forming units 6M, 6C, and 6K from the exposure unit 7 disposed below the image forming units. In detail, the exposure unit 7 emits laser light L from a light source, and irradiates the laser light L onto the photosensitive drums via multiple optical elements while scanning the laser light L with a polygon mirror that is rotated. Thereafter, the toner images of the respective colors formed on the respective photosensitive drums through a developing process are transferred in a superimposed manner onto the intermediate transfer belt 8. In this way, a color image is formed on the intermediate transfer belt 8.

[0037] 1, intermediate transfer unit 15 is composed of intermediate transfer belt 8, four primary transfer bias rollers 9Y, 9M, 9C, 9K, secondary transfer backup roller 12, multiple tension rollers, intermediate transfer cleaning section, etc. Intermediate transfer belt 8 is stretched and supported by multiple roller members, and is moved endlessly in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 1 by the rotational drive of one roller member 12.

[0038] The four primary transfer bias rollers 9Y, 9M, 9C, and 9K sandwich the intermediate transfer belt 8 between the photoconductor drums 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1K, respectively, to form primary transfer nips. A transfer bias opposite to the polarity of the toner is applied to the primary transfer bias rollers 9Y, 9M, 9C, and 9K. The intermediate transfer belt 8 then travels in the direction of the arrow and passes through the primary transfer nips of the primary transfer bias rollers 9Y, 9M, 9C, and 9K in sequence. In this way, the toner images of each color on the photoconductor drums 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1K are primarily transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 8 in a superimposed manner.

[0039] Thereafter, the intermediate transfer belt 8, onto which the toner images of each color have been transferred and superimposed, reaches a position facing the secondary transfer roller 19. At this position, the secondary transfer backup roller 12 pinches the intermediate transfer belt 8 between itself and the secondary transfer roller 19 to form a secondary transfer nip. The four-color toner images formed on the intermediate transfer belt 8 are then transferred onto a recording medium P, such as a transfer paper, that has been conveyed to the position of this secondary transfer nip. At this time, untransferred toner that has not been transferred to the recording medium P remains on the intermediate transfer belt 8.

[0040] Thereafter, the intermediate transfer belt 8 reaches the position of an intermediate transfer cleaning unit (not shown), at which point the untransferred toner on the intermediate transfer belt 8 is collected. Thus, a series of transfer processes carried out on the intermediate transfer belt 8 is completed.

[0041] Here, the recording medium P transported to the position of the secondary transfer nip is transported from a paper feed section 26 arranged below the device main body 100, via a paper feed roller 27, a pair of registration rollers 28, etc. More specifically, a plurality of recording media P such as transfer paper are stored in a stack in the paper feed section 26. When the paper feed roller 27 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 1, the topmost recording medium P is fed toward between the pair of registration rollers 28.

[0042] The recording medium P conveyed to the registration roller pair 28 stops temporarily at the roller nip of the registration roller pair 28, which has stopped rotating. Then, the registration roller pair 28 is rotated in synchronization with the color image on the intermediate transfer belt 8, and the recording medium P is conveyed toward the secondary transfer nip. In this way, the desired color image is transferred onto the recording medium P.

[0043] Thereafter, the recording medium P onto which the color image has been transferred at the secondary transfer nip position is transported to the position of the fixing device 20. Then, at this position, the color image transferred onto the surface is fixed onto the recording medium P by heat and pressure from the fixing belt and pressure roller. Thereafter, the recording medium P passes between a pair of discharge rollers 29 and is discharged to the outside of the apparatus. The transfer medium P discharged to the outside of the apparatus by the paper discharge roller pair 29 is sequentially stacked on a stack unit 30 as an output image. In this manner, a series of image forming processes in the image forming apparatus is completed.

[0044] Next, the configuration and operation of the developing device in the image forming unit will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. The developing device 5Y is composed of a developing roller 51Y facing the photosensitive drum 1Y, a doctor blade 52Y facing the developing roller 51Y, two transport screws 55Y arranged in developer containers 53Y and 54Y, and a concentration detection sensor 56Y for detecting the toner concentration in the developer. The developing roller 51Y is composed of a magnet fixed inside and a sleeve rotating around the magnet. The developer containers 53Y and 54Y contain a two-component developer G consisting of a carrier and a toner. The developer container 54Y communicates with a toner drop transport path 64Y through an opening formed above it.

[0045] The developing device 5Y thus configured operates as follows. The sleeve of the developing roller 51Y rotates in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 2. The developer G carried on the developing roller 51Y by the magnetic field generated by the magnet moves on the developing roller 51Y as the sleeve rotates.

[0046] Here, the developer G in the developing device 5Y is adjusted so that the ratio of toner in the developer (toner concentration) falls within a predetermined range. In more detail, in accordance with the toner consumption in the developing device 5Y, the toner contained in the toner container 32Y is replenished into the developer containing section 54Y via a toner replenishing device 60Y (see FIG. 3, etc.). The configuration and operation of the toner replenishing device will be described in detail later.

[0047] Thereafter, the toner supplied to the developer container 54Y is circulated between the two developer containers 53Y and 54Y (moving in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the paper in FIG. 2) while being mixed and stirred by the two transport screws 55Y together with the developer G. The toner in the developer G is attracted to the carrier due to frictional charging with the carrier, and is carried on the developing roller 51Y together with the carrier by the magnetic force formed on the developing roller 51Y.

[0048] The developer G carried on the developing roller 51Y is transported in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 2 and reaches the position of the doctor blade 52Y. Then, the developer G on the developing roller 51Y is adjusted to an appropriate amount at this position, and then transported to a position facing the photoconductor drum 1Y (the developing area). Then, the toner is attracted to the latent image formed on the photoconductor drum 1Y by the electric field formed in the developing area. Thereafter, the developer G remaining on the developing roller 51Y reaches above the developer container 53Y as the sleeve rotates, and is separated from the developing roller 51Y at this position.

[0049] Next, the toner supply devices 60Y, 60M, 60C, and 60K will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. Referring to FIG. 3, the toner in each toner container 32Y, 32M, 32C, and 32K installed in the toner container storage section 70 of the device main body 100 is appropriately replenished to each developing device by toner replenishing devices 60Y, 60M, 60C, and 60K provided for each toner color in accordance with the toner consumption in the developing device of each color. In addition, the four toner supply devices 60Y, 60M, 60C, and 60K and toner containers 32Y, 32M, 32C, and 32K (developer containers) have almost the same structure except for the color of toner used in the image creation process. Therefore, only the toner supply device 50Y and toner container 32Y corresponding to yellow will be explained, and explanations of the toner supply devices 60M, 60C, and 60K and toner containers 32M, 32C, and 32K corresponding to the other three colors will be omitted as appropriate.

[0050] 1, when a main body cover (not shown) installed on the front side of the device main body 100 (the front side in the vertical direction of the paper surface of FIG. 1) is opened, a toner container storage section 70 (insertion opening section 71) is exposed. Then, with the longitudinal direction of each of the toner containers 32Y, 32M, 32C, and 32K (developer containers) set horizontally, an attachment / detachment operation of each of the toner containers 32Y, 32M, 32C, and 32K (an attachment / detachment operation with the longitudinal direction of the toner container as the attachment / detachment direction) is performed from the front side of the device main body 100.

[0051] As shown in FIG. 4, when the toner containers 32Y, 32M, 32C, and 32K are mounted in the toner container storage unit 70 of the apparatus main body 100 (movement in the direction of arrow Q), the shutter members 34d of the toner containers 32Y, 32M, 32C, and 32K move in conjunction with the mounting operation to open the toner discharge outlets W (discharge outlets), and the toner supply device 60Y, 60M, 60C, 60K The toner supply port 73w (see FIG. 3) communicates with the toner discharge port W. This allows the toner contained in the toner containers 32Y, 32M, 32C, and 32K to be discharged. Gato The toner is discharged from the toner discharge port W and is then fed from the toner supply ports 73w of the toner supply devices 60Y, 60M, 60C, and 60K into the toner tank unit 61Y. Toner It will be stored. Now, referring to the schematic diagram of FIG. 3, the toner container 32Y is omitted A cylindrical toner bottle, mainly Teto The toner container 32Y is composed of a cap portion 34Y held in a non-rotatable manner by the toner container storage portion 70, and a container body 33Y (bottle body) with a gear 33c formed integrally therewith. The container body 33Y is held rotatably relative to the cap portion 34Y, and is rotated in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 3 by a drive portion 91 (comprised of a drive motor, a drive gear 81, etc.). Then, as the container body 33Y itself rotates, the toner contained inside the toner container 32Y (container body 33Y) is transported in the longitudinal direction (from left to right in FIG. 3) by the protrusion 33b formed in a spiral shape on the inner peripheral surface of the container body 33Y, and the toner is discharged from the toner discharge port W of the cap portion 34Y. That is, as the container body 33Y of the toner container 32Y is appropriately rotated by the drive portion 91, the toner is appropriately supplied to the toner tank portion 61Y. Note that the toner containers 32Y, 32M, 32C, and 32K are each Reju When it reaches the end of its life (when almost all of the toner it contains has been consumed and it is empty), it is replaced with a new one.

[0052] 3, the toner supply devices 60Y, 60M, 60C, 60K are each made up of a toner container storage section 70, a toner tank section 61Y, a toner transport screw 62Y, an agitating member 65Y, a toner end sensor 66Y, a drive section 91, and the like. The toner tank unit 61Y is disposed below the toner discharge port W of the toner container 32Y, and stores the toner discharged from the toner discharge port W of the toner container 32Y. The bottom of the toner tank unit 61Y is connected to the upstream part of the toner transport screw 62Y. A toner end sensor 66Y is provided on the wall surface (at a position at a predetermined height from the bottom) of the toner tank portion 61Y to detect that the toner stored in the toner tank portion 61Y is equal to or less than a predetermined amount. A piezoelectric sensor or the like can be used as the toner end sensor 66Y. When the toner end sensor 66Y detects that the toner stored in the toner tank portion 61Y is equal to or less than a predetermined amount (toner end detection), the control portion 70 controls the drive portion 91 (drive gear 81) to rotate the container body 33Y of the toner container 32Y for a predetermined time to supply toner to the toner tank portion 61Y. Furthermore, if the toner end detection by the toner end sensor 66Y is not canceled even after repeating such control, it is determined that there is no toner in the toner container 32Y, and a display (not shown) of the device main body 100 is displayed to prompt the user to replace the toner container 32Y.

[0053] Also, at the center of the toner tank section 61Y (near the toner end sensor 66Y), an agitating member 65Y is provided to prevent the toner stored in the toner tank section 61Y from clumping together. The agitating member 65Y has a flexible member provided on its shaft, and agitates the toner in the toner tank section 61Y by rotating clockwise in Fig. 3. Furthermore, the tip of the flexible member of the agitating member 65Y comes into sliding contact with the detection surface of the toner end sensor 66Y at regular intervals during the rotation, thereby preventing the toner from adhering to the detection surface of the toner end sensor 66Y and reducing the detection accuracy.

[0054] Although not shown in the drawings, the toner transport screw 62Y transports the toner stored in the toner tank portion 61Y obliquely upward. More specifically, the toner transport screw 62Y transports the toner linearly from the bottom (lowest point) of the toner tank portion 61Y toward above the developing device 5Y. The toner transported by the toner transport screw 62Y falls under its own weight through a toner drop transport path 64Y (see FIG. 2) and is replenished into the developing device 5Y (developer storage portion 54Y).

[0055] Also, referring to Figure 4, the toner container storage section 70 is mainly composed of a cap receiving section 73 for holding the cap section 34Y of the toner container 32Y, a bottle receiving section 72 (container body receiving section) for holding the container body 33Y of the toner container 32Y, and an insertion opening section 71 which serves as an insertion opening when the toner container 32Y is attached.

[0056] Next, the toner container storage unit 70 (the bottle receiving portion 72 and the cap receiving portion 73) will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. As described above with reference to Figs. 4 and 5, the toner container storage section 70 is provided with the bottle receiving section 72, the cap receiving section 73, and the insertion opening section 71 (not shown in Fig. 5). The toner container 32Y is mounted in the toner container storage section 70 from the insertion opening section 71 by a user holding the gripping section 33d, with the longitudinal direction being horizontal, with the cap section 34Y at the head and the longitudinal direction being the mounting direction relative to the container body 33Y. The toner container 32Y inserted from the insertion opening section 71 is pushed by the user toward the cap receiving section 73 while sliding on the bottle receiving surface 72a (see Figs. 5, 6, 9, etc.) of the bottle receiving section 72. Here, referring to Fig. 6, etc., the bottle receiving section 72 has the bottle receiving surface 72a formed for each color, and the corresponding toner containers 32Y, 32M, 32C, and 32K are inserted into the bottle receiving section 72 (insertion in the direction of the white arrow). Furthermore, referring to Figure 8, the cap receiving portion 73 is also formed with bottle receiving portions 73Y, 73M, 73C, and 73K for each color, and the corresponding toner containers 32Y, 32M, 32C, and 32K are inserted (inserted in the direction of the white arrow), and the cap portions are held in that position without rotating.

[0057] 5, 24(A), etc., the bottle receiving portion 72 of the toner-container storage portion 70 is provided with a bottle receiving surface 72a, a stopper release biasing portion 72b, and the like. The bottle receiving surface 72a functions as a sliding surface for the toner container 32Y when the toner container 32Y is attached or detached, and functions as a holder for the container body 33Y which is rotated after the toner container 32Y has been set. 5, the stopper release biasing portion 72b is a trapezoidal rib formed above the bottle receiving surface 72a (on the downstream side in the mounting direction of the toner container 32Y). With reference to FIG. 24, the stopper release biasing portion 72b is for pushing up the stopper release portion 34d21 of the shutter member 34Y in conjunction with the mounting operation of the toner container 32Y to release the contact state between the stopper portion 34d22 and the contact portion 34n5 (for enabling the opening operation of the shutter member 34d).

[0058] 14 and 15, the cap receiving portion 73 of the toner container storage portion 70 is provided with a main reference pin 73a, a secondary reference pin 73b, abutment grooves 73m, side grooves 73h, a wall portion 73g, a through hole 73f, and the like. The main reference pin 73a and the sub reference pin 73b as positioning pins are fitted into the first positioning hole portion 34a and the second positioning hole portion 34b of the cap portion 34Y of the toner container 32Y shown in Figures 20 and 21. Then, the cap portion 34Y is positioned in the cap receiving portion 73. 7 and other figures, the main reference pin 73a is formed to be longer in the longitudinal direction than the secondary reference pin 73b (the reference surfaces serving as the bases are formed on the same plane). The main reference pin 73a also has a tapered tip. This allows the toner container 32Y to be smoothly attached to the cap receiving portion 73 during the attachment operation of the toner container 32Y to the cap receiving portion 73 in the longitudinal direction.

[0059] 14 and 15, the abutment groove 73m is a groove-shaped recess formed on the inner wall of the cap receiving portion 73 above the main reference pin 73a from the upstream side in the mounting direction of the tip of the main reference pin 73a, and is adapted to fit into the guide rail portion 34e formed extending longitudinally above the outer periphery of the cap portion 34Y of the toner container 32Y described later prior to the main reference pin 73a being inserted into the positioning hole 34a.

[0060] 12, 15, etc., side grooves 73h are formed on both sides of the inner wall of the cap receiving portion 73 so as to extend in the longitudinal direction and penetrate toward the outer periphery of the cap receiving portion 73, so as to be in a symmetrical relationship. Furthermore, with reference to Figures 12, 13, etc., cap portion sandwiching members 73r are arranged on the outer periphery of the cap receiving portion 73 so as to be in a substantially pentagonal shape when viewed from above and have groove portions 73r1 (formed to be connected to the side grooves 73h) when viewed from the longitudinal direction, so as to be in a symmetrical relationship. The cap portion clamping member 73r is formed as a separate member from the cap receiving portion 73, and is fitted into a recess formed on the outer periphery of the cap receiving portion 73, and is pressed against the side groove 73h by being biased by a torsion coil spring 93 arranged around the cylindrical axis above it. This connects the side groove 73h and the groove portion 73r1 of the cap portion clamping member 73r, and a pair of deeper groove portions on the left and right appear to be formed. When the toner container 32Y is attached or detached, the side projection 34c formed on the cap portion 34Y passes through the deep groove portion (the groove portion 73r1 and the side groove 73h integrated) described above, pushing aside the cap portion clamping member 73r biased by the torsion coil spring 93. This allows the user performing the operation of attaching or detaching the toner container 32Y to or from the image forming apparatus main body 100 (cap receiving portion 73) to feel a clicking sensation synchronized with the attachment or detachment operation, and the user can attach or detach the toner container 32Y with optimal momentum (acceleration) without performing the attachment or detachment operation with half-hearted momentum.

[0061] 14(A), 15, etc., a through hole 73f is formed in the rear wall surface (the wall surface standing vertically at the rear side in the mounting direction) of the cap receiving portion 73, which is a shape in which an oval hole and a square hole extending in the vertical direction are overlapped with each other with their edges aligned. A connector 73e (see FIG. 16) described later is installed through the through hole 73f so as to be exposed on the inner wall side of the cap receiving portion 73 (see FIG. 17, etc.). When the toner container 32Y is mounted on the cap receiving portion 73 (the apparatus main body 100), the connector 73e faces and contacts the ID chip 35 arranged at the tip of the cap portion 34Y, and information communication between the ID chip 35 and the apparatus main body 100 (the control unit 90) is possible.

[0062] The manner in which the connector 73e is installed in the cap receiving portion 73 of the toner-container storage portion 70 will be described below. Four connectors 73e corresponding to the yellow, magenta, cyan and black toner containers 32Y, 32M, 32C and 32K are disposed in each cap receiving portion 73. Referring to Fig. 8, the four connectors 73e are arranged side by side on one rectangular common electronic board 95. More specifically, a snap fit 73e4 formed on the bottom of the connector 73e is fitted into a hole (not shown) formed in the common electronic board 95, thereby fixing the connector 73e onto the common electronic board 95. 8 and 17, the common electronic board 95 to which the four connectors 73e are fixed is installed and fixed along the arrangement direction of the four cap receiving parts 73K, 73C, 73M, and 73Y with the four connectors 73e inserted into the cap receiving parts 73 via the through holes 73f. In more detail, four screws 99 are threaded through holes formed in the common electronic board 95 into female threaded parts 73x formed below the outer walls of the four cap receiving parts 73K, 73C, 73M, and 73Y, respectively, so that the common electronic board 95 is screwed to the cap receiving parts 73 from the outside.

[0063] The configuration and operation of the connector 73e will be described below. 16, the connector 73e is composed of a connector body 73e1, four body side terminals 73e2, two positioning pins 73e3 (positioning protrusions), etc. Each of the four body side terminals 73e2 in the connector 73e is a plate-shaped (or wire-shaped) metal member, and is fixed and supported by the connector body 73e1 with one end side as a fixed end and the other end side as a free end. In addition, each of the four body side terminals 73e2 has a curved portion (a portion that becomes a contact point with the metal pad 35a as a metal plate) curved toward the ID chip 35 side formed on the other end side. Then, as the cap portion 34Y is attached to the cap receiving portion 73, the curved portion of the main body side terminal 73e2 is displaced in the -X direction of Figure 16, and slides from the longitudinal center toward the left in Figure 29 (near the first virtual straight line S1) while gradually increasing the contact pressure against the metal pad 35a (metal plate) of the ID chip 35 installed on the cap portion 34Y. As shown in FIG. 16, the tip of the positioning pin 73e3 is tapered so that the engagement with the notch 35b1 of the ID chip 35 can be smoothly performed.

[0064] 14, 15, and 17, the wall portion 73g is provided so as to surround the lower and lateral sides of the through hole 73f in which the connector 73e is provided. By providing the wall portion 73g, even if toner scatters from the vicinity of the toner discharge port W of the toner container 32Y to the outside, the wall portion 73g blocks the scattered toner, so that the scattered toner is less likely to directly adhere to the connector 73e or the ID chip 35. Therefore, it is possible to prevent poor contact (failure of communication) between the connector 73e (main body side terminal 73e2) and the ID chip 35 (metal pad 35a) caused by the scattered toner.

[0065] Necessary information is exchanged between the ID chips 35 (information storage devices) of the toner containers 32Y, 32M, 32C, and 32K and the connector 73e of the apparatus main body 100. Information communicated between the two includes information on the toner containers and the ID chips themselves, such as the serial numbers, manufacturing dates, and recycling times, information on the toner capacity, lot number, and color, and information on the usage history of the image forming apparatus main body 100. The ID chip 35 (information storage device) stores such electronic information before it is installed in the image forming apparatus main body 100 (or stores information received from the apparatus main body 100 after it is installed). The ID chip 35 (information storage device) will be described in more detail later.

[0066] Next, the toner containers 32Y, 32M, 32C, and 32K will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 18 to 20, the toner container 32Y is mainly composed of a container body 33Y (bottle body) and a cap part 34Y (bottle cap) provided on the top of the container body 33Y. Furthermore, a shutter member 34d, an ID chip 35 as an information storage device, and the like are removably provided on the cap part 34Y of the toner container 32Y.

[0067] At the head of the container body 33Y, a gear 33c that rotates integrally with the container body 33Y and an opening A are provided at one end in the longitudinal direction (the left-right direction in FIG. 30) (see FIGS. 19 and 30). The opening A is provided at the head of the container body 33Y (the leading end in the mounting operation) and is for discharging the toner contained in the container body 33Y toward the space (hollow, see FIG. 30) in the cap part 34Y. The toner is transported from inside the container body 33Y to the cavity in the cap portion 34Y (the container body 33Y is rotated) appropriately according to the toner consumption on the image forming apparatus main body side.

[0068] The gear 33c meshes with a drive gear 81 provided in the toner container storage unit 70 of the apparatus main body 100 to rotate the container main body 33Y around the rotation axis. In detail, the gear 33c is exposed from a cutout hole 34x (see FIG. 18, etc.) formed in the outer circumferential surface of the cap portion 34Y described later, and meshes with the drive gear 81 of the apparatus main body 100 at a meshing position obliquely downward in FIG. 21. Then, a driving force is transmitted from the drive gear 81 to the gear 33c, and the container main body 33Y rotates in the clockwise direction in FIG. 21. In the present embodiment 1, the drive gear 81 and the gear 33c are spur gears.

[0069] 18, the other longitudinal end side (the rear end in the mounting direction) of the container body 33Y is provided with a gripping portion 33d for a user to grip when mounting or removing the toner container 32Y. The user mounts the toner container 32Y in the image forming apparatus body 100 while gripping the gripping portion 33d (moving the toner container 32Y in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 18).

[0070] Moreover, a spiral protrusion 33b is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the container body 33Y (when viewed from the outer peripheral surface side, it is a spiral groove). This spiral protrusion 33b is for rotating the container body 33Y in a predetermined direction to discharge the toner from the opening A. The container body 33Y thus configured can be manufactured by blow molding together with the gear 33c and the grip portion 33d arranged on its peripheral surface.

[0071] 30, in the toner container 32Y according to the first embodiment, an agitating member 33f that rotates together with the container body 33Y is fitted into the bottle mouth portion 33a (opening A) shown in FIG. 19. The agitating member 33f is a rod-shaped member that extends from a cavity in the cap portion 34Y toward the inside of the container body 33Y. The rotation of the agitating member 33 together with the opening A of the container body 33Y improves the discharge of toner from the opening A.

[0072] 19 and 30, an engaged portion 33j (flange portion) for connecting the two members 33Y and 34Y by engaging with a claw portion 34j (see FIG. 21, etc.) of the cap portion 34Y is formed around the opening A of the container body 33Y so as to go around the outer periphery. In this way, the container body 33Y is rotatably fitted to the cap portion 34Y. 19 and 30, the inner diameter of the head 33Yc (near the position where the gear 33c is formed) of the container body 33Y is formed to be smaller than the inner diameter of the storage section 33Ya (where the spiral protrusion 33b is formed) in which the toner is stored. In the container body 33Y, between the head 33Yc and the storage section 33Ya, a pumping section 33Yb (a portion surrounded by a dashed line in FIG. 20) is provided whose inner circumferential surface is formed to protrude inward. As the container body 33Y rotates, the toner transported by the spiral protrusion 33b toward the opening A is pumped up by the pumping section 33Yb into the small diameter section of the head 33Yc. The toner pumped up into the small diameter section of the head 33Yc is then discharged from the opening A into the cavity of the cap section 34Y while being stirred by the stirring member 33f.

[0073] 20 to 23, an ID chip 35 (information storage device), a shutter member 34d, a shutter seal 36, and the like are provided on a cap portion 34Y of a toner container 32Y. Referring to FIG. 22, the cap portion 34Y is roughly a structure combining a cylindrical portion (large diameter cylindrical portion 34Y1, medium diameter cylindrical portion 34Y2, small diameter cylindrical portion 34Y3) whose outer diameter and inner diameter decrease in three stages from the container body 33Y side toward the shutter member 34d side, and a box portion (wide box portion 34Y11, narrow box portion 34Y12) at the bottom of the cylindrical portion (large diameter cylindrical portion 34Y11, narrow diameter cylindrical portion 34Y12) whose horizontal width decreases in two stages. The cap portion 34Y is formed with an insertion portion 34z (see FIG. 30) consisting of a large diameter cylindrical portion 34Y1, a medium diameter cylindrical portion 34Y2, a wide width box portion 34Y11, and a part of a narrow width box portion 34Y12. The head portion 33Yc and a part of the pumping portion 33Yb of the container body 33Y are inserted into the insertion portion 34z. With reference to FIG. 30 and the like, in the insertion portion 34z, the medium diameter cylindrical portion 34Y2 is formed so that its inner diameter D is smaller than the tooth tip diameter of the gear 33c and larger than the outer diameter of the opening A of the container body 33Y. The small diameter cylindrical portion 34Y3 is formed so that its inner diameter B is smaller than the inner diameter D of the medium diameter cylindrical portion 34Y2 and also smaller than the outer diameter of the opening A. In addition, an annular cap seal 37 (elastic seal) whose opening diameter is substantially the same as the inner diameter B is attached by double-sided tape to an annular vertical wall surface (the surface facing the periphery of the opening A of the container body 33Y) connecting the medium diameter cylindrical portion 34Y2 and the small diameter cylindrical portion 34Y3. The head 33Yc and a part of the pumping portion 33Yb are inserted into the insertion portion 34z so that the edge of the opening A of the head 33Yc of the container body 33Y abuts and bites into this cap seal 37. With this configuration, a part of the gear 33c (excluding the part exposed from the cutout hole portion 34x) and functional parts such as the connection part between the cap portion 34Y and the container body 33Y are covered by the large diameter cylindrical portion 34Y1. Therefore, even when the toner container 32Y is held by a user alone, the user can be prevented from touching such functional parts, and even if an unexpected external force (such as an unexpected impact) is applied to the toner container 32Y, the above-mentioned toner leakage from the connection part and damage to the tooth surface of the gear 33c can be reduced. In addition, since the annular cap seal 37 has good sliding properties and elasticity retention on its surface, even if the container body 33Y rotates while biting into it, a gap does not occur between the container body 33Y and the cap part 34Y and toner does not leak out. Unlike general soft urethane foam (PUR), the cap seal 37 is made of a high-density microcellular urethane sheet having a high density, fine and uniform cell structure. As a result, the cap seal 37 wears less than when general PUR is used, and the sealing performance between the container body 33Y and the cap part 34Y can be maintained for a long time.

[0074] 22, 30, etc., a toner drop path C having a hexagonal columnar hole is provided inside the narrow box portion 34Y12 located below the small diameter cylindrical portion 34Y3 of the cap portion 34Y to allow the toner discharged from the opening A of the container body 33Y to be discharged vertically downward outside the container (falling under its own weight). The toner drop path C has a constant flow passage area with a hexagonal cross section, and connects the lower circumferential surface inside the small diameter cylindrical portion 34Y3 to the toner discharge port W (discharge port). As a result, the toner discharged from the opening A of the container body 33Y to the inside of the small diameter cylindrical portion 34Y3 of the cap portion 34Y falls under its own weight along the hexagonal columnar toner drop path C to be smoothly discharged from the toner discharge port W to the outside of the container (toner tank portion 61Y).

[0075] A part of the shutter member 34d (the shutter main part 34d1) for opening and closing the toner discharge outlet W in conjunction with the attachment and detachment of the toner container 32Y to the toner container storage part 70 is slidably supported at the bottom of the narrow box part 34Y12. 22 and 23 show the operation from when the shutter member 34d starts to open the toner discharge port W until the opening is completed. Also, Figs. 24(A) to (C) are schematic diagrams showing the opening operation of the shutter member 34d (shutter deformation portion 34d2) at that time. Furthermore, Figs. 25 and 26 are perspective views showing the shutter member 34d. Note that Figs. 24(B) and (C) omit some of the cap portion 34Y, cap receiving portion 73, and bottle receiving portion 72 shown in Fig. 24(A) from illustration.

[0076] 22 to 26, the shutter member 34d is formed from a resin material such as polystyrene, and is roughly composed of a plate-shaped shutter main portion 34d1 and a shutter deformation portion 34d2 that protrudes from the shutter main portion 34d1, is thinner than the shutter main portion 34d1, and has elasticity.

[0077] 25 and 26, the shutter main part 34d1 of the shutter member 34d has vertical walls 34d13 (vertical walls extending parallel to the mounting direction of the toner container 32Y) standing on both side ends, and a shutter slider 34d12 consisting of a plurality of protrusions protruding from the vertical wall 34d13, formed on both side ends. The shutter slider 34d12 is formed of a slide protrusion 34d12a protruding from the inner surface of the vertical wall 34d13, an L-shaped engaged protrusion 34d12b protruding from the outer surface of the vertical wall 34d13, and a wide box portion 34d12b protruding from the same outer surface as the engaged protrusion 34d12b, and formed on the main body of the shutter main part 34d1. 34Y11 On the other hand, the narrow box portion of the cap portion 34Y has a pair of rectangular column portions 34d12c extending outward. 34Y12 A pair of slide grooves 34t (see FIG. 23) extending in the longitudinal direction are formed at both ends of the cap portion 34Y by ribs. The slide protrusion 34d12a fits into the slide grooves 34t, so that the shutter main portion 34d1 of the shutter member 34d is slidably supported by the cap portion 34Y. In addition, a shutter seal 36 is attached to the upper surface of the shutter main part 34d1 (the surface facing the toner discharge port W) as a sealing member. The shutter seal 36 is a thin, roughly rectangular elastic seal, and like the cap seal 37, is made of a high-density microcellular urethane sheet in consideration of the sliding properties of the surface and the maintenance of elasticity. Therefore, even if the shutter member 34d is repeatedly opened and closed, the sealing performance at the toner discharge port W can be maintained when the shutter main part 34d closes the toner discharge port W. The slide protrusion 34d12a of the shutter slider 34d12 is fitted into the slide groove 34t of the narrow box portion 34Y12 (cap portion 34Y). Nisso In this state, a hexagonal ring-shaped protrusion 34r (see FIG. 23) protrudes downward along the edge of the hexagonal toner discharge port W of the narrow box portion 34Y12. And Main part of shutter 34d1 With The shutter seal 36 is sandwiched between them and is slightly compressed. was done It is in this state. From this stateAs the shutter member 34d moves along the slide groove 34t, the shutter main part 34d1 opens and closes the toner discharge port W while suppressing toner leakage. Furthermore, when the shutter main part 34d1 (shutter member 34d) closes the toner discharge port W, toner leaks out from between the shutter main part 34d1 and the toner discharge port W. thing Prevent.

[0078] Specifically, the shutter member 34d opens the toner discharge outlet W by relatively moving in the longitudinal direction from the cap portion 34Y side to the container body 33Y side (movement toward the left in FIG. 30), and closes the toner discharge outlet W by relatively moving in the longitudinal direction from the container body 33Y side to the cap portion 34Y side (movement toward the right in FIG. 30). The opening and closing operation of the shutter member 34d (opening and closing operation of the toner discharge outlet W) is performed in conjunction with the attachment and detachment operation of the toner container 32Y to and from the toner container mount 70 (apparatus body 100) in the longitudinal direction.

[0079] 25 and 26, the shutter deformation portion 34d2 of the shutter member 34d is integrally formed with the shutter main portion 34d1. 1 yo The shutter deformation portion 34d2 is mainly composed of two elongated flat plate portions 34d23 extending from the end surface of the shutter main portion 34d1 on the container body 33Y side, and a flat plate portion 34d23 connecting the two flat plate portions 34d23 to each other near the tip end (free end). Board The shutter deformation portion 34d2 is formed so as to be elastically deformable in the vertical direction with the fixed end (connection portion) with the shutter main portion 34d1 as a base point. To the department As described later, a stopper portion 34d22 is formed to fix the shutter member 34d in order to prevent the toner discharge port W from being inadvertently opened. Also, on the bottom surface side of the plate-shaped member 34d24, a stopper release portion 34d21 is formed, which is an inclined protrusion (having a triangular cross section) that protrudes downward in the vertical direction in a mountain shape and cooperates with the stopper release biasing portion 72b of the cap receiving portion 73 to release the fixation of the above-mentioned shutter member 34d, as described later.

[0080] 22 and 23, the wide box portion 34Y11 located below the large diameter cylindrical portion 34Y1 of the cap portion 34Y has a shutter storage portion 34n formed therein for storing the shutter deformation portion 34d2 when the shutter is open. Of the four side surfaces of the wide box portion 34Y11, two side surfaces facing each other in the longitudinal direction (the direction of the arrow in FIG. 22) are open. In particular, the side surface formed on the side of the toner discharge outlet W has a wall surface formed on both ends on the bottom side, but most of it is an opening 34n1 extending in the horizontal direction. This opening 34n1 is formed by cutting out two surfaces, the side surface on the side of the toner discharge outlet W of the wide box portion 34Y11 and the bottom surface. Among the edges of the opening 34n1, an edge portion formed to rise vertically from the bottom surface of the wide box portion 34Y11 serves as the abutment portion 34n5. The stopper portion 34d22 of the shutter deformation portion 34d2 is a wall portion formed at the end portion (the tip of the shutter deformation portion 34d2 remote from the shutter main portion 34d1) in the opening direction (the left direction in FIG. 24) of the shutter deformation portion 34d2, and this abuts against the above-mentioned abutment portion 34n5 to restrict movement of the shutter member 34d from a state in which the toner discharge outlet W is closed to a direction in which the toner discharge outlet W is opened. That is, in the toner container 32Y, in a standalone state (a state in which the toner container 32Y is not set in the apparatus main body 100), the stopper portion 34d22 of the shutter member 34d abuts against the abutment portion 34n5, so that the shutter member 34d does not move in the opening direction by itself to open the toner discharge outlet W. On the other hand, in conjunction with the mounting operation of the toner container 32Y into the toner-container storage portion 70, the stopper release portion 34d21 comes into contact with the stopper release biasing portion 72b (see FIGS. 5, 24, etc.) formed on the bottle receiving portion 72, and is pushed upward (by receiving an external force from below) by the stopper release biasing portion 72b, whereby the shutter deformation portion 34d2 is elastically deformed upward and the stopper portion 34d22 is also displaced upward. In this way, the contact state between the stopper portion 34d22 and the contact portion 34n5 is released, and the shutter member 34d becomes able to move in the opening direction.

[0081] 24(A) to 24(C), the operation of the shutter member 34d linked to the mounting operation of the toner container 32Y into the toner-container mount 70 will be described in detail. The positions of the shutter member 34d in Fig. 24(A) and Fig. 24(C) correspond to the positions of the shutter member 34d in Fig. 22 and Fig. 23, respectively. As shown in FIG. 24(A), when the mounting operation (movement to the right in FIG. 24) of the toner container 32Y to the toner container storage section 70 is started and the stopper release portion 34d21 of the shutter member 34d has not reached the position of the stopper release biasing portion 72b (see FIG. 5, etc.) formed on the bottle receiving section 72, the stopper portion 34d22 of the shutter member 34d abuts against the abutment portion 34n5, and the movement of the shutter member 34d in the opening direction is restricted. In addition, a bristle brush 72f is disposed on the upper surface of the bottle receiving section 72 on the cap receiving section 73 side near the stopper release biasing portion 72b so as to rub the bottom surface of the shutter member 34d and clean dirt. This bristle brush 72f is particularly effective in cleaning the smoke toner that adheres to the bottom surface of the shutter member 34d during the operation of removing the toner container 32Y. Thereafter, as the toner container 32Y is attached, the stopper release biasing portion 72b pushes up the stopper release portion 34d21, and the shutter deformation portion 34d2 elastically deforms from the connection position (encircled by the dashed line) as shown in Fig. 24(B). This releases the contact between the stopper portion 34d22 and the contact portion 34n5, allowing the shutter member 34d to move relatively in the opening direction. Thereafter, the shutter member 34d comes into contact with a wall portion (the portion marked with "contact position" in the drawing) formed around the toner supply port 73w of the cap receiving portion 73, and the movement in the toner container storage portion 70 (cap receiving portion 73) is restricted (the shutter member 34d does not move in the longitudinal direction). However, since the movement in the mounting direction of the toner container 32Y is continued, the shutter member 34d moves relative to the toner discharge port W in the opening direction. That is, as shown in FIG. 24(C), the shutter member 34d moves relative to the container body 33Y side, and the shutter deformation portion 34d2 is stored in the shutter storage portion 34n. In this way, the opening of the toner discharge port W by the movement of the shutter member 34d in the opening direction is completely completed, and the toner discharge port W and the toner supply port 73w of the cap receiving portion 73 are aligned so as to overlap with each other, and an integrated toner supply passage leading from the toner container 32Y to the toner supply device is formed. At this time, the stopper release portion 34d21 of the shutter member 34d is stored in the notch portion 34n6 (see also Figures 22 and 23, etc.), which is an extension of the opening 34n1 of the shutter storage portion 34n. This makes it possible to prevent the shutter deformation portion 34d2 stored in the shutter storage portion 34n from being held in a largely elastically deformed state due to contact between the stopper release portion 34d21 and the shutter storage portion 34n.

[0082] In this way, the toner container 32Y in this embodiment 1 is provided with a shutter deformation portion 34d2 on the shutter member 34d that elastically deforms based on the connection position with the shutter main portion 34d1, and the shutter deformation portion 34d2 is provided with a stopper portion 34d22 that restricts the movement of the shutter member 34d in the opening direction and a stopper release portion 34d21 that releases it. Therefore, when the toner container 32Y is alone, the shutter member 34d will not open the toner discharge outlet W by itself, and the shutter member 34d will open the toner discharge outlet W only in conjunction with the installation action when the toner container 32Y is set in the image forming apparatus main body 100.

[0083] The action of the L-shaped engaged protrusion 34d12b regarding the shutter opening and closing operation will be described below. As shown in FIG. 25 and other figures, the L-shaped engaged protrusions 34d12b are formed on both side ends of the shutter main part 34d1. On the other hand, although not shown because it is shown in the figure of Japanese Patent Application No. 2011-9782, a pair of urging members are installed on the bottom surface inside the cap receiving part 73 so as to face the pair of engaged protrusions 34d12b. The pair of urging members are L-shaped levers (a pivot shaft serving as the center of rotation is formed near the bent part of the L) that are symmetrical to each other, and the arm on one end side is urged by a torsion coil spring. Then, when the toner container 32Y (cap part 34Y) is attached to the cap receiving part 73, the arm on the other end side of the urging member engages with the engaged protrusions 34d12b and applies an urging force in a direction (closing direction) that opposes the direction in which the shutter member 34d is opened. As a result, the user pushes in the toner container 32Y with a force that overcomes the biasing force of the biasing member, and the shutter member 34d is quickly opened. As a result, the state in which the toner discharge port W does not coincide with the toner supply port 73w of the cap receiving portion 73 occurs only momentarily, and toner leakage from between the toner discharge port W and the toner supply port 73w can be suppressed. On the other hand, when the toner container 32Y (cap portion 34Y) is removed from the cap receiving portion 73, the arm portion of the biasing member described above biases the engaged protrusion portion 34d12b in the mounting direction. As a result, the user tries to pull out the toner container 32Y with a force that overcomes the biasing force of the biasing member described above, so that the shutter member 34d is quickly closed. As a result, toner leakage from between the toner discharge port W and the toner supply port 73w can be suppressed, similar to the opening operation.

[0084] 20, 21, 30, etc., a first positioning hole 34a is formed in an upper portion (ceiling portion) of the cap portion 34Y, extending in the longitudinal direction from an end face of the cap portion 34Y perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. This first positioning hole 34a serves as a main reference for positioning the cap portion 34Y in the image forming apparatus main body 100. In detail, in conjunction with the longitudinal mounting operation of the toner container 32Y to the toner container storage portion 70, a main reference pin 73a (see FIGS. 14, 17, etc.) serving as a positioning pin of the cap receiving portion 73 fits into the first positioning hole 34a of the cap portion 34Y. In addition, a second positioning hole 34b is formed in the lower part (bottom) of the cap part 34Y, extending in the longitudinal direction from an end face of the cap part 34Y perpendicular to the longitudinal direction so as not to reach the position of the toner discharge port W. This second positioning hole 34b serves as a secondary reference for positioning the cap part 34Y in the image forming apparatus main body 100. In detail, in conjunction with the longitudinal mounting operation of the toner container 32Y to the toner container storage part 70, a secondary reference pin 73b (see FIGS. 14, 17, etc.) serving as a positioning pin of the cap receiving part 73 fits into the second positioning hole 34b of the cap part 34Y. As shown in FIG. 21, the second positioning hole 34b is an elongated hole whose longitudinal direction is the vertical direction (this "longitudinal direction" is different from the "longitudinal direction" of the toner container 32Y described elsewhere). The cap portion 34Y is positioned in the toner container storage portion 70 by the two positioning holes 34a, 34b configured in this manner.

[0085] Here, referring to FIG. 30 etc., the hole depth of the first positioning hole portion 34a is set to be longer than the hole depth of the second positioning hole portion 34b. Also, the length of the main reference pin 73a in the longitudinal direction is set to be longer than the length of the sub reference pin 73b in the longitudinal direction. As a result, in the longitudinal mounting operation of the toner container 32Y to the toner container storage portion 70 (cap receiving portion 73), the main reference pin 73a starts to be fitted into the first positioning hole portion 34a which serves as the main reference for positioning, and then the sub reference pin 73b starts to be fitted into the second positioning hole portion 34b which serves as the sub reference for positioning, so that the toner container 32Y can be smoothly mounted to the toner container storage portion 70 (cap receiving portion 73). Also, since the first positioning hole portion 34a which is long in the longitudinal direction is provided in the ceiling portion (a portion which is not buried in the toner) of the cap portion 34Y, it does not affect the transportability (fluidity) of the toner in the cap portion 34Y. In addition, although the second positioning hole portion 34b, which is shorter in the longitudinal direction, is provided at the bottom of the cap portion 34Y, it can be installed by utilizing the short space from the end face of the cap portion 34Y to the position of the toner discharge outlet W, and fully functions as a positioning reference.

[0086] 20 and other drawings, a guide rail portion 34e extending along the axial direction of the first positioning hole portion 34a is formed on the outer periphery of the cap portion 34Y above the first positioning hole portion 34a of the cap portion 34Y. The guide rail portion 34e protrudes vertically upward from the outer periphery of the cap portion 34Y so as to be linearly symmetrical with respect to a virtual perpendicular line passing through the center of the first positioning hole portion 34a when viewed in a cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction (a cross section parallel to the front view of FIG. 21), and extends in the longitudinal direction (a direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 21). Prior to the insertion of the main reference pin 73a into the positioning hole 34a, the guide rail portion 34e fits into abutment groove 73m (recess) formed in a groove shape on the inner wall of the cap receiving portion 73 above the main reference pin 73a from the upstream side in the mounting direction from the tip of the main reference pin 73a, and regulates the horizontal posture of the cap portion 34Y perpendicular to the longitudinal direction during the mounting movement to the image forming apparatus main body 100 (cap receiving portion 73). In addition, a protrusion 34e1 that protrudes slightly in the longitudinal direction (mounting direction) from the end face of the first positioning hole portion 34a is formed at the tip of the guide rail portion 34e. This protrusion 34e1 is formed in a tapered shape as shown in FIG. 20 and the like. Then, the guide rail portion 34e enters the abutment groove 73m formed in the cap receiving portion 73, and the cap portion 34Y is guided into the cap receiving portion 73. As a result, when the cap portion 34Y is attached to the cap receiving portion 73, the tapered protrusion 34e1 in the first positioning hole portion 34a engages with the abutment groove 73m before the first positioning hole portion 34a engages with the main reference pin 73a, thereby ensuring smooth attachment of the cap portion 34Y to the cap receiving portion 73.

[0087] 20, 21, etc., the cap portion 34Y has, on both sides thereof, side projections 34c for regulating the orientation of the cap portion 34Y in the image forming apparatus main body 100 (cap receiving portion 73) in the rotation direction. Saw At this time, the first positioning hole portion 34a center and the second positioning hole portion 34b center On an imaginary horizontal line passing through the midpoint of the imaginary line segment connecting arrangement 21. The cap portion 34Y is provided with a pair of cap members 34Y each protruding horizontally from the outer circumferential surface of the cap portion 34Y so as to be in contact with the cap portion 34Y. The cap members 34Y are provided with a pair of cap members 34Y each protruding horizontally from the outer circumferential surface of the cap portion 34Y and extending in the longitudinal direction (the direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 21). Towards It has been extended. When attaching the cap portion 34Y to the cap receiving portion 73, Two lateral processes 34c Gaki Cap clamping member 73r (see FIG. 12, etc.) What is the biasing direction of the torsion coil spring 93? In the opposite direction Push aside like Push While 、 Engage with the side groove 73h and the groove portion 73r1 shown in FIG. This will The cap portion 34Y is rotated relative to the cap receiving portion 73 while the orientation of the cap portion 34Y in the rotational direction is restricted. Installation At the same time, the orientation of the cap portion 34Y in the rotational direction in a state in which the cap portion 34Y is attached to the cap receiving portion 73 is restricted. More specifically, the side projections 34c have tapered tips in the longitudinal direction (mounting direction) as shown in Fig. 20 etc. Here, when the cap part 34Y is mounted to the cap receiving part 73, first the guide rail parts 34e fit into the abutment grooves 73m, and then the two side projections 34c having tapered tips fit into the side grooves 73h and the groove parts 73r1. This allows the cap part 34Y to be smoothly mounted to the cap receiving part 73 with its posture reliably regulated. 20 and 21, protrusions 34g and 34h are provided at both ends of the bottom of the cap portion 34Y to ensure incompatibility with the toner container 32Y (developer container). More specifically, the protrusions 34g and 34h are provided protruding upward from the upper surface of a flat blade member extending laterally from the bottom of the cap portion 34Y. The protrusions 34g and 34h are configured to fit into a fitting portion 72m (formed in the bottle receiving portion 72 of the toner container housing portion 70) shown in FIG. 9 when the toner container 32Y is correctly mounted in the toner container housing portion 70 (when mounted in the correct position of the toner container housing portion 70). specific N Although not shown in the drawings, the positions of the protrusions 34g and 34h are determined according to the color of the toner contained in the toner container (container body). each In different positions arrangementIn detail, when the tip of the toner container 32Y is attached to the image forming apparatus main body 100, the front is the Each Convex part 34g, 34h Is thrust Make sure the positions of the parts do not overlap. arrangement Also, depending on the color each In different positions arrangement The protrusions 34g and 34h of the toner container corresponding to cyan are formed at positions that fit only with the fitting portion 72m for cyan of the toner container storage unit 70, the protrusions 34g and 34h of the toner container corresponding to magenta are formed at positions that fit only with the fitting portion 72m for magenta of the toner container storage unit 70, the protrusions 34g and 34h of the toner container corresponding to yellow are formed at positions that fit only with the fitting portion 72m for yellow of the toner container storage unit 70, and the protrusions 34g and 34h of the toner container corresponding to black are formed at positions that fit only with the fitting portion 72m for black of the toner container storage unit 70. With this configuration, a toner container storage unit of a predetermined color (for example, a cyan toner container storage unit) Different In other words, erroneous setting of the toner container in the toner-container storage unit is prevented. In addition, Figure 10 Hato 13 shows a state in which the toner container 32Y is correctly attached to the toner container storage unit 70, and the protrusions 34g and 34h of the cap portion 34Y do not interfere with the fitting portion 72m of the bottle receiving portion 72. Fitting In contrast, Figure 11 Hato 13 shows a state where the toner container 32Y is not properly attached to the toner container housing 70, and the protrusions 34g and 34h of the cap portion 34Y interfere with the fitting portion 72m of the bottle receiving portion 72.

[0088] The ID chip 35 (information storage device), which is a characteristic of the toner container 32Y (detachable device) in the present embodiment 1, will be described in detail below. 20 and the like, an ID chip 35 is installed on the end surface of the cap portion 34Y at the position of the holding member 34k installed between the first positioning hole portion 34a and the second positioning hole portion 34b, as an information storage device in which various electronic information is stored. The ID chip 35 is configured to be connected to the connector 73e of the cap receiving portion 73 when the cap portion 34Y is attached to the toner container receiving portion 70 (cap receiving portion 73) (see FIGS. 3 and 17 and the like). Specifically, when the cap portion 34Y is attached to the toner container receiving portion 70 (cap receiving portion 73), a plurality of metal pads 35a (metal plate) of the ID chip 35 contact a plurality of main body side terminals 73e2 of the connector 73e. Then, when the cap portion 34Y is held by the cap receiving portion 73, the ID chip 35 communicates (wired communication) with the control portion 90 via the connector 73e as shown in FIG. 3.

[0089] 27 to 29, in the present embodiment 1, a holding mechanism installed in a toner container 32Y (detachable device) that is detachably installed in the image forming apparatus main body 100 includes an ID chip 35 as an information storage device, a holding member 34 as a holding portion, and a holding mechanism for holding the toner container 32Y. k etc. The ID chip 35 as an information storage device held by the holding mechanism is composed of a substrate 35b, an information storage section 35c, and metal pads 35a (metal plate ) etc. It is composed of: 29, the information storage unit 35c is an electronic circuit that stores various information exchanged between the control unit 90 of the image forming apparatus main body 100 and the toner container 32Y. Memory This corresponds to an assembly of ICs, noise-reducing capacitors, resistors, etc. This information storage unit 35c is disposed on the back side of the substrate 35b (the side facing the end face of the cap portion 34Y) and is electrically connected to all or some of the metal pads 35a as a plurality of metal plates. The metal pads 35a as terminals are in contact with the body side terminals 73e2 of the connector 73e installed in the cap receiving portion 73 (apparatus body 100), respectively, and exchange electrical signals related to information with the image forming apparatus body 100 (controller 90). The metal pads 35a are arranged on the front surface side (the side facing the cap receiving portion 73) of the substrate 35b. Complex The metal pads 35a are formed in a substantially rectangular shape. Short They are arranged side by side with gaps in the hand direction (the Z direction (vertical direction) in FIG. 29(A)). The substrate 35b on which the information storage section 35c and the metal pads 35a are arranged has a positioning notch 35b1 (an elliptical circumferential So The shape of one half of the straight portion of the connector 73e is obtained by dividing the connector 73e in half at the straight portion of the connector 73e.) is formed at both ends in the vertical direction. The positioning notch 35b1 is adapted to fit into a positioning pin 73e3 (see FIGS. 16, 17, etc.) serving as a cylindrical positioning protrusion provided on the connector 73e (image forming apparatus main body 100) and to determine the positions of the multiple metal pads 35a relative to the multiple main body side terminals 73e2. The ID chip 35 (information storage device) configured in this manner is held by a holding member 34k (holding portion) configured to be detachable from the cap portion 34Y.

[0090] Protection The holding member 34k (holding portion) is a metal pad 35a (terminal) for the main body side terminal 73e2. Come closer A contact-type ID chip 35 (information storage device) is held so as to be movable on a virtual plane (a virtual plane substantially perpendicular) intersecting the movement direction when making contact (the direction indicated by the white arrow in FIG. 17). Specifically, in the present embodiment 1, the holding member 34k holds the ID chip 35 (substrate 35b) so that it can move on a virtual plane (the XZ plane in FIG. 20) perpendicular to the attachment / detachment direction of the toner container 32Y to / from the image forming apparatus main body 100. In other words, the ID chip 35 (substrate 35b) is configured to be able to move somewhat freely (about 1 mm) on the XZ plane in FIG. 20 while being held by the holding member 34k (cap portion 34Y) as shown in FIG. 20. Specifically, the ID chip 35 (substrate 35b) is held somewhat loosely inside the box-shaped holding member 34k (holding mechanism). In other words, the ID chip 35 Is In the inside of the support member 34k, a predetermined interval is provided between the support member 34k and the side wall in the XZ plane direction. Leave it Also, see Figs. 28 and 29. I The D chip 35 is disposed inside the holding member 34k with a slight gap Δt (for example, Δt+t=0.85 to 1.05 mm) in the ±Y direction with respect to the thickness t (about 0.8 mm) of the substrate 35b. In degrees Therefore, the positioning pin 73e3 is held in such a manner that the Tea The substrate 35b can be raised so that it intersects with the substrate 35b to a certain extent. Inside the retaining member 34k The board 35b is tilted too much. Position The positioning pin 73e3 and the notch 35b1 are twisted. 、 This prevents problems caused by the two components not fitting together properly. The above Configuration and This contributes to the miniaturization of the image forming apparatus 100 and the toner container 32Y. Accompanying In order to miniaturize the ID chip 35 mounted on the substrate 35b, To Even if multiple metal pads 35a (terminals) are densely arranged, the accuracy of the dimensions and assembly of related parts is not affected. regardless of , a plurality of metal pads 35a And Body side terminal 73e2 of connector 73e With Poor contact caused by improper positioning is less likely to occur.

[0091] Specifically, referring to Fig. 17 and the like, when the mounting operation of the cap portion 34Y of the toner container 32Y to the cap receiving portion 73 proceeds, the positioning pins 73a, 73b are inserted into the positioning holes 34a, 34b, and the cap portion 34Y is positioned in the cap receiving portion 73. Then, when the mounting operation of the cap portion 34Y proceeds further, the positioning pin 73e3 (see Figs. 16, 17, and the like) of the connector 73e is inserted into the notch portion 35b1 of the substrate 35b of the ID chip 35, and the substrate 35b (the plurality of metal pads 35a) is positioned relative to the connector 73e (the plurality of main body side terminals 73e2). More specifically, the positioning pin 73e3 comes into contact with the edge portion (or the inner surface) of the notch portion 35b1, and the movement of the substrate 35b is restricted. At this time, since the ID chip 35 (substrate 35b) in which the notch 35b1 is formed is configured to be movable on the XZ plane in the holding member 34k, as a result of being forced to increase the allowable variation in the dimensional accuracy and assembly accuracy of related parts accompanying mass production, even if the position of the notch 35b1 is initially misaligned with respect to the positioning pin 73e3 when positioning the toner container 32Y and the image forming apparatus main body 100, the ID chip 35 (substrate 35b) itself moves within the XZ plane due to the restriction by the tapered shape of the tip of the positioning pin 73e3, and the cylindrical portion of the positioning pin 73e3 can be fitted into the notch 35b1. In other words, the cylindrical portion of the positioning pin 73e3 can be fitted into the notch 35b1 independently of the positioning of the toner container 32Y and the image forming apparatus main body 100. Therefore, poor contact due to poor positioning between the multiple metal pads 35a and the body side terminals 73e2 of the connector 73e is less likely to occur.

[0092] 27, the holding member 34k serving as a holding portion is configured to be detachable from the cap portion 34Y, and is a box-shaped member having an insertion opening 34k1 for inserting and removing the ID chip 35 formed at the top. Specifically, when assembling the holding mechanism to the cap part 34Y, first, the ID chip 35 (information storage device) is inserted from the insertion opening 34k1 toward the inside of the holding member 34k (movement in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 27). Then, the holding member 34k (holding part) with the ID chip 35 attached is moved in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 27 to be pressed into the recess of the cap part 34Y. At this time, the holding member 34k is fixed and held at a position where it abuts against the base part 34q (disposed at a position not in contact with the board 35b) provided in the recess of the cap part 34Y. Note that, when removing the ID chip 35 from the cap part 34Y, the above-mentioned procedure is reversed. Note that the base part 34q is a rib that stands in the recess of the cap part 34Y in the mounting direction of the toner container 32Y (or toward the holding member 34k), and is provided at a position away from the place where the positioning pin 73e3 of the connector 73e is inserted. In the first embodiment, the holding member 34k is configured to be pressed into the recess of the cap portion 34Y and fixed, but the holding member 34k can also be configured to be attached to the recess of the cap portion 34Y and fixed by screwing. Specifically, a piece-like rib having a hole is protruded from the side wall of the holding member 34k, and a female screw is formed on the end face of the cap portion 34Y. Then, the holding member 34k is attached to the recess of the cap portion 34Y, and a screw is screwed into the female screw of the cap portion 34Y through the hole of the rib related to the holding member 34k in a state where the piece-like rib of the holding member 34k is in contact with the end face of the cap portion 34Y. Even in the case of such a configuration, the holding member 34k can be attached and detached from the cap portion 34Y relatively easily.

[0093] In this way, since the ID chip 35 (substrate 35b) is configured to be detachable from the cap portion 34Y, the ease of assembling the ID chip 35 (substrate 35b) to the toner container 32Y as a detachable device is improved, and the efficiency of disassembling the ID chip 35 (substrate 35b) when recycling the toner container 32Y is improved. In particular, the substrate 35b of the ID chip 35 in the present embodiment 1 is a small substrate of about 12 mm×8 mm to 15 mm×10 mm, and when data input / output (data input / output by contacting the probe terminal with the metal pad 35a) is performed in a state in which the substrate 35b is attached to the cap portion 34Y in the manufacturing process, there is a risk that the operation is difficult on the cap portion 34Y having a complex shape, and the process time is extended. Therefore, it is very effective to configure the ID chip 35 (substrate 35b) to be detachable as in the present embodiment 1, and to perform data input / output operation on the ID chip 35 alone (or together with the holding member 34k) as necessary.

[0094] 17 and 27, the cap portion 34Y is formed with an upright portion 34f that closes the insertion opening 34k1 when the holding member 34k is attached to the recess. This prevents the ID chip 35 from falling off from the insertion opening 34k1 of the holding member 34k after the ID chip 35 (holding member 34k) is attached to the cap portion 34Y.

[0095] 28, a first opposing portion 34k4 and a second opposing portion 34k5 are formed inside the holding member 34k (box-shaped member). The first opposing portion 34k4 faces the first plane (the surface on which the metal pads 35a are arranged, as shown in FIG. 29) of the substrate 35b, and is formed so as to be slidable by contacting only the outer periphery of the first plane where the metal pads 35a are not arranged so as not to interfere with the metal pads 35a. The second opposing portion 34k5 faces the second plane (the surface on which the information storage unit 35c is arranged, as shown in FIG. 29) of the substrate 35b, and is formed so that a part of the second plane is slidable so as not to interfere with the information storage unit 35c. As a result, inside the holding member 34k, the ID chip 35 can move freely within the XZ plane (it can move in a sliding manner on the opposing portions 34k4, 34k5) without falling off the holding member 34k and without damaging the metal pads 35a and the information storage portion 35c. Furthermore, openings 34k2 and 34k3 are formed on the front and back surfaces of the holding member 34k, respectively. The first opening 34k2 is formed so that the multiple metal pads 35a and the positioning notch 35b1 are exposed on the side facing the connector 73e even if the substrate 35b moves to a certain extent in the XZ plane. This allows the above-mentioned engagement between the positioning pins 73e3 and the notch 35b1 and the connection (contact) between the metal pads 35a and the main body terminals 73e2 as the substrate 35b moves in the XZ plane. The second opening 34k3 is formed so that the information storage unit 35c is exposed on the side facing the recess of the cap portion 34Y even if the substrate 35b moves to a certain extent in the XZ plane. 28, the opening 34k2 formed on the front surface of the holding member 34k is formed so that the left side is convex and the right side is concave, so that the area surrounded by the dashed line in FIG. 28 functions as a "stopper" that prevents the ID chip 35 from falling out of the opening 34k2.

[0096] FIG. 29 is a three-sided view showing the ID chip 35. As shown in FIG. As shown in Fig. 29, four metal pads 35a as metal plates are arranged in parallel in the Z direction on the first plane of the substrate 35b of the ID chip 35. The metal pads 35a are multilayer structures made up of three layers, a copper layer, a nickel layer, and a gold layer from the substrate 35b side, and the gold layer, which is the surface layer, is relatively expensive but is provided to prevent oxidation. The metal pads 35a are formed by electrochemical deposition on the substrate 35b that has been masked in advance. The positioning cutouts 35b1 are formed at both ends of the arrangement direction (Z direction) of the four metal pads 35a so as to sandwich the four metal pads 35a. In the first embodiment, the first virtual line S1 passing through the center of the cutout 35b1 and parallel to the arrangement direction of the multiple metal pads 35a is configured to be in a position that does not overlap with the second virtual line S2 connecting the centers of the multiple metal pads 35a in the longitudinal direction. In more detail, the first virtual line S1 connecting the two positioning cutouts 35b1 (a virtual line connecting the centers of the original long holes in the respective cutouts 35b1 that have the shape of one half when the long hole is divided into two equal parts in the longitudinal direction) is configured to be in a position that does not overlap with the second virtual line S2 connecting the centers of the multiple metal pads 35a in the longitudinal direction. In other words, the virtual line S1 connecting the parts of the cutouts 35b1 that are most deeply embedded toward the inside of the substrate 35b is configured to be in a position that does not overlap with the virtual line S2. Furthermore, the imaginary line S1 is configured to be substantially parallel to the imaginary line S2. Here, in the present embodiment 1, the dimensions a to f in FIG. 29 are set to 6.2 mm, 5.2 mm, 1.5 mm, 2 mm, 6 mm, and 11.7 mm, respectively. In this way, even if an external force is applied to the small-area substrate 35b, the absolute amount of deflection is small, and the resistance (rigidity) against shearing force is relatively large. In the present embodiment 1, the ID chip 35 is movably held inside the holding member 34k, and a positioning method is adopted in which the insertion of the positioning pin 73e3 into the notch 35b1 may cause "prying" (the positioning pin 73e3 is inserted obliquely into the notch 35b1 instead of perpendicularly, and the sliding load between the two 35b1 and 73e3 increases, causing the substrate 35b to bend and not move.) in the case of a large-area ID chip 35. However, as described above, the small area of ​​the substrate 35b is effectively utilized to increase the rigidity, and a positioning method in which deflection that causes "prying" is unlikely to occur is established. In addition, although the spacing between the metal pads 35a on the substrate 35b is narrow, the high-precision positioning associated with the movement of the substrate 35b within the XZ plane described above can prevent poor contact between the metal pads 35a and the main body side terminals 73e2, and therefore the area of ​​the expensive metal pads 35a including the gold layer can be kept to an extremely small value.

[0097] FIG. 16 is a schematic perspective view showing the connector 73e on the device main body 100 side. 16, the four main body side terminals 73e2 of the connector 73e are plate-shaped (or wire-shaped) metal members, one end of which is a fixed end and the other end of which is a free end, and are fixed and supported by the connector main body 73e1. The other end of each of the four main body side terminals 73e2 has a curved portion that curves toward the ID chip 35 (toner container 32Y). That is, the main body side terminals 73e2 are bent like a knee (or a boomerang) toward the ID chip 35. The curved portion of the main body side terminals 73e2 is a portion that becomes a contact point with the metal pad 35a. Then, with the mounting operation of the cap portion 34Y (toner container 32Y) to the cap receiving portion 73, first, the curved portion of the main body side terminal 73e2 comes into contact with the approximately center portion of the metal pad 35a in the longitudinal direction. Then, as the mounting operation of the cap portion 34Y progresses further, the ID chip 35 (substrate 35b) approaches the connector 73e further, and the main body side terminal 73e2 is pressed against the metal pad 35a and elastically deforms (like a bent knee straightening), displacing the curved portion of the main body side terminal 73e2 so as to approach the first imaginary straight line S1. That is, with the mounting operation of the cap portion 34Y, the curved portion of the main body side terminal 73e2 slides from the center portion in the longitudinal direction toward the left in FIG. 29 (near the first imaginary straight line S1) while gradually increasing the contact pressure against the metal pad 35a. With this configuration, even if the position of the cap portion 34Y (metal pad 35a) in the longitudinal direction (Y direction) relative to the cap receiving portion 73 (main body side terminal 73e2) is shifted due to the high or low dimensional accuracy or assembly accuracy (dimensional variation) of related parts, it is possible to reliably prevent poor contact between the main body side terminal 73e2 and the metal pad 35a. Furthermore, since the main body side terminal 73e2 and the metal pad 35a ultimately contact each other near the position where the positioning pin 73e3 and the notch portion 35b1 engage (near the first virtual straight line S1), the horizontal distance from the positioning portion to the contact portion can be reduced. As a result, the accuracy of the contact position between the main body side terminal 73e2 and the metal pad 35a is improved.

[0098] In the first embodiment, the metal pads 35a are arranged in parallel so that their arrangement direction is the vertical direction (Z direction). As a result, the positioning direction of the cap portion 34Y in the cap receiving portion 73 (the arrangement direction of the positioning pins 73a, 73b and the positioning holes 34a, 34b) and the positioning direction of the connector 73e and the board 35b (the arrangement direction of the positioning pins 73e3 and the cutout portion 35b1) are the same, making poor contact between the main body side terminal 73e2 and the metal pad 35a less likely to occur.

[0099] 21, the positioning holes 34a, 34b of the cap 34Y are formed at positions spaced apart in the vertical direction so as to sandwich the ID chip 35 (information storage device). A third imaginary straight line S3 connecting the centers of the two positioning holes 34a, 34b is configured to be parallel to a first imaginary straight line S1 connecting the two positioning cutouts 35b1. In this way, since the ID chip 35 is fixed between the first positioning hole portion 34a (main reference) and the second positioning hole portion 34b (sub-reference), the position of the ID chip 35 is determined with high accuracy with respect to the connector 73e of the cap receiving portion 73. Therefore, it is possible to prevent communication failure due to the positional deviation of the ID chip 35 with respect to the connector 73e. In particular, since the positioning direction of the cap portion 34Y in the cap receiving portion 73 (the arrangement direction of the positioning pins 73a, 73b and the positioning holes 34a, 34b) and the positioning direction of the connector 73e and the board 35b (the arrangement direction of the positioning pins 73e3 and the notch portion 35b1) are the same direction, the positioning operation of the toner container 32Y to the image forming apparatus main body 100 contributes to the direction in which the board 35b is easily positioned with respect to the connector 73e. As a result, the effect of preventing poor contact between the main body side terminal 73e2 and the metal pad 35a is further enhanced.

[0100] When the toner container 32Y is being attached to the toner-container storage unit 70, the bottle receiving unit 72 and the cap receiving unit 73 engage with the cap unit 34Y in the following manner. First, the cap portion 34Y slides on the bottle receiving surface 72a, and then the guide rail portion 34e of the cap portion 34Y fits into the abutment groove 73m of the cap receiving portion 73, and the side protrusion 34c of the cap portion 34Y fits into the side groove 73h and the groove portion 73r1 of the cap receiving portion 73, so that the vertical and horizontal posture of the cap portion 34Y in the cap receiving portion 73 is regulated. At this time, the cap portion clamping member 73r suppresses the rattling of the cap portion 34Y just before it is inserted into the cap receiving portion 73. Then, the first positioning hole portion 34a of the cap portion 34Y fits into the main reference pin 73a of the cap receiving portion 73 to position the cap portion 34Y based on the main reference, and then the second positioning hole portion 34b of the cap portion 34Y fits into the sub reference pin 73b of the cap receiving portion 73 to complete the main and sub positioning. During the time until the positioning is completed, the stopper release biasing portion 72b releases the abutment state between the stopper portion 34d22 of the shutter member 34d of the cap portion 34Y and the abutment portion 34n5, and the shutter member 34d is opened in a state in which the attitude of the shutter member 34d and the cap portion 34Y in the cap receiving portion 73 is determined by a shutter closing mechanism (not shown). Then, the opened toner discharge port W in the cap portion 34Y communicates with the toner supply port 73w of the cap receiving portion 73. Also, the notch portion 35b1 of the ID chip 35 of the cap portion 34Y engages with the positioning pin 73e3 of the connector 73e of the apparatus main body 100, the position of the ID chip 35 in the cap portion 34Y is determined, and the multiple metal pads 35a of the ID chip 35 and the multiple main body side terminals 73e2 of the connector 73e are reliably contacted with each other. In this way, the setting of the cap portion 34Y (toner container 32Y) in the cap receiving portion 73 (toner container storage portion 70) is completed. At this time, the gear 33c of the container main body 33Y and the drive gear 81 of the apparatus main body 100 mesh with each other. On the other hand, when the toner container 32Y is to be removed (detached) from the toner container storage portion 70 (cap receiving portion 73), the above-mentioned mounting procedure is reversed.

[0101] As described above, in the image forming device of the present embodiment 1, a single action (excluding the opening and closing of the main body cover) by the user of moving toner container 32Y in the longitudinal direction while gripping grip portion 33d also causes the opening and closing of toner discharge outlet W by shutter member 34d in conjunction with that action, thereby completing the mounting and removal operations of toner container 32Y. Further, in the toner container 32Y of the present embodiment 1, a toner discharge port W having a relatively large opening area is disposed facing vertically downward, and the toner can be discharged directly from the toner discharge port W by falling under its own weight. Furthermore, since the toner container 32Y is not placed from above the toner container housing unit 70 (apparatus body 100) but is attached and detached from the front of the toner container housing unit 70 (apparatus body 100), the degree of freedom in the layout above the toner container housing unit 70 is increased. For example, even if a scanner (document reading unit) is disposed directly above the toner supply device, the operability and workability in attaching and detaching the toner container 32Y are not reduced. In addition, since the toner container 32Y is installed in the device main body 100 with its longitudinal direction being horizontal, the toner capacity of the toner container 32Y can be increased and the frequency of replacement can be reduced without affecting the vertical layout of the entire image forming device 100.

[0102] As described above, in the present embodiment 1, the contact type ID chip 35 (information storage device) is held by the holding member 34k (holding portion) so as to be movable on a virtual plane substantially perpendicular to the moving direction when the metal pad 35a (terminal) approaches and contacts the main body side terminal 73e2. As a result, even if the contact type ID chip 35 (information storage device) is installed in the toner container 32Y (detachable device) that is detachably installed in the image forming apparatus main body 100, poor contact due to poor positioning with the main body side terminal 73e2 of the connector 73e of the image forming apparatus main body 100 is unlikely to occur.

[0103] Embodiment 2 The second embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to Figs. 31 to 33. Fig. 31 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a toner container 232Y in the second embodiment. Fig. 32 is a rear view of a cap portion 234Y of the toner container 232Y. Fig. 33 is a perspective view of a holding lid 234k8 that fits into the holding member 234k. A toner container 232Y in the second embodiment differs from that in the first embodiment in the configuration of a holding member 234k in a holding mechanism that holds an information storage device.

[0104] The toner container 232Y in the present embodiment 2 is also composed of a container body 33Y and a cap portion 234Y, similar to that in the embodiment 1. An ID chip 35 serving as an information storage device is detachably provided in the cap portion 234Y. Here, the cap portion 234Y in the second embodiment is integrally formed with a holding member 234k having an opening 34k2 through which a part of the ID chip 35 (the metal pad 35a and the notch 35b1) is exposed. Then, the ID chip 35 is inserted from inside the cap portion 234Y in the direction of the white arrow in Fig. 31 and set at the position of the holding member 234k. Then, with the ID chip 35 set at the position of the holding member 234k, the holding lid 234k8 is inserted from inside the cap portion 234Y in the direction of the white arrow in Fig. 31 and fitted into the holding member 234k (as shown in Fig. 32).

[0105] The holding cover 234k8 is provided with a base portion 234q for fitting onto the holding member 134k so as not to come into contact with the substrate 35b. The holding lid 234k8 is placed so as to fit closely to the inner wall of the cap portion 234Y without any gaps, so that the toner in the toner container 232Y does not leak and adhere to the ID chip . Also in the second embodiment, the ID chip 35 (substrate 35b) is held by the holding member 234k (and the holding cover 234k8) so as to be movable within the XZ plane.

[0106] As described above, in the present embodiment 2 as well, similarly to the embodiment 1, the contact type ID chip 35 (information storage device) is held by the holding member 234k (holding portion) so as to be movable on a virtual plane substantially perpendicular to the moving direction when the metal pad 35a (terminal) approaches and contacts the main body side terminal 73e2. As a result, even if the contact type ID chip 35 (information storage device) is installed in the toner container 232Y (detachable device) that is detachably installed in the image forming apparatus main body 100, poor contact due to poor positioning with the main body side terminal 73e2 of the connector 73e of the image forming apparatus main body 100 is unlikely to occur.

[0107] Embodiment 3 The third embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 34 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the information storage device 35 of the toner container 332Y in the third embodiment is set in the connector 73e of the cap receiving portion 73, and corresponds to FIG. 27 in the first embodiment. The third embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that a cushion material 334k10 is provided inside a holding member 34k and in the configuration of a wall portion 373g of a cap receiving portion 373.

[0108] The toner container 332Y in the third embodiment is also composed of a container body 33Y and a cap portion 34Y, similar to the toner containers in the above-mentioned embodiments. An ID chip 35 serving as an information storage device is detachably mounted on the cap portion 34Y. Furthermore, the ID chip 35 is held inside a holding member 34k so as to be movable within the XZ plane.

[0109] In the third embodiment, a cushioning material 334k10 is provided between the inner wall (second opposing portion 34k5) of the holding member 34k and the substrate 35b. The cushioning material 334k10 is made of an elastic material such as polyurethane foam, and a low-friction material is attached to the portion opposing the substrate 35b. This makes it possible to reduce damage to the substrate 35b when the positioning pin 73e3 engages with the notch 35b1 without interfering with the movement of the ID chip (substrate 35b) in the XZ plane.

[0110] In the third embodiment, the wall 373g of the cap receiving portion 373 is disposed so as to surround the connector 73g on all four sides. Correspondingly, the cap portion 34Y is provided with a recess for avoiding interference with the wall 373g. By providing the wall 373g in this manner, even if toner scatters from the vicinity of the toner discharge port W of the toner container 332Y to the outside, the scattered toner is less likely to directly adhere to the connector 73e or the ID chip 35. Therefore, it is possible to prevent poor contact (failure of communication) between the connector 73e (main body side terminal 73e2) and the ID chip 35 (metal pad 35a) caused by the scattered toner.

[0111] As described above, in the third embodiment, similarly to each of the above-mentioned embodiments, the contact-type ID chip 35 (information storage device) is held by the holding member 34k (holding portion) so as to be movable on a virtual plane substantially perpendicular to the moving direction when the metal pad 35a (terminal) approaches and contacts the main body side terminal 73e2. As a result, even if the contact-type ID chip 35 (information storage device) is installed in the toner container 332Y (detachable device) that is detachably installed in the image forming apparatus main body 100, poor contact due to poor positioning with the main body side terminal 73e2 of the connector 73e of the image forming apparatus main body 100 is unlikely to occur.

[0112] Embodiment 4 The fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 35 is a three-sided view showing a substrate 435b of an information storage device 435 according to the fourth embodiment, and corresponds to FIG. 14 in the first embodiment.

[0113] The toner container (432Y) in the fourth embodiment is also composed of a container body 33Y and a cap portion 34Y, similar to those in the above-mentioned embodiments. An ID chip 435 as an information storage device is detachably installed in the cap portion 34Y. Furthermore, the ID chip 435 is held inside the holding member 34k so as to be movable within the XZ plane.

[0114] Here, the substrate 435b of the ID chip 435 in the fourth embodiment is provided with positioning holes 435b11 and 435b12 instead of the positioning notch 35b1 in each of the above-mentioned embodiments. Then, as the substrate 435b moves freely in the XZ plane with the toner container (432Y) being attached, the positioning holes 435b11 and 435b12 engage with the positioning pin 73e3 of the connector 73e. More specifically, the positioning pin 73e3 comes into contact with the edge (or inner surface) of the holes 435b11 and 435b12, restricting the movement of the substrate 435b. This makes it difficult for poor contact to occur due to poor positioning between the multiple metal pads 35a and the main body side terminal 73e2 of the connector 73e. In the fourth embodiment, the substrate 435b is positioned downward in the holding member 34k due to the weight of the substrate 435b itself until the positioning holes 435b11 and 435b12 engage with the positioning pin 73e3. In consideration of this, the circular hole 435b11 is formed below the substrate 435b, and the elongated hole 435b12 is formed above the substrate 435b. The lower hole 435b11 is picked up by the positioning pin 73e3, so that the substrate 435b is lifted, and the positioning pin 73e3 is smoothly inserted into the other elongated hole (hole 435b12). If the lower hole is an elongated hole and the upper hole is a round hole, the positioning pin 73e3 cannot lift the substrate 435b, and it may be difficult to insert the positioning pin 73e3 into the upper round hole.

[0115] In the fourth embodiment, two positioning holes 435b11 and 435b12 are formed in the substrate 35b of the ID chip 35. Alternatively, one of the substrate 435b of the ID chip 435 may be the positioning hole 435b11 (or 435b12) and the other may be the positioning notch 35b1 (used in the above-described embodiments). Even in such a case, the same effect as in the fourth embodiment can be obtained.

[0116] As described above, in the fourth embodiment, similarly to each of the above-mentioned embodiments, the contact-type ID chip 435 (information storage device) is held by the holding member 34k (holding portion) so as to be movable on a virtual plane substantially perpendicular to the moving direction when the metal pad 35a (terminal) approaches and contacts the main body side terminal 73e2. As a result, even if the contact-type ID chip 435 (information storage device) is installed in a toner container (detachable device) that is detachably installed in the image forming apparatus main body 100, poor contact due to poor positioning with the main body side terminal 73e2 of the connector 73e of the image forming apparatus main body 100 is unlikely to occur.

[0117] Embodiment 5. The fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to Figs. FIG. 36 is a three-sided view showing the substrate of the information storage device 535 in the fifth embodiment, and corresponds to FIG. 29 in the first embodiment. FIG. 37 is a perspective view showing the information storage device 535, the holding member 534k (534k25), and the connector 573e, and is a perspective view showing the relative positional relationship of the three members 534k (534k25), 535, and 573e. FIG. 38 is a perspective view showing the state in which the information storage device 535 is engaged with the connector 573e. FIG. 39 is a circuit diagram showing the electric circuit of the information storage device 535 and the electric circuit of the connector 573e. FIG. 40(A) is a front view showing the state in which the information storage device 535 is held by the connector 573e, and FIG. 40(B) is a front view showing the state in which the information storage device 535 is rotated around the positioning hole 535b21. FIG. 41 is a view showing the information storage device 535 in a state in which the probe 400 is abutted in an inspection process at the time of factory manufacturing. The fifth embodiment differs from the above-mentioned embodiments in that only one positioning hole 535b21 is formed in the substrate 535b of the information storage device 535 and that the positioning hole 535b21 is arranged between a plurality of rectangular metal pads 35a1, 35a2, and 35a3 (metal plates).

[0118] 36, in the ID chip 535 as the information storage device in the present embodiment 5, a positioning hole 535b21 is formed at a position vertically above the center of gravity of the substrate 535b. A metal terminal 535d for grounding is provided on the inner diameter portion and periphery of the hole 535b21. In the present embodiment 5, the metal terminal 535d formed on the surface of the substrate 535b is formed such that two protrusions 535d1 extend horizontally from the annular portion. Further, one rectangular metal pad 35a1 is provided at a position vertically above the positioning hole 535b21, and two rectangular metal pads 35a1 are provided at positions vertically below the positioning hole 535b21. 35a2 , 35a3 is installed. Furthermore, a protective member 535e made of a semispherical resin material such as epoxy is provided on the back side of the substrate 535b (the side facing the cap portion 34Y) to cover and protect the information storage unit. In this embodiment 5, depending on the shape of the substrate 535b and the configuration and arrangement of the back side of the protective member 535e, etc., the hole 535b21 is arranged above the protective member 535e, which is the largest and heaviest component on the back side because it has an information storage unit such as an IC inside, thereby realizing a positional relationship in which the hole 535b21 is located vertically above the center of gravity of the ID chip 535 described above. Specifically, referring to FIG. 40(A), the ID chip 535 (information storage device) in this embodiment 5 is formed so that the center position of the positioning hole 535b21 is a distance Za above the center of gravity of the ID chip 535.

[0119] 37, the connector 573e has a connector body 573e21 which is a hollow resin box. The connector body 573e21 is provided with a positioning pin 573e23 (positioning projection) which is a hollow cylinder having a tapered tip. The positioning pin 573e23 is arranged horizontally in the connector body 573e21. protrusion The positioning pin 573e23 is provided with a grounding body side terminal 573e25 (earth terminal). The grounding body side terminal 573e25 is a plate-shaped (or wire-shaped) metal member, a part of which is connected to the connector body. 573e21 The terminal 573e25 is housed in a hollow portion of a positioning pin 573e23 formed integrally with the terminal 573e25, and the curved portion is exposed from a slit-shaped opening formed in a part of the peripheral surface of the hollow cylinder and protrudes from the cylindrical outer peripheral surface. Also, one main body side terminal is provided at a position vertically above the positioning pin 573e23 (main body side terminal 573e25 for grounding). 573e2 is installed, and two terminals on the main unit are installed vertically downward. 573e2 These terminals on the main unit are 573e2 is a plate-shaped (or wire-shaped) metal component, and is the same as the is before It is formed in substantially the same manner as in each of the above-described embodiments. In addition, below the connector main body 573e21, on both sides of the positioning pin 573e23, there are provided anti-vibration members 573e24 as a pair of regulating members consisting of a pair of ribs formed so that the tapered surfaces on the inner ends of each rib are linearly symmetrical, and facing both side end faces of the ID chip 535 at a point vertically below the center of the hole 535b21.

[0120] The holding member 534k (holding portion) is the same as that in each of the above-mentioned embodiments. To The holder 534k is fixed to the inner container (532Y) and is located between the connector 573e and the ID chip 535. The shape is almost the same as that of each of the above-mentioned embodiments, and the function (the function of movably holding the ID chip 535) is also the same. With reference to FIG. 37, the holder 534k in this embodiment 5 has a first opposing portion 534k24 that is configured to be line-symmetrical with respect to a vertical axis, and has holes extending from the two upper corners of the ID chip 535 to the holes. 535b21 It is formed so as to cover the area on both sides of the Taho The support member 534k is also ID chip 535 These configurations prevent the ID chip 535 from falling off from the holding member 534k. Furthermore, in the holding member 534k, the four main body side terminals of the connector 573e 573e2 Most of the first opposing portion 534k24 including the area opposing 573e25 is an opening. And this opening, A pair of vibration prevention members 573e24 A convex opening that opens up to the part corresponding to 534k22 and It has become .to When the toner container 532Y is attached, following the insertion of the positioning pin 573e23 into the opening 534k22, the vibration prevention member 573e24 (a pair of regulating members) also enters the inside of the holding member 534k through the opening 534k22. The flat second opposing portion 534k25 facing the back side (the side of the protective member 535e) of the ID chip 535 is fixed to the holding member 534k by adhesion or a snap fit (not shown). The second opposing portion 534k25 has a convex opening 534k26, similar to the first opposing portion 534k24, and can avoid interference with the protective member 535e and the intruding anti-vibration member 573e24. On the other hand, when the positioning pin 573e23 is inserted into the hole portion 535b21 of the ID chip 535, the ID chip 535 is pushed, but since the second opposing portion 534k25 supports the substrate 535b from behind, the abutting state between the terminals can be maintained.

[0121] FIG. 38 shows that when the toner container 532Y according to the fifth embodiment is attached to the apparatus main body 100, the positioning of the connector 573e on the apparatus main body 100 side and the ID chip 535 is completed, and the main body side terminal 573e2 38 is a schematic perspective view showing a state in which the connector 573e25 is connected to the above-mentioned metal pads 35a1-35a3 and the ground terminal 535d. Note that, for ease of understanding, the holding member 534k (534k25) and the metal pads 35a1-35a3 between the connector 573e and the ID chip 535 are omitted from the illustration in FIG. In the series of mounting operations of the toner container 532Y, the mounting operations are the same as those in the first embodiment up to the point where the positioning holes 34a and 34b of the cap part 534Y of the main reference and the sub reference are fitted into the positioning pins 73a and 73b of the cap receiver 73 of the main reference and the sub reference to position the cap part 534Y. After that, after the position of the cap part 534Y is determined, the hole 535b21 of the ID chip 535 is fitted into the positioning pin 573e23 of the connector 573e so as to be picked up by the tapered tip of the positioning pin 573e23, and the horizontal and vertical positions of the ID chip 535 are determined at the same time. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 40(A), the connectors 535b are fitted into the lower edges on both the left and right sides of the substrate 535b, below the center of the hole 535b21. 573eThe anti-vibration member 573e24 (a pair of regulating members) consisting of a pair of ribs enters. At this time, even if the posture of the ID chip is shifted as shown in FIG. 40(B), when the tapered surface at the tip of the rib abuts on the edge, it triggers the substrate 535b to rotate in a direction to make the posture vertical by the action of the center of gravity, and the posture shift in the rotation direction (the direction of the double arrow shown in FIG. 40(B)) is corrected (to the state shown in FIG. 40(A)). This completes the positioning of the ID chip 535. At this time, a part of the earth terminal 535d of the ID chip 535 (a part corresponding to the inner diameter part of the hole part 535b21) comes into contact with the main body side terminal 573e25 for grounding of the positioning pin 573e23 shown in FIG. 38, and the ID chip 535 is grounded (conducted). Furthermore, after the grounding is performed, as shown in FIG. 39(A), the three metal pads 35a (35a1, 35a2, 35a3) of the ID chip 535 are also connected to the three main body side terminals of the connector 573e. 573e2 , respectively, enabling information to be transmitted between the ID chip 535 and the main body side connector 573e (device main body 100).

[0122] In this way, in the fifth embodiment, various improvements from (1) to (5) below have been added. 、 A highly accurate positioning mechanism is achieved with an inexpensive configuration. (1) There is only one positioning hole 535b21, which makes it possible to reduce the processing costs of the substrate 535b. (2) The body side terminal 573e25 for grounding is integrally installed on the side peripheral surface of the positioning pin 573e23. This makes it possible to make the distance between the positioning pin 573e23 and the body side terminal 573e25 substantially zero, thereby improving the positional accuracy of the earth terminal 535d relative to the body side terminal 573e25. (3) In the fully-attached state shown in FIG. 38, the three main body side terminals on the connector 573e side 573e2 The center of the positioning hole 535b21 should be aligned with the line connecting the curved parts (contact parts) of the 、The positional relationship between the hole 535b21 and the curved portion of the body side terminal 573e2 is adjusted. This allows the horizontal distance from the hole 535b21, which is the positioning portion, to the contact portion to be reduced to approximately 0 mm. As a result, the three metal pads 35a1, 35a2, and 35a3 and the body side terminal 573e2 This improves the positional accuracy when the contact is made. (4) The positioning hole 535b21 is located in one of the gaps that are generated when the metal pads 35a1, 35a2, and 35a3 are arranged. This makes it possible to shorten the distance from the center of the positioning hole 535b21 to the metal pad 35a3 that is located furthest from the center of the positioning hole 535b21 (corresponding to the arm length of a pendulum) compared to when the hole is located above or below the outside of the arrangement of the metal pads 35a1, 35a2, and 35a3. Specifically, when the hole is located outside the arrangement of the metal pads 35a1, 35a2, and 35a3, the arm length is the distance from the center of the hole to the distance of three metal pads. Arm The length can be set to the distance of two metal pads. By shortening the length of the swing arm, the body side terminal of the metal pad 35a3 at the farthest position can be 573e2 Even if the parallelism with respect to the substrate is deviated due to mass production variations or the like, the deviation can be suppressed to a minimum. (5) When the toner container is stored separately, foreign matter gets into the holding member 534k and gets caught between the ID chip 535 and the facing portions 534k24 and 534k25, causing the position to shift. fear To address these issues, Book In the fifth embodiment, the hole 535b21 of the ID chip 535 is located vertically above the center of gravity. 2nd place As a result, when the anti-sway member 573e24 consisting of a pair of ribs enters vertically below the hole portion 535b21 which is the center of rotation, the tapered surface of the anti-sway member 573e24 (rib) and Substrate 535b and The contact of the trigger 、 By the action of the center of gravity ID chip 535(The position can be corrected by restricting misalignment.) As a result, even if there is only one positioning hole 535b21, the positional accuracy of the multiple metal pads 35a1, 35a2, and 35a3 relative to the multiple body-side terminals 573e2 can be improved at the same time. As described above in (1) to (5), each of the five ideas Haso Each of these will exert its own effect, Each metal pad 35a1 to 35a3 Even if an inexpensive structure is adopted that minimizes the area of ​​the ID chip 535, the multiple terminals on the ID chip 535 side, including the ground terminal, 35a1~35a3 , 535d and the plurality of main body side terminals 573e2, 573e25 can be positioned with extremely high accuracy.

[0123] Furthermore, the device, operation and effect of the fifth embodiment will be described in addition to those described above. First, metal pads 35a1, 35a2, and 35a3 of Each of these will be described in detail. The top metal pad 35a1 receives a clock signal for communication control. This is a sequential communication, so the speed is slow, but the cost is low. is A serial communication method is adopted, with I2C (Inter-Integrated Circuit) used as the serial bus, forming a signal line for inputting a serial clock (SCL) when connected to the connector on the main body. Metal pad 35a1 corresponds to the terminal on the clock signal input side, but since the clock signal flows in one direction, it is predicted that the possibility of destruction of the ID chip 535 due to a short circuit with Vcc (power supply, metal pad 35a3), which will be described later, is higher than with other terminals. Therefore, to avoid destruction of the ID chip 535, it is placed in a location away from Vcc. In the unlikely event that GND This is because there is little possibility of it breaking down even if it is shorted to the earth terminal 535d. Metal pad 35a2 also uses a serial communication method, adopts I2C as the serial bus, and forms a signal line for inputting and outputting serial data (SDA) when connected to the connector on the main body. Because this pad is bidirectional, there is less possibility of the ID chip 535 being destroyed by a short circuit than with metal pad 35a1, which is a unidirectional input. The metal pad 35a3 is a power supply input section (Vcc), and when connected to the connector on the main body, a voltage of 5V or 3.3V is input. In order to reduce the risk of a short circuit between the power supply and GND, which could cause a breakdown of the entire device, , a GND (earth terminal 535d) is connected between the serial clock input terminal (metal pad 35a1) and the serial data input terminal (metal pad 35a2). 36, the metal pad 35a3, which is Vcc, overlaps with the protective member 535e on the back side of the ID chip via the substrate 535b, and is also close to the IC drive circuit inside the protective member 535e. This allows the power supply line to be made shorter and thicker, stabilizing power supply operation (reducing noise malfunction). Next, a description will be given of the innovations regarding grounding. During the mounting operation of the toner container 532Y, the ground terminal 535d of the ID chip 535 comes into contact with the main body side terminal 573e25 for grounding of the positioning pin 573e23 (connector 573e), and then the three metal pads 35a1, 35a2, and 35a3 of the ID chip 535 start to come into contact with the three main body side terminals 73e2 of the connector 573e. In other words, during the removal operation of the toner container 532Y, the connector of the three metal pads 35a1, 35a2, and 35a3 of the ID chip 535 573e The three terminals on the main unit 573e2 After the contact with the terminal 573e23 is released, the ground terminal 535d of the ID chip 535 is connected to the ground terminal 573e25 of the body side of the positioning pin 573e23 (connector 573e). from Specifically, referring to FIG. 39A, in connector 573e, three main body side terminals 573e2 In comparison, the contact start position of the main body side terminal 573e25 for grounding is formed to be closer to the ID chip 535 side. With this configuration, when the toner container 532Y is attached, the ID chip 535 is always grounded, and the metal pads 35a1, 35a2, and 35a3 are connected to the main body terminals.573e2 During the removal operation of the toner container 532Y, the ID chip 535 is always grounded, and the metal pads 35a1, 35a2, and 35a3 are connected to the main body terminal. 573e2 This starts the separation (disconnection) between the ID chip 535 and the electrical circuit on the ID chip 535 side. This prevents the electrical circuit on the ID chip 535 from being grounded and becoming electrically floating, making the ID chip 535 less likely to be electrically damaged. More specifically, when the electric circuit on the ID chip 535 side is not grounded and is in an electrically floating state, the electric circuit is grounded with a very large impedance, and if even a small amount of static electricity generated when the metal pad 535a and the main body side terminal 573e2 make contact or separate flows into the electric circuit, a high voltage equivalent to the current multiplied by the impedance is generated. This high voltage causes insulation breakdown inside the IC in the ID chip 535, destroying the IC. This type of problem can occur when the three main body side terminals in the connector 573e are in contact with each other as shown in Figure 39(B). 573e2 This is likely to occur when the contact start positions of the ground terminal 573e25 and the body side terminal 573e25 for grounding with respect to the ID chip 535 are formed at the same position. In contrast, in the fifth embodiment, the main body side terminal 573e2 In the embodiment, the curved portion of the main body side terminal 573e25 exposed from the slit-shaped opening of the positioning pin 573e23 is arranged to be closer to the ID chip 535 than the curved portion that protrudes most toward the ID chip 535. This allows the circuit to be grounded first when contacting and last when separating, so that the impedance is always theoretically zero and it is possible to prevent insulation breakdown inside the IC even if static electricity flows into the electric circuit.

[0124] Furthermore, in the ID chip 535 (information storage device) in the fifth embodiment, as previously described with reference to FIG. 36, two protrusions 535d1 are provided on a part of the outer periphery of the ground terminal 535d. Providing the protrusions 535d1 on the front surface of the substrate 535b of the ID chip 535 in this manner facilitates the contacting operation of the probes for electrical conductivity testing in the inspection process (a process for testing the quality of the ID chip 535) during manufacturing at a factory. More specifically, as shown in Fig. 41, the tips of the multiple probes 401 of the electrical conductivity testing device 400 are pressed from above against the metal pads 35a1, 35a2, 35a3 and the ground terminal 535d of the ID chip 535 placed on an inspection table. At this time, the protrusions 535d1 of the ground terminal 535d have an area sufficient for the tips of the probes 401 to contact, so that electrical conductivity testing failures due to poor contact of the probes 401 can be prevented. Furthermore, since the electrical conductivity test is performed by abutting the tip of probe 401 against earth terminal 535d (protrusion 535d1) from above, the durability of probe 401 itself, which is used repeatedly for each test, can be improved compared to the case where the electrical conductivity test is performed by inserting probe 401 into hole 535b21, and the problem of hole 535b21 of ID chip 535 becoming worn due to the electrical conductivity test can be prevented.

[0125] In the wedge-shaped surplus space between the ring of the earth terminal 535d and the rectangular metal pads 35a1, 35a2, and 35a3, the protruding portion 535d1 is arranged so that its horizontal boundary (boundary line) is in contact with the outer periphery of the ring and is parallel to the metal pads 35a1, 35a2, and 35a3. This prevents the protruding portion 535d1 from protruding in the vertical direction, and suppresses the protruding portion 535d1 from protruding (protruding in the horizontal direction) into the left and right sliding areas of the substrate 535b that slides with the first opposing portion 534k24. As a result, the number of substrates 535b that can be obtained from a substrate material whose fixed dimensions are determined in manufacturing can be increased as much as possible without increasing the size of the substrate 535b, thereby suppressing an increase in the cost of the ID chip 535.

[0126] As described above, in the fifth embodiment, similarly to each of the above-mentioned embodiments, the contact-type ID chip 535 (information storage device) is held by the holding member 534k (holding portion) so as to be movable on a virtual plane substantially perpendicular to the moving direction when the metal pads 35a1, 35a2, 35a3 (terminals) approach and contact the main body side terminal 573e2. As a result, even if the contact-type ID chip 535 (information storage device) is installed in the toner container 532Y (detachable device) that is detachably installed in the image forming apparatus main body 100, poor contact due to poor positioning between the connector 573e of the image forming apparatus main body 100 and the main body side terminal 573e2 is unlikely to occur.

[0127] Embodiment 6 The sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to Figs. Fig. 42 is a perspective view showing a toner container 632Y in the sixth embodiment, in particular Fig. 42(A) is an exploded view showing a state before the ID chip 535 described in the fifth embodiment is attached, and Fig. 42(B) is a view showing a state after the ID chip 535 is attached. Fig. 43 is a front view showing the toner container 632Y in a state before the face plate 634p is installed, and corresponds to Fig. 21 in the first embodiment. Fig. 44 is a cross-sectional view showing a main part of the toner container 632Y in a state in which the ID chip 535 and the face plate 634p are installed. Furthermore, Fig. 45 is a view showing a state in which the ID chip 535 is being inserted into the connector 573e. In this embodiment 6, the ID chip 535 as an information storage device is the same as that in the embodiment 5, and differs from the embodiment 5 in that the ID chip 535 is loosely inserted into a recess provided in the cap portion 634Y and is movably held by the face plate 634p. The other configurations are the same as those of the embodiment 5.

[0128] The toner container 632Y in the sixth embodiment is also composed of a container body 33Y and a cap portion 634Y, similar to the toner container 632Y in the above-described embodiments. An ID chip 535 serving as an information storage device is detachably provided in the cap portion 634Y.

[0129] Here, in this embodiment 6, referring to FIG. 42, the ID chip 535 is not installed in the cap portion 534Y in a state in which it is loosely inserted inside the holding member 534k, but rather, the ID chip 535 is loosely inserted into a recess (in which the base portion 634q is formed) formed in the cap portion 634Y, and a panel plate 634p for preventing falling off is screwed to the cap portion 634Y. 42(A) and 43, a recess is formed on the end surface of the cap portion 634Y to hold the ID chip 535 so that it can move in the XZ plane. A base portion 634q that comes into surface contact with only a part of the ID chip 535 is formed in this recess. Then, a face plate 634p is installed to prevent the ID chip 535 from falling off from the recess in a state where the ID chip 535 is loosely inserted in the recess of the cap portion 634Y. The face plate 634p is screwed to be in contact with a part of the substrate 35b of the ID chip 35 in a state where the metal pads 35a1, 35a2, and 35a3 of the ID chip 535 and the positioning hole portion 535b21 (earth terminal 535d) formed in the same manner as in the fifth embodiment are exposed, as shown in FIG. 42(B), FIG. 43, and FIG. 44.

[0130] More specifically, the cap portion 634Y has a positioning pin 634s1 for positioning the face plate 634p on the right side facing the recess, and a screw hole for screwing the face plate 634p on the left side facing the recess. 634s2 On the other hand, the face plate 634p is formed with a positioning hole 634p1 at a position corresponding to the positioning pin 634s1, and a screw hole 634s2 A hole 634p2 through which the screw 680 passes is formed at a position corresponding to the second positioning hole portion 34b. Also, an abutment portion 634p3 that abuts against the outer periphery of the second positioning hole portion 34b and functions as a rotation stopper is formed below the face plate 634p. The position of the face plate 634p is determined with respect to the cap portion 634Y by the positioning hole 634p1 and the abutment portion 634p3 for preventing rotation. Then, the screw 680 is inserted into the screw hole formed in the cap portion 634Y through the hole portion 634p2 formed in the face plate 634p. 634s2The face plate 634p is fixed to the cap portion 634Y by screwing the face plate 634p to the cap portion 634Y. R I The D chip 535 is held by the cap portion 634Y so that it can move in the XZ plane without falling off the cap portion 634Y. Then, referring to Fig. 45, as in the fifth embodiment, when the toner container 632Y is attached, the positioning hole 535b21 (ground terminal 535d) of the ID chip 535 engages with the positioning pin 573e23 (main body side terminal 573e25 for grounding) of the connector 573e of the apparatus main body 100, and then the main body side terminal of the connector 573e 573e2 contacts the metal pads 35a1, 35a2, and 35a3 of the ID chip 535 to form a connector 573e and ID chip 535 At this time, since the ID chip 535 is held in the cap portion 634Y of the toner container 632Y so as to be movable within the XZ plane, the electrical connection between the connector 573e of the main body 100 and the ID chip 535 is completed, as in the above-described embodiments. 573e2 , contact failure due to poor positioning with the ID chip 535 is unlikely to occur. Is heavy The force causes it to sink below the recess in the cap portion 534Y, and the center position of the hole portion 535b21 of the ID chip 535 is shifted downward relative to the axial center position of the positioning pin 573e23, as shown in the leftmost of the three ID chips 535 shown in Figure 45. Then, the mounting operation of the toner container 632Y is started, and the ID chip 535 When the positioning pin 573e23 comes into contact with the ID chip 535, the ID chip 535 moves upward (in the Z direction) (is scooped up) so that the hole 535b21 fits along the tapered tip of the positioning pin 573e23, and the hole 535b21 fits into the positioning pin 573e23, and finally the body side terminal 573e2 comes into contact with the metal pads 35a1, 35a2, and 35a3.

[0131] Here, in the sixth embodiment is face Attach the plate 634p to the cap part using the screws 680. 634Y The plate was then fixed (screwed) to the plate. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 46, the face plate 734p can be fixed to the cap part 734Y by snap-fitting. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 46(A), a plurality of engaging parts 734p2 for snap-fitting are formed on the outer periphery of the face plate 734p, and engaged parts 734s2 for snap-fitting are formed at positions of the cap part 734Y corresponding to the engaging parts 734p2. Then, as shown in FIG. 46(B), the face plate 734p is snap-fitted to the cap part 734Y in a state where the ID chip 535 is loosely inserted into the recess of the cap part 734Y. More specifically, the engaging parts 734p2 of the face plate 734p are engaged with the engaged parts 734s2 of the cap part 734Y while aligning the hole parts 734p3 formed in the face plate 734p with the positioning boss parts 734s3 formed in the cap part 734Y, and the face plate 734p is positioned and fixed to the cap part 734Y. Even in the case of such a configuration, the same effect as that of the sixth embodiment can be obtained.

[0132] In the sixth embodiment, the face plate 634p (or the face plate 734p shown in FIG. 46) is configured to be replaceable even after assembly. Therefore, the toner container and the face plate are first manufactured by a foreign partner company, and then imported. The toner is then filled in the toner container in Japan. filling Before and after the process, ID chips purchased from another company are used. P Assemble 、 The toner container can be manufactured by simply inputting the toner information, thereby improving the efficiency of the toner container manufacturing process. In addition, we collect used toner containers from the market. Teso The recycling process of cleaning the cartridge and then refilling it with toner is called ID chip. P exchange By doing so , or ID Chip P Remove the toner cartridge from the container, rewrite the information, and then reattach it to the cap. By This also makes it possible to improve the efficiency of the process of reusing toner containers. However, referring to Fig. 47(C) (a cross-sectional view showing the cap portion 834Y with the ID chip 535 attached), if it is not necessary to remove the ID chip 535 and it is desired to strengthen the assembly strength between the face plate 834p and the cap portion 834Y, it is also possible to provide only the positioning boss 734s3 (see Fig. 46) on the cap portion without providing a shape for screw fastening or a shape for snap fitting as described above. Then, after attaching the ID chip 535 and the face plate 834p to the cap portion 834Y, the tip of the positioning boss 734s3 is melted with heat to fix the face plate 834p to the cap portion 834Y, or an adhesive is applied between the face plate 834p and the cap portion 834Y to fix the face plate 834p to the cap portion 834Y.

[0133] As described above, in the sixth embodiment, the contact type ID chip 535 (information storage device) is held by the cap parts 634Y, 734Y, 834Y so as to be movable on a virtual plane substantially perpendicular to the moving direction when the metal pads 35a1, 35a2, 35a3 (terminals) approach and contact the main body side terminal 573e2. As a result, even if the contact type ID chip 535 (information storage device) is installed in the toner container 632Y, 732Y, 832Y (detachable device) that is detachably installed in the image forming apparatus main body 100, poor contact due to poor positioning between the connector 573e of the image forming apparatus main body 100 and the main body side terminal 573e2 is unlikely to occur.

[0134] Here, Fig. 47(A) and Fig. 47(B) are diagrams showing a toner container 932Y of yet another embodiment, in particular Fig. 47(A) is a front view showing a cap part 934Y with an ID chip 535 attached, and Fig. 47(B) is a front view showing the cap part 934Y and the ID chip 535 before the ID chip 535 is attached. The toner container 932Y shown in Fig. 47(A) and Fig. 47(B) is different from that of each of the above-mentioned embodiments in that the ID chip 535 (information storage device) is fixed and held by the cap part 934Y (it is not held movably in the XZ directions). Specifically, the recessed part (the part surrounded by the dashed line in Fig. 47(B)) of the cap part 934Y is formed in a shape that matches the outer peripheral shape of the ID chip 535 so that the ID chip 535 fits in (so that even if there is a rattle, it fits within the range of dimensional variation due to the fit tolerance of about 0.3 mm at most). In such a case, unlike the above-mentioned embodiments, the ID chip 35 cannot move in the XZ plane, but it is still possible to utilize the effects of (1) to (4) among the five ideas (1) to (5) described in the above-mentioned embodiment 5. That is, since the ID chip 535 is provided with one positioning hole 535b21 in which the ground terminal 535d is formed, the effect described in the above-mentioned embodiment 5 is thereby exerted.

[0135] Embodiment 7 The seventh embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. Fig. 48 is an exploded perspective view showing a toner container 1032Y according to the seventh embodiment, and Fig. 49 is a cross-sectional view showing the toner container 1032Y. The toner container in this embodiment 7 differs from the above-mentioned embodiments in that the container body 33Y is rotatably held in the toner container holder 70 in that the container body 1033Y is combined with any one of the cap portions 634Y, 734Y, 834Y, 934Y shown in embodiment 6 and is held in the toner container holder 70 together with the cap portion in a non-rotatable manner.

[0136] 48 and 49, the toner container 1032Y in the seventh embodiment is mainly composed of a container body 1033Y (bottle body) and a cap portion 634Y (or a cap portion 734Y, 834Y, 934Y of another form) provided on the top of the container body 1033Y (bottle body) in the same manner as in the above-mentioned embodiments. In the following description of the cap portion in the seventh embodiment, the cap portion 634Y described in the sixth embodiment with reference to FIG. 42 etc. will be used. Here, the toner container 1032Y in the seventh embodiment is different from that in each of the above-mentioned embodiments in that the container body 1033Y (bottle body) is fixed to the cap part 634Y (bottle cap) by a fixing method such as adhesion (or fusion), locking, etc. In other words, the container body 1033Y is fixed so as not to rotate with respect to the cap part 634Y.

[0137] Here, unlike the container body 1033Y of each of the above-mentioned embodiments, the container body 1033Y in the present embodiment 7 does not have a spiral protrusion formed on its circumferential surface. Also, unlike the container body 1033Y of each of the above-mentioned embodiments, the gear 33c is not integrally formed on the container body 1033Y, and the gear member 1042Y is installed together with the stirring member 33f so as to be rotatable with respect to the container body 1033Y and the cap portion 634Y. Also, unlike the container body 1033Y of each of the above-mentioned embodiments, a conveying member 1041Y for conveying the toner contained in the container body 1033Y toward the opening A is installed inside the container body 1033Y in a form in which one end is fixed to the gear 1042Y and the other end is rotatably supported by a bearing 1033d1 of the container body 1033Y, which will be described later. The cap portion 634Y is configured in substantially the same manner as that of the fifth embodiment, except that it is attached or fixed to the container body 1033Y so as not to rotate. Moreover, the stirring member 33f can also be configured in substantially the same manner in shape and function as those in the above-described embodiments, except that it is not fixed to the container body 1033Y, but is fixed and held only by the gear 1042Y.

[0138] A more detailed explanation will be given below with reference to Figures 48 and 49. Referring to FIG. 48, in the seventh embodiment, the other end of the container body 1033Y in the longitudinal direction (opposite to the end of the longitudinal direction where the cap portion 634Y is provided, and the end at the rear in the mounting direction to the apparatus body 100) is provided with a grip portion 1033d for a user to grip when mounting or removing the toner container 1032Y. A through hole communicating with the inside and outside of the container body 1033Y is formed in the grip portion 1033d, and a lid member 1049Y made of a soft and deformable resin such as polypropylene or polyethylene is detachably installed in the through hole. The lid member 1049Y is used to fill (or clean) the inside of the toner container 1032Y (container body 1033Y) with toner during manufacturing or recycling, and is removed from the container body 1033Y when filling (or cleaning) with toner, and is attached to the container body 1033Y after filling with toner is completed.

[0139] 49, the conveying member 1041Y installed in the container body 1033Y has a shaft portion 1041Ya to which a thin flexible stirring member 1041Yb made of a material such as Mylar is attached, and an agitator member 1041Yc is formed on the opposite side. One end of the shaft portion 1041Ya of the conveying member 1041Y in the longitudinal direction is engaged and fixed to a connecting portion 1033f20 installed at the position of the rotation center of the stirring member 33f, and the other end of the longitudinal direction is rotatably supported by a bearing portion 1033d1 (which is the base portion of the gripping portion 1033d and is formed in the portion inserted into the container body 1033Y). With the container body 1033Y and the cap portion 634Y held in the toner container storage portion 70 in a non-rotating state, the agitator 33f rotates together with the gear member 1042Y by receiving a driving force from the drive portion 91, and the conveying member 1041Y connected to the agitator 33f at the position of the connecting portion 1033f20 also rotates. In this way, the toner contained in the container body 1033Y is agitated by the agitation force of the agitator member 1041Yc installed in the conveying member 1041Y, while the toner contained in the container body 1033Y is conveyed to the cap portion 634Y by the axial conveying force of the flexible agitator member 1041Yb installed in the conveying member 1041Y. 634YIt will be transported to the side.

[0140] The flexible stirring member 1041Yb of the transport member 1041Y has notches 1041Yb1 formed at multiple locations (six locations in the seventh embodiment) in the longitudinal direction. As a result, as the transport member 1041Y rotates, the tip (the free end side not supported by the shaft portion 1041Ya) of the flexible stirring member 1041Yb slides against the inner circumferential surface of the container body 1033Y, and the flexible stirring member 1041Yb rotates in a moderately twisted and bent state to stir and transport the toner contained in the container body 1033Y in the axial direction toward the right in FIG. Thus, in the toner container 1032Y according to the seventh embodiment, as in the above-mentioned embodiments, the cap portion 634Y The toner is discharged from the toner discharge port W.

[0141] Here, the gear member 1042Y is rotatably attached to the container body 1033Y. In detail, a gear locking portion (claw portion with snap fit) not shown formed on the gear member 1042Y is caught on a flange portion (on which a protrusion 1033e described later is formed) formed so as to go around the outer circumferential surface of the bottle mouth portion 1033a of the container body 1033Y, so that the gear member 1042Y is rotatably held by the container body 1033Y. Also, a gear portion (spur gear) is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the gear member 1042Y, and when the toner container 1032Y is set in the apparatus body 100, this gear portion meshes with the drive gear 81 of the apparatus body 100. In addition, a sealant is provided between the gear member 1042Y and the end face of the bottle mouth 1033a to prevent toner from leaking out of the toner container 1032Y. This sealant is made of a foamed elastic material such as foamed polyurethane, is formed in a ring shape so as to bite into the end face of the bottle mouth 1033a, and is attached to the gear member 1042Y. When the gear member 1042Y is set in the container body 1032Y, the sealant is pressed against the open end face of the bottle mouth 1033a, ensuring the seal between the two members 1033Y and 1042Y.

[0142] In addition, the gear member 1042Y is a cap part 634Y The gear member 1042Y is not fixed to the bottle mouth 33a of the container body 33Y, but is held rotatably by the claws 34j of the cap portion 634Y. The method of holding the gear member 1042Y to the cap portion 634Y is the same as the method of holding the cap portion 34Y to the bottle mouth portion 33a of the container body 33Y described in each of the above embodiments. That is, the claws 34j of the cap portion 634Y engage with the brim-shaped non-engagement protrusion 1033j provided around the outer periphery of the gear member 1042Y, and the gear member 1042Y is held by the cap portion 634Y. 634Y With the above configuration, the container body 1033Y and the cap part 634Y are rotatably supported by the gear 1042Y. and In order to prevent the container body 1033Y from rotating relative to the cap portion 634Y, a protrusion 1033e formed near the opening 1033e of the container body 1033Y and Cap Part It is configured to fit into a notched groove 1034t formed on the side surface of 634Y to function as a rotation stopper. Sara Niki A cap seal made of a foamed elastic material is attached to the cap portion 634Y at a portion where the end face of the gear member 1042Y (the end face on the opposite side to the container body 1033Y) is pressed against the cap portion 634Y, thereby making it possible to prevent toner from leaking out from between the gear member 1042Y and the cap portion 634Y. The agitator 33f is attached to the inner diameter portion of the gear member 1042Y. Furthermore, the shaft portion 1041Ya (one end portion) of the conveying member 1041Y is connected to the connecting portion 1033f20 of the agitator 33f as described above.

[0143] As described above, in the seventh embodiment, similarly to each of the above-mentioned embodiments, the contact-type ID chip 535 (information storage device) is held by the cap portion 634Y so as to be movable on a virtual plane substantially perpendicular to the moving direction when the metal pads 35a1, 35a2, 35a3 (terminals) approach and contact the main body side terminal 573e2. As a result, even if the contact-type ID chip 535 (information storage device) is installed in the toner container 1032Y (detachable device) that is detachably installed in the image forming apparatus main body 100, poor contact due to poor positioning between the connector 573e of the image forming apparatus main body 100 and the main body side terminal 573e2 is unlikely to occur. In addition, the cap portion of the toner container in this embodiment 7 is the cap portion 634Y described in FIG. 42 etc. in the sixth embodiment. However, the cap portion of the toner container in this embodiment 7 can also be the cap portion 734Y described in FIG. 46 in the sixth embodiment, or the cap portion 834Y of a different form described in FIG. 47(C) in the sixth embodiment, or the cap portion 934Y of a different form described in FIG. 47(A) and FIG. 47(B) in the sixth embodiment.

[0144] Embodiment 8 The eighth embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 50 and FIG. Fig. 50 is a perspective view showing an image forming apparatus 1100 in the eighth embodiment. Fig. 51(A) is a cross-sectional view showing a part of a toner cartridge 1106Y installed in the image forming apparatus, and Fig. 50(B) is a bottom view showing a part of the toner cartridge 1106Y. The image forming apparatus 1100 in this embodiment 8 differs from the above-mentioned embodiments in that the toner cartridge 1106Y having the ID chip 535 installed therein is mounted to the apparatus main body 1100 from above, in which the toner containers 532Y, 632Y, 732Y, 832Y, 932Y, and 1032Y having the ID chip 535 installed therein are mounted horizontally to the apparatus main body 100 with the longitudinal direction as the mounting direction.

[0145] 50, image forming apparatus 1100 in the eighth embodiment is configured such that toner cartridges 1106Y, 1106M, 1106C, and 1106K as four detachable devices are detachably attached from above. Note that FIG. 50 shows a state in which three toner cartridges 1106M, 1106C, and 1106K, excluding yellow toner cartridge 1106Y, are attached to apparatus main body 1100. The toner cartridges 1106Y, 1106M, 1106C, and 1106K are attached to and detached from the installation portion of the apparatus main body 1100 with the main body cover 1110 (main body door) open, as shown in FIG.

[0146] On the other hand, the toner cartridges 1106Y, 1106M, 1106C, and 1106K have an opening with a shutter (not shown) at a lower position facing the developing device, and contain toner (single-component developer) of the corresponding color inside. With reference to Fig. 51, an ID chip 535 (information storage device) is held by a holding member 1134k on the lower surface of the longitudinal end of the toner cartridges 1106Y, 1106M, 1106C, and 1106K so as to be movable in the horizontal plane direction (the paper surface direction of Fig. 51(B)). The holding member 1134k is screwed to the toner cartridge 1106Y so as to be in contact with a part of the substrate 535b of the ID chip 535, with the metal pads 35a1, 35a2, and 35a3 of the ID chip 535 exposed, the same as in the fifth embodiment. Specifically, the hole of the holding member 1134k is aligned with the boss 1181 formed at the end of the toner cartridge 1106Y, and the screw 1180 is screwed into the screw hole formed on the opposite side of the ID chip 535 from the boss 1181 of the toner cartridge 1106Y through the hole formed in the holding member 1134k, and the holding member 1134k is fixed to the toner cartridge 1106Y. As a result, the ID chip 535 is held so as to be movable in a horizontal plane without falling off the toner cartridge 1106Y. 50, as the toner cartridge 1106Y is mounted from above into the apparatus main body 1100, the positioning hole 535b21 (earth terminal 535d) of the ID chip 535 fits into the positioning pin 573e23 (main body side terminal 573e25 for earthing) of the connector 573e mounted on the mounting portion of the apparatus main body 1100, and then the main body side terminal 73e2 of the connector 573e comes into contact with the metal pads 35a1, 35a2, and 35a3 of the ID chip 535, completing the electrical connection between the connector 573e and the ID chip 535. At this time, since the ID chip 535 is held in the toner cartridge 1106Y so as to be movable within a horizontal plane, contact failure due to positioning failure between the connector 573e and the main body side terminals 73e2 and 573e25 of the connector 573e of the apparatus main body 1100 is unlikely to occur, as in the above-mentioned embodiments.

[0147] As described above, in the eighth embodiment, the contact type ID chip 535 (information storage device) is held in the toner cartridge 1106Y so as to be movable on a virtual plane substantially perpendicular to the moving direction when the metal pads 35a1, 35a2, 35a3 (terminals) approach and contact the main body side terminal 573e2. As a result, even if the contact type ID chip 535 (information storage device) is installed in the toner cartridge 1106Y (detachable device) that is detachably installed in the image forming apparatus main body 1100, poor contact due to poor positioning between the connector 573e of the image forming apparatus main body 1100 and the main body side terminal 73e2 is unlikely to occur.

[0148] Embodiment 9 The ninth embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 52 and FIG. Fig. 52 is a perspective view showing an image forming apparatus in embodiment 9, and corresponds to Fig. 50 in embodiment 8. Fig. 53 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which connector 573e is connected to ID chip 535 as body cover 1210 of apparatus body 1200 is closed. Image forming apparatus 1200 in this ninth embodiment differs from that in the eighth embodiment in that ID chip 535 is installed on the upper surface of process cartridge 1206Y instead of on the toner cartridge, and that connector 573e is installed on main body cover 1210 of apparatus main body 1200.

[0149] 52, the image forming apparatus 1200 in the ninth embodiment is configured so that the four process cartridges 1206Y, 1206M, 1206C, and 1206K as detachable devices are detachably attached from above. Note that FIG. 52 shows a state in which the three process cartridges 1206M, 1206C, and 1206K, excluding the yellow process cartridge 1206Y, are attached to the apparatus main body 1200. Then, the process cartridges 1206Y, 1206M, 1206C, and 1206K are attached to and detached from the installation portion of the apparatus main body 1200 with the main body cover 1210 (main body door) open, as shown in FIG. 52. Here, in the present embodiment 9, LED units 1207Y, 1207M, 1207C, and 1207K for performing the exposure process are installed at positions on the main body cover 1210 corresponding to the four process cartridges 1206Y, 1206M, 1206C, and 1206K, respectively (in FIG. 52, the two LED units 1207Y and 1207M are omitted from illustration). Then, referring to FIG. 53, when the main body cover 1210 is closed, the LED unit 1207Y moves so as to face the position where the electrostatic latent image of the photosensitive drum 1201Y in the process cartridge 1206Y is formed.

[0150] On the other hand, the process cartridges 1206Y, 1206M, 1206C, and 1206K each have a photosensitive drum, a charging unit, a developing unit, and a cleaning unit integrally formed therein, and the developing unit contains toner of the corresponding color (single-component developer). Referring to Fig. 52, an ID chip 535 (information storage device) is held on the upper surface of the longitudinal end of each of the process cartridges 1206Y, 1206M, 1206C, and 1206K by a holding member (or face plate) (not shown) so as to be movable in the horizontal direction (the direction perpendicular to the paper surface of Fig. 53 and the left-right direction). This holding member is screwed to the exterior cover of the process cartridge 1206Y so as to be able to come into contact with a part of the substrate 535b of the ID chip 535, with the metal pads 35a1, 35a2, 35a3 and the positioning hole 535b21 (ground terminal 535d) of the ID chip 535 exposed, which are formed in the same manner as in the fifth embodiment. This allows the ID chip 35 to be held so as to be movable within a horizontal plane without falling off the process cartridge 1206Y. 52, with the mounting operation of the process cartridge 1206Y from above into the apparatus main body 1200 (the mounting operation is accompanied by the closing operation of the main body cover 1210), the positioning hole 535b21 (earth terminal 535d) of the ID chip 535 fits into the positioning pin 573e23 (main body side terminal 573e25 for earthing) of the connector 573e installed in the main body cover 1210, and then the main body side terminal 73e2 of the connector 573e contacts the metal pads 35a1, 35a2, and 35a3 of the ID chip 535, completing the electrical connection between the connector 573e and the ID chip 535. At that time, since the ID chip 535 is held in the process cartridge 1206Y so as to be movable within a horizontal plane, contact failure due to positioning failure with the main body side terminals 573e2 and 573e25 of the connector 573e of the apparatus main body 1200 is unlikely to occur, as in the above-mentioned embodiments.

[0151] In the present embodiment 9, referring to FIG. 53, the LED unit 1207Y (the connector 573e is installed at the longitudinal end of the LED unit 1207Y) is installed to be rotatable (swingable) in the clockwise and counterclockwise directions in FIG. 53 via the support arm 1211 relative to the body cover 1210. The LED unit 1207Y is biased by a compression spring 1212 installed inside the support arm 1211. When the body cover 1210 is closed to mount the four LED units to the process cartridges by this swing function and the biasing force toward the process cartridges, the LED unit 1207Y swings along the wall surface of the process cartridge 1206Y as shown in FIG. 53 and is guided to a predetermined position. At the same time, the connector 573e also moves closer to the ID chip 535 and is positioned in the same manner as in the above embodiments 5 to 8. Further, the biasing force of the compression spring 1212 brings the connector 573e into contact with the ID chip 535 of the process cartridge 1206Y mounted in the installation portion of the main assembly 1200 of the apparatus with an appropriate force.

[0152] As described above, in the ninth embodiment, the contact type ID chip 535 (information storage device) is held in the process cartridge 1206Y so as to be movable on a virtual plane substantially perpendicular to the moving direction when the metal pads 35a1, 35a2, 35a3 (terminals) approach and contact the main body side terminal 573e2. As a result, even if the contact type ID chip 535 (information storage device) is installed in the process cartridge 1206Y (detachable device) that is detachably installed in the image forming apparatus main body 1200, poor contact due to poor positioning between the connector 573e of the image forming apparatus main body 1200 and the main body side terminal 573e2 is unlikely to occur.

[0153] Embodiment 10 The tenth embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. Fig. 54 is a perspective view showing an ink cartridge 1306Y (developer container) according to embodiment 10. Also, Fig. 55 is a top view showing an inkjet printer 1300 as an image forming apparatus in which ink cartridges 1306Y, 1306M, 1306C, and 1306K are installed. Image forming apparatus 1300 in the tenth embodiment differs from those in the previous embodiments in that ink cartridge 1306Y, which has ID chip 535 mounted on the side thereof, is mounted to apparatus main body 1300 from the side.

[0154] Referring to FIG. 55, an image forming apparatus 1300 (inkjet printer) according to the tenth embodiment includes a carriage 1301 having recording heads 1301a and 1301b mounted thereon and moving in the direction of the double arrow. Guide rod 1302, a supply tube 1303 for supplying ink from ink cartridges 1306Y, 1306M, 1306C, and 1306K of each color to the sub-tank of the carriage 1301, and a conveyor belt 130 for conveying the recording medium P in the direction of the white arrow. 4th prize Ink cartridges 1306Y, 1306M, 1306C, and 1306K (removable devices) of each color are removably installed in installation sections provided at the end of the device main body 1300 (the installation is such that the vertical direction in FIG. 55 is the installation direction for removal and installation). The main components of the image forming apparatus 300 are as follows: Special Since the invention is equivalent to that described in JP 2010-234801 A and is publicly known, the details thereof are N The explanation will be omitted.

[0155] Referring now to FIG. 54, an ink cartridge 1306Y (containing an ink bag 1307 inside) as a removable device has an ID chip 535 (information storage device) held by a holding member 1334k so as to be movable in the XZ directions, installed in a recess 1308 formed on its side. The configuration of the holding member 1334k and the ID chip 535 is the same as that of the fifth embodiment. MaintenanceThe support member 1334k is fitted into the recess 1308 of the ink cartridge 1306Y in a state in which the metal pads 35a1, 35a2, and 35a3 of the ID chip 535 and the positioning hole 535b21 (ground terminal 535d) are exposed. R I The D chip 535 is held by the holding member 1334k so that it can move within the XZ plane without falling off the ink cartridge 1306Y. Then, referring to Fig. 54, with the mounting operation to the device main body 1300, the positioning hole 535b21 (earth terminal 535d) of the ID chip 535 is inserted and fitted into the positioning pin 573e23 (main body side terminal 573e25 for earthing) of the connector 573e installed in the device main body 1300, and then the main body side terminal of the connector 573e 573e2 contact metal pads 35a1, 35a2, and 35a3 of ID chip 535, completing electrical connection between connector 573e and ID chip 535. At this time, since ID chip 535 is held in ink cartridge 1306Y so as to be movable within the XZ plane, contact failure due to positioning failure with main body side terminals 573e2, 573e25 of connector 573e of device main body 1300 is unlikely to occur, as in the above-described embodiments.

[0156] As described above, in the present embodiment 10, the contact type ID chip 535 (information storage device) is held in the ink cartridge 1306Y via the holding member 1334k so as to be movable on a virtual plane substantially perpendicular to the moving direction when the metal pads 35a1, 35a2, 35a3 (terminals) approach and contact the main body side terminal 573e2. As a result, even if the contact type ID chip 535 (information storage device) is installed in the ink cartridge 1306Y (detachable device) that is detachably installed in the image forming apparatus main body 1300, poor contact due to poor positioning between the connector 573e of the image forming apparatus main body 1300 and the main body side terminal 573e2 is unlikely to occur.

[0157] Embodiment 11 The tenth embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. Fig. 56 is a perspective view showing a connector 1473e of an image forming apparatus in the tenth embodiment, and corresponds to Fig. 16 in the first embodiment. Fig. 57 is a three-sided view showing an ID chip 1435 as an information storage device that comes into contact with the connector 1473e in Fig. 56, and corresponds to Fig. 29 in the first embodiment. Fig. 58 is a three-sided view showing an ID chip 1535 as an information storage device of another type, and corresponds to Fig. 35 in the fourth embodiment. This embodiment 11 differs from the above-mentioned embodiments 1 and 4 in that a body side terminal 1473e5 for grounding is provided on the positioning pin 1473e3 of the connector 1473e, and that metal terminals 1435d, 1535d (earth terminals) for grounding are provided on the ID chips 1435, 1535, which come into contact with the body side terminal 1473e5 for grounding.

[0158] Referring to FIG. 56, the image forming apparatus in this embodiment 11 is provided with a connector 1473e, similar to that in the embodiment 1, which is composed of a connector body 1473e1, four body side terminals 1473e2, two positioning pins 1473e3 (positioning protrusions), a snap fit 1473e4, etc. Here, in the connector 1473e according to the eleventh embodiment, a main body side terminal 1473e5 for grounding (earth terminal) is provided on the inner side of the positioning pin 1473e3 (the portion that comes into contact with the notch 1435b1 and the hole 1535b11 of the ID chip 1435).

[0159] On the other hand, referring to FIG. 57, the ID chip 1435 (substrate 1435b) in the eleventh embodiment has metal terminals 1435d (earth terminals) for grounding provided on the inner diameter parts and periphery of the two cutout parts 1435b1. With this configuration, during the mounting operation of the toner container, the ground terminal 1435d of the ID chip 1435 comes into contact with the grounding body side terminal 1473e5 (see FIG. 56) of the positioning pin 1473e3 (connector 1473e), and then the four metal pads 35a of the ID chip 1435 start to come into contact with the four body side terminals 1473e2 of the connector 1473e. In other words, during the removal operation of the toner container, after the contact of the four metal pads 35a of the ID chip 1435 with the four body side terminals 1473e2 of the connector 1473e is released, the ground terminal 1435d of the ID chip 1435 is released from contact (separated from) with the grounding body side terminal 1473e5 of the positioning pin 1473e3 (connector 1473e). Specifically, in the connector 1473e, the contact start position of the body side terminal 1473e5 for grounding is formed to be closer to the ID chip 1435 side than the four body side terminals 1473e2. With this configuration, when the toner container is attached, the connection between the metal pad 35a and the main body terminal 1473e2 starts with the ID chip 1435 always grounded, and when the toner container is removed, the separation (disconnection) between the metal pad 35a and the main body terminal 1473e2 starts with the ID chip 1435 always grounded. This prevents the electric circuit on the ID chip 1435 side from being grounded and becoming electrically floating, making the ID chip 1435 less likely to be electrically damaged.

[0160] Similarly to the relationship between the ID chip in the first embodiment and the ID chip in the fourth embodiment, the ID chip 1435 shown in FIG. 57 can be replaced with the ID chip 1535 shown in FIG. In detail, referring to FIG. 58, the ID chip 1535 is provided with a metal terminal 1535d (earth terminal) for grounding on the inner diameter portion and periphery of one positioning hole 1535b11. With this configuration, during the mounting operation of the toner container, after the ground terminal 1535d of the ID chip 1535 comes into contact with the grounding body side terminal 1473e5 (see FIG. 56) of the positioning pin 1473e3 (connector 1473e), the four metal pads 35a of the ID chip 1535 start to come into contact with the four body side terminals 1473e2 of the connector 1473e. In other words, during the removal operation of the toner container, after the contact of the four metal pads 35a of the ID chip 1535 with the four body side terminals 1473e2 of the connector 1473e is released, the ground terminal 1535d of the ID chip 1535 is released from contact (separated from) with the grounding body side terminal 1473e5 of the positioning pin 1473e3 (connector 1473e). Specifically, in the connector 1473e, the contact start position of the body side terminal 1473e5 for grounding is formed to be closer to the ID chip 1535 side than the four body side terminals 1473e2. With this configuration, when the toner container is attached, the connection between the metal pad 35a and the main body terminal 1473e2 starts with the ID chip 1535 always grounded, and when the toner container is removed, the separation (disconnection) between the metal pad 35a and the main body terminal 1473e2 starts with the ID chip 1535 always grounded. This prevents the electric circuit on the ID chip 1535 side from being grounded and becoming electrically floating, making the ID chip 1535 less likely to be electrically damaged.

[0161] Also in this embodiment 11, the contact-type ID chip 1435, 1535 (information storage device) is held by the holding member 34k (holding portion) so that it can move on a virtual plane approximately perpendicular to the direction of movement when the metal pad 35a (terminal) approaches and contacts the main body side terminal 1473e2. As a result, even if a contact-type ID chip 1435, 1535 (information storage device) is installed in a toner container (detachable device) that is detachably installed in the image forming apparatus main body, poor contact due to poor positioning with the main body side terminal 1473e2 of the connector 1473e of the image forming apparatus main body is less likely to occur.

[0162] Embodiment 12 The twelfth embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to Figs. 59 to 62. 59 is a perspective view showing a toner container 1632Y as a removable device in the twelfth embodiment. The toner container 1632Y includes a container body 1633Y having a similar configuration to the container body 33Y, a cap portion 1634Y that covers from the outside a toner outlet (not shown) formed in the container body 1633Y, an ID chip as an information storage device attached to the tip of the cap portion 1634Y, and a holding mechanism 1635 that holds the ID chip. As the ID chip, for example, the ID chip 535 described in the fifth embodiment is used.

[0163] This toner container 1632Y is related to a toner container that can be attached to and detached from a toner supply device of a toner suction and transport type disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 4396946. That is, the toner container and toner supply device disclosed in the patent are adopted except for the ID chip and its holding mechanism, and the communication method of the ID chip. The positioning configuration for attachment and detachment that both the toner container and the supply device have, and the configuration for driving the container body, etc. are referred to the patent. The difference between the toner container of this embodiment and the toner container of Japanese Patent No. 4396946 will be described later. The difference between the toner supply device of this embodiment and the toner supply device of Japanese Patent No. 4396946 is that the communication method of the former is a contact type, while the latter is a non-contact type (so-called RFID type). Accordingly, as the main body side connector of the former, the connector 573e of Figs. 37, 38, and 45 described in the fifth embodiment is arranged at a position facing the toner container cap end face of the toner supply device of Japanese Patent No. 4396946.

[0164] As shown in FIG. 60, the ID chip 535 is formed with the positioning hole 535b21 already described, and this positioning hole 535b21 is inserted with, for example, the positioning pin 573e23 of the connector installed on the device main body side previously described.

[0165] The holding mechanism 1635 includes a holding portion 1635A that holds the ID chip 535 movably in the XZ directions, and a holding lid 1635B serving as a cover member that is detachably fitted to the holding portion 1635A.

[0166] As shown in Fig. 61, the holding part 1635A includes a recess 1635Aa formed in a vertical and flat ID chip mounting surface 1634Ya formed at the tip of the cap part 1634Y, a base part 1635q formed in the recess 1635Aa on which the ID chip 535 is mounted, and an approximately frame-shaped ID chip mounting wall part 1635Ab formed to surround the recess 1635Aa and the base part 1635q from the outside. The ID chip mounting wall part 1635Ab is formed to protrude outward from the ID chip mounting surface 1634Ya beyond the base part 1635q. The ID chip mounting wall part 1635Ab is large enough to accommodate the ID chip 535 having a rectangular outer shape, and when the ID chip 535 is set inside, it holds it so that it can move in the XZ direction. In other words, the ID chip 535 is mounted on the base portion 1635q, but is not fixed to the cap portion 1634Y, and when mounted on the base portion 1635q, it is mounted with a gap between it and the ID chip mounting wall portion 1635Ab which is formed so as to surround it from the outside.

[0167] Positioning bosses 1615a and 1615b for attaching the retaining cover 1635B are formed protruding from the ID chip mounting surface 1634Ya at positions located above and below the ID chip mounting wall portion 1635Ab. These positioning bosses 1615a and 1615b and the ID chip mounting wall portion 1635Ab are integrally molded from resin with the cap portion 1634Y.

[0168] The holding lid 1635B is attached with the ID chip enclosed in the holding part 1635A, and then fixed by a melt fixing method (thermal caulking as an example) described later. In the center of the holding lid 1635B, an opening 1635Bc is formed that exposes the contacts (not shown) and the positioning hole 535b21 of the ID chip 535 to the outside and into which the connector terminal (not shown) and the positioning pin 573e23 of the connector are inserted. The holding lid 1635B is configured to sandwich the IC chip 535 set in the ID chip installation wall part 1635Ab between the holding lid 1635B and the ID chip installation wall part 1635Ab so that it does not fall off. Mounting holes 1635Ba and 1635Bb are formed above and below the opening 1635Bc of the holding lid 1635B at positions corresponding to the positioning bosses 1615a and 1615b.

[0169] In this configuration, when the ID chip 535 is attached to the cap portion 1634Y, the back surface of the ID chip 535 is placed against the base portion 1635q to position it in the depth direction, and the ID chip mounting wall portion 1635Ab positions it from the periphery in the up, down, left and right directions. The holding lid 1635B is placed on the ID chip mounting wall portion 1635Ab from the direction facing the ID chip mounting wall portion 1635Ab, and the positioning bosses 1615a, 1615b are inserted into the mounting holes 1635Ba, 1635Bb, whereby the IC chip 535 is positioned and attached to and held in the cap portion 1634Y while covered with the holding lid 1635B.

[0170] In this state, the ID chip 535 is placed on the ID chip mounting surface 1634Ya of the cap portion 1634Y, but is not directly fixed to the cap portion 1634Y. In other words, the ID chip 535 is attached to the cap portion 1634Y via the ID chip mounting wall portion 1635Ab formed on the ID chip mounting surface 1634Ya. The feature of this embodiment is the method of fixing the holding lid 1635B and the cap portion 1634Y. In this embodiment, a fusion fixing method is adopted as the method of fixing the holding lid 1635B and the cap portion 1634Y.

[0171] As described above, the holding cover 1635B is held only by inserting the positioning bosses 1615a and 1615b formed on the cap part 1634Y side into the mounting holes 1635Ba and 1635Bb. In this embodiment, the holding cover 1635B is fixed to the cap part 1634Y by thermal crimping as shown in FIG. 62. In FIG. 62, the reference numeral 1640 indicates a crimping part (fixing part). For example, the positioning bosses 1615a and 1615b shown in FIG. 61 are set to a length that protrudes from the mounting holes 1635Ba and 1635Bb. Then, the positioning bosses 1615a and 1615b are heated with a heating member such as a heatable iron, and the bosses are melted by heat and crushed to thermally deform the bosses to form the crimping part 1640, whereby the holding cover 1635B can be fastened and fixed to the cap part 1634Y side.

[0172] In this embodiment, the method of fixing the retaining lid 1635B to the cap portion 1634Y has been described assuming that it is fixed by thermal crimping, but the method of fixing the retaining lid 1635B to the cap portion 1634Y may also be other melting and fixing methods such as ultrasonic welding, and the method of melting the resin is not limited to this embodiment.

[0173] Embodiment 13 The thirteenth embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to Figs. This embodiment is characterized in that the above-mentioned holding cover 1635B is fixed by a fastening method using a fastening member, rather than by a process such as thermal caulking. Other parts of the toner container and the form of the toner supply device are the same as those of the twelfth embodiment. In this embodiment, the holding cover 1635B is fixed to the cap part 1634Y by inserting the fastening members 1650a and 1650b into the mounting holes 1635Ba and 1635Bb formed in the holding cover 1635B through which the positioning bosses 1615a and 1615b are inserted, and screwing them into the ID chip mounting surface 1634Ya. When the fastening members 1650a and 1650b are used to fasten the holding cover 1635B to the cap part 1634Y, for example, self-tapping screws that are screwed in and simultaneously form a thread groove in the mating hole are used, and it is only necessary to form a cylindrical pilot hole (corresponding to 1651a and 1651b in FIG. 64) in the ID chip mounting surface 1634Ya.

[0174] As another assumed form, for example, the holding lid 1635B may be temporarily fixed to the cap 1634Y without holding the ID chip, and shipped from a toner container manufacturing factory, and the holding lid 1635B may be removed at another factory, the ID chip may be inserted, and the holding lid 1635B may be fixed to the cap 1634Y again, or a used toner container may be recycled. In such a case, if the number of times that the holding lid 1635B is attached and detached is limited to a certain number of times, the above-mentioned cylindrical pilot hole may be sufficient. However, assuming that the holding lid 1635B is attached and detached five or six times or more, and considering the stability of the fastening force at that time, it is preferable to previously form screw holes 1651a and 1651b in the ID chip attachment surface 1634Ya as shown in FIG. 64, and to fasten the fastening members 1650Ba and 1650Bb by using screws corresponding to the pitch of the screw holes 1651a and 1651b through the attachment holes 1635Ba and 1635Bb. In this embodiment, the fastening points using the fastening members 1650a, 1650b are two points, one above and one below the retaining cover 1635B, but it may be one or more points, and furthermore, the attachment locations of the fastening members 1650a, 1650b may be on the left and right sides of the retaining cover 1635B instead of the top and bottom, and the number and locations are not limited to this embodiment.

[0175] Embodiment 14 The fourteenth embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to Figs. In this embodiment, the retaining lid is not fixed to the cap part 1634Y by processing such as thermal caulking or by tightening with a fastening member, but is fixed by a fitting method using a claw member. The other parts of the toner container and the form of the toner supply device are the same as those in the twelfth embodiment.

[0176] The retaining cover 1635C according to this embodiment has basically the same functions as the retaining cover 1635B. Specifically, the mounting holes 1635Ba and 1635Bb are removed from the retaining cover 1635B, and instead, the upper part 1635Ca and the lower part 1635Cb are provided with hooks 1636a and 1636b that penetrate to the opening 1635Cc formed in the center. Like the opening 1635Bc, the opening 1635Cc exposes the contacts (not shown) and the positioning hole 535b21 of the ID chip 535 to the outside, and also receives the connector terminals (not shown) and the positioning pins 573e23 of the connector.

[0177] In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 66, the cap portion 1634Y is provided with claws 1637a and 1637b as engagement portions that enter the hook portions 1636a and 1636b and engage with the hook portions 1636a and 1636b. In this embodiment, the claws 1637a and 1637b are respectively disposed and formed on the upper and lower portions of the ID chip installation wall portion 1635Ab that covers the holding cover 1635C. The claws 1637a and 1637b are formed with inclined surfaces 1637a1 and 1637b1 on the insertion side, and are configured to guide the holding cover 1635C to the tops of the claws 1637a when the holding cover 1635C is aligned and attached.

[0178] With this configuration, when the ID chip 535 is set within the ID chip mounting wall portion 1635Ab and the retaining lid 1635C is moved toward the ID chip mounting wall portion 1635Ab so as to overlap with the ID chip mounting wall portion 1635Ab, the claw portion 1637a formed on the ID chip mounting wall portion 1635Ab on the cap portion 1634Y side fits into the hook portions 1636a, 1636b formed on the retaining lid 1635C, and the fitting of the two allows the retaining lid 1635C to be fixed to the cap portion 1634Y.

[0179] In this embodiment, the two mating points between the claw portions 1637a, 1637b and the hook portions 1636a, 1636b are the top and bottom two points of the retaining lid 1635C, but they may also be the left and right or the top, bottom, left and right of the retaining lid 1635C instead of the top and bottom, and the mating points and number are not limited to this embodiment.

[0180] In the above-mentioned embodiments 13 and 14, the holding lids 1635B and 1635C are described as being detachably attached to the cap portion 1634Y by a fastening method or a fitting method, but other fixing methods include, for example, a method in which the cover member is fixed to the ID chip installation wall portion 1635Ab with an adhesive. In this case, the cover member only needs to have an adhesive strength sufficient to prevent it from falling off when the toner container 1632Y is attached to or detached from the apparatus main body, and there are no particular limitations on the type of adhesive or the adhesive area.

[0181] In any of the embodiments 12 to 14, even if the toner container 1632Y is configured to have an ID chip 535 that serves as a contact-type information storage device, poor contact due to improper positioning with the terminals of the connector of the device body is less likely to occur.

[0182] In the above-mentioned first to seventh embodiments, only toner (one-component developer) is stored in the toner container (designated by reference numerals 32Y, 32M, 32C, 32K, etc.) as a developer container, but for an image forming apparatus that appropriately supplies a two-component developer consisting of toner and carrier to a developing device, a two-component developer can also be stored in the toner container (developer container). Furthermore, for an image forming apparatus that appropriately supplies a wet toner or ink to a developing device, developers such as wet toner or ink can also be stored in the developer container. Even in these cases, the same effects as those of the above-mentioned embodiments can be obtained.

[0183] In addition, in the first to seventh embodiments, some or all of the imaging units 6Y, 6M, 6C, and 6K may be process cartridges, and even in this case, the same effects as those of the above-mentioned embodiments can be obtained.

[0184] In the first to sixth embodiments, the container body 33Y is configured to be rotatable, so that the toner contained in the container body 33Y is transported toward the opening A. In contrast, as in the seventh embodiment described with reference to Figs. 48 and 49, the container body 1033Y may be configured to be held in the toner-container mount 70 together with the cap portion 1034Y in a non-rotatable manner, and a transport member (e.g., a transport member having a plurality of transport blades arranged on a shaft portion and rotating in a predetermined direction) that transports the toner toward the opening A may be provided in the container body 1033Y, so that the toner contained in the container body 1033Y is transported toward the opening A. Even in this case, the same effects as those of the above-mentioned embodiments can be obtained.

[0185] In each of the above-mentioned embodiments, the plurality of metal pads 35a (35a1, 35a2, 35a3) are aligned vertically so that their longitudinal positions are not shifted on the substrate (designated by 35b, 535b, etc.) of the ID chip (designated by 35, 535, etc.). On the other hand, the plurality of metal pads 35a (35a1, 35a2, 35a3) on the substrate of the ID chip can be arranged vertically so that their longitudinal positions are shifted alternately in a staggered manner. In this case, the plurality of main body side terminals (designated by 73e, 573e, etc.) on the connector (designated by 73e, 573e, etc.) are also arranged in a staggered manner so as to match the staggered metal pads 35a (35a1, 35a2, 35a3). Even in such a case, the same effects as those of the above-mentioned embodiments can be obtained.

[0186] In addition, in each of the above-mentioned embodiments, the present invention is applied to an ID chip (information storage device) installed in a toner container 32Y (developer container) or the like as a detachable device detachably installed in the image forming apparatus main body 100 or the like. However, the application of the present invention is not limited thereto, and the present invention can be applied to other detachable devices detachably installed in the image forming apparatus main body 100 or the like as long as an information storage device is installed therein, in the same manner as in each of the above-mentioned embodiments. For example, in the image forming apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1, even if an information storage device is installed in the process cartridges 6Y, 6M, 6C, 6K as detachable devices, the fixing device 20 (fixing unit) as detachable devices, the intermediate transfer unit 15 as detachable devices, or the like, the present invention can be applied to them in the same manner as in each of the above-mentioned embodiments. Even in such a case, the same effect as that of each of the above-mentioned embodiments can be obtained.

[0187] It is clear that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and that the above-described embodiments may be modified as appropriate within the scope of the technical concept of the present invention in addition to the modifications suggested in the above-described embodiments. Furthermore, the number, position, shape, etc. of the components are not limited to the above-described embodiments, and may be any number, position, shape, etc. suitable for implementing the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0188] 5Y developing device, 32Y, 32M, 32C, 32K Toner container (developer container, removable device), 33Y Container body, 33b protrusion (spiral protrusion), 33c gear, 34Y Cap part, 34a first positioning hole portion (main reference hole), 34b second positioning hole portion (sub-reference hole), 34d shutter member, 34k, 1635 Retaining member (retaining part, box-shaped member), 34k1 insertion port, 34k2 opening, 34k3 second opening, 34k4 1st opposing part, 34k5 2nd opposing part, 34k8 retaining lid, 1635B, 1635C, 34k10 cushioning material, 34q, 1635q, pedestal, 35, 435, 535, 1435, 1535 ID chip (information storage device), 35a, 35a1, 35a2, 35a3 Metal pad (terminal, metal plate), 35b, 535b, 1435b, 1535b board, 35b1 notch (notch for positioning), 35b11, 35b12 holes (positioning holes), 35c information storage section, 35d, 535d, 1435d, 1535d Earth terminal, 70 toner container storage section, 72 Bottle receiving part, 72m fitting part, 72b stopper release biasing portion, 73 Cap receiving part, 73a Main reference pin (positioning pin), 73b Sub reference pin (positioning pin), 73e, 573e connectors, 73e1, 573e1 connector body, 73e2, 573e2 Main unit terminal, 73e3, 573e3 Positioning pin (protrusion for positioning), 573e25, 1473e5 Terminal on the body side for grounding (earth terminal), 100 Image forming apparatus main body (apparatus main body), W Toner outlet (discharge port). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0189] [Patent Document 1] JP 2009-69417 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2006-209060 A [Patent Document 3] JP 2002-196629 A

Claims

1. A toner container that is detachable from an image forming apparatus body, a container body that stores toner and rotates to transport the toner to one end; a cap portion provided on the one end side of the container body and configured to rotatably hold the container body; a toner discharge port provided below the cap portion when the toner container is attached to the image forming apparatus body, the toner discharge port discharging the toner in the container body; a shutter member capable of opening and closing the toner discharge port, the shutter member contacting the image forming apparatus body when the toner discharge port is attached to the image forming apparatus body and receiving a pushing back force against the attachment force; a shutter storage section that stores a part of the shutter member, the cap portion is disposed above the toner discharge port and has a hole into which a protrusion provided on the image forming apparatus body can be inserted; The shutter member is a shutter main portion capable of opening and closing the toner discharge port; a shutter deformation portion formed integrally with the shutter main portion; A stopper portion that prevents the shutter main portion from moving in the opening direction, the stopper portion is located outside the shutter housing portion when the toner discharge port is closed by the shutter main portion, When the shutter is attached, the shutter deformation portion is elastically deformed, so that the shutter member can move in an opening direction. The stopper portion is provided upstream of the opening of the hole portion in the installation direction of the toner container.

2. 2. The toner container according to claim 1, A toner container according to claim 1, wherein the shutter deformation portion includes a flat plate portion having a connecting portion connected to the shutter main portion, and the stopper portion is provided on a tip side of the flat plate portion.

3. 3. The toner container according to claim 1, 2. A toner container comprising: a shutter member having an elastic seal on a surface facing the toner discharge port.

4. 4. The toner container according to claim 3, 2. A toner container comprising: a toner container body having a toner outlet, the toner outlet being disposed in a direction perpendicular to the toner outlet;

5. 5. The toner container according to claim 4, The toner container according to claim 1, wherein the shutter member opens and closes in the same direction as the attachment and detachment direction of the toner container.

6. 6. The toner container according to claim 5, 3. A toner container according to claim 1, wherein the shutter member is opened and closed in association with an attachment / detachment operation of the toner container.

7. 7. The toner container according to claim 6, 13. A toner container, comprising: a cap portion having an inner diameter that decreases in a plurality of steps from the container body side toward the shutter member side.

8. 7. The toner container according to claim 6, 13. A toner container, comprising: a cap portion having an outer diameter that decreases in a plurality of steps from the container body side toward the shutter member side.

9. 8. The toner container according to claim 7, a toner container including a cap portion having a small-diameter cylindrical portion formed with an inner diameter smaller than that of other portions, and a toner drop path connecting the small-diameter cylindrical portion and the toner discharge port;

10. 10. The toner container according to claim 9, 13. A toner container comprising: a gear for rotating said container body; and an inner diameter of said small diameter cylindrical portion being smaller than a diameter of a tooth tip of said gear.

11. 11. The toner container according to claim 1, 13. A toner container comprising: a container body having an opening at said one end, said opening having a stirring member which rotates together with said container body.

Images