Developer supply container and developer supply system

Abstract

To achieve smooth loading of a supply container by moving a developer receiving part having a developer receiving port and reducing a load applied to the movement of the developer receiving part with a configuration of connecting a receiving port to a discharge port of the supply container.SOLUTION: A supported part 11b of a developer receiving part 11 is supported by a reception support part 30c of a lift part 30 due to a loading operation of a supply container. The lift part 30 is moved along a shutter slope part 4f in a vertical direction by causing a shutter slide part 30b of the lift part 30 to slide on the shutter slope part 4f of a shutter 4 due to a further loading operation. By operating the lift part 30 supporting the supported part 11b of the developer receiving part 11 by using the shutter 4 in this manner, the developer receiving part 11 is displaced so as to cause a receiving port to communicate with a discharge port. Thus, a load applying to the movement of the developer receiving part 11 is reduced, and smooth loading of the supply device can be achieved.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 15

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a developer supply container that is detachable from a developer receiving device and a developer supply system. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, electrophotographic image forming apparatuses such as copying machines use developers such as fine powder toner. In such image forming apparatuses, developer is consumed as an image is formed, and developer is replenished from a developer replenishing device. The developer replenishing device can replenish developer by mounting a developer replenishing container (hereinafter simply referred to as a replenishing container) that contains developer to a developer receiving device provided in the image forming apparatus. Thus, a configuration has been proposed in which a developer receiving portion of the developer receiving device is moved (displaced) toward an outlet of the replenishing container in association with the mounting operation of a replenishing container that is detachably provided on the developer receiving device (Patent Document 1).

[0003] In the device described in Patent Document 1, the developer receiving section moves closer to the supply container, guided by a guide (engagement section) provided on the supply container, as the supply container is attached. When the attachment of the supply container is complete, the discharge port of the supply container and the receiving port of the developer receiving section are connected (both openings are in communication). In addition, as the supply container is removed, the developer receiving section moves away from the supply container, guided by the guide. In this way, the discharge port and the receiving port are separated (both openings are not in communication). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2013-015826 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the device described in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, in order to move the developer receiving part toward the supply container in response to the mounting operation of the supply container, the guide is inclined so as to become higher toward the supply container from the front side toward the back side in the mounting direction of the supply container. This is because the force applied to the supply container when mounting or removing is used to move the engaged part of the developer receiving part while contacting the guide. However, in this case, particularly when mounting the supply container, a force that displaces the developer receiving part (more specifically, the engaged part) in the mounting direction and a force that displaces it vertically are simultaneously applied, which becomes a load and tends to hinder smooth mounting of the supply container. Therefore, there has been a demand for something that can reduce the load applied to move the developer receiving part and realize smoother mounting of the supply container, but such a thing has not yet been proposed.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and is configured to move a developer receiving section having a receiving port for receiving developer and connect the receiving port to the discharge port of the supply container, thereby reducing the load on the movement of the developer receiving section and enabling smooth installation of the supply container. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A developer supply container according to one embodiment of the present invention is a developer supply container, comprising: a developer storage section for storing a developer; and a developer discharge section communicating with the developer storage section, the developer storage section being rotatable about a rotation axis relative to the developer discharge section, the developer discharge section having a developer discharge port provided on a bottom side of the developer discharge section for discharging the developer stored in the developer storage section to the outside. A lifter provided outside the developer discharge portion, The developer supply container is characterized in that, when the developer supply container is placed so that the developer discharge outlet is located on the bottom side of the developer discharge portion, it is provided with a lifter that can be raised and lowered linearly relative to the developer discharge portion in a direction intersecting a horizontal plane including the rotation axis. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, When installing or removing the developer receiving device Reduce the load Yen It can be easily attached Developer supply containerWe can provide it. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing an image forming apparatus to which the present invention can be applied. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing an image forming apparatus. [Diagram 3] 1A is a perspective view of a developer receiving device, and FIG. [Figure 4] 1A is a partially enlarged perspective view of a developer receiving device, FIG. 1B is a partially enlarged sectional view, and FIG. 1C is a perspective view showing a developer receiving portion. [Diagram 5] 3A is a perspective view of a supply container according to a first embodiment, FIG. 3B is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view, and FIG. 3C is a front view seen from the downstream side in the mounting direction. [Figure 6] FIG. [Figure 7] 3A is a perspective view showing a flange portion of the first embodiment, and FIG. [Figure 8] 4A and 4B are enlarged perspective views of a portion of a flange portion of the first embodiment, respectively, at the start of attachment and at the completion of attachment; [Figure 9] FIG. 2A is a perspective view showing a pump section, and FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 1B is a perspective view showing a reciprocating member, and FIG. [Figure 11] (a) is a perspective view showing the cover, and (b) is a perspective view seen from the opposite side. [Figure 12] 1A is a perspective view showing a lift portion of a first embodiment, and FIG. [Figure 13] 1A is a top view showing a shutter according to a first embodiment, and FIG. [Figure 14] 5A to 5D are side views illustrating the operation of a developer receiving portion accompanying the mounting operation of a supply container, in which (a) is at the start of mounting, (b) is at the start of rising, (c) is midway up, and (d) is at the end of mounting. [Figure 15] 5A to 5D are schematic diagrams illustrating the operation of the lift unit of the first embodiment, in which (a) is when attachment starts, (b) is when ascent starts, (c) is midway through ascent, and (d) is when attachment is completed. [Figure 16]FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a flange portion of a second embodiment. [Figure 17] FIG. [Figure 18] 13A is a perspective view showing a lift portion of a second embodiment, and FIG. [Figure 19] FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a shutter according to a second embodiment. [Figure 20] FIG. 11 is a partially enlarged perspective view of a flange portion of a second embodiment. [Figure 21] 13A and 13B are schematic diagrams illustrating the operation of the lift unit of the second embodiment, in which (a) is when the lift unit starts to rise, and (b) is when the lift unit is completely attached. [Figure 22] 13A is a perspective view showing a supply container according to a third embodiment, and FIG. [Figure 23] FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a flange portion of a third embodiment. [Figure 24] 13A is an overall perspective view of a lift unit according to a third embodiment, FIG. 13B is a lift portion, FIG. 13C is a lift operation arm portion, and FIG. [Diagram 25] 13A and 13B are partially enlarged side views of a flange portion of a third embodiment, in which (a) is at the start of installation, and (b) is at the completion of installation. [Figure 26] 13A and 13B are a top view and a perspective view, respectively, showing a shutter according to a third embodiment. [Figure 27] FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a cover according to a third embodiment. [Figure 28] 1A is a cross-sectional view showing the positions of the supply container and the developer receiving portion when installation is started, and FIG. 1B is a schematic diagram showing the positions of the lift portion and the developer receiving portion. [Figure 29] 1A is a cross-sectional view showing the positions of the supply container and the developer receiving portion when the lifting portion starts to rise, and FIG. [Diagram 30] FIG. 13A is a cross-sectional view showing the positions of the supply container and the developer receiving portion during the upward movement, and FIG. 13B is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between the lift portion and the developer receiving portion. [Diagram 31] FIG. 13A is a cross-sectional view showing the positions of the supply container and the developer receiving portion when installation is complete, and FIG. 13B is a schematic diagram showing the positions of the lift portion and the developer receiving portion. [Diagram 32]13A is a partially enlarged perspective view of a developer receiving device according to a fourth embodiment, and FIG. [Diagram 33] FIG. [Diagram 34] FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional perspective view showing a supply container according to a fourth embodiment. [Diagram 35] 13A is a perspective view of a flange portion of a fourth embodiment, FIG. 13B is a sectional perspective view, and FIG. [Diagram 36] 13A and 13B are a perspective view and a side view showing a lift portion of a fourth embodiment. [Figure 37] 1A is a cross-sectional view showing the positions of the supply container and the developer receiving portion when installation is started, and FIG. 1B is a schematic diagram showing the positions of the pulling member and the lift portion. [Figure 38] 1A is a cross-sectional view showing the positions of the supply container and the developer receiving portion when rotation starts, and FIG. 1B is a schematic diagram showing the positions of the pull-in member and the lift portion. [Figure 39] FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view showing the positions of the supply container and the developer receiving portion during rotation, and FIG. [Diagram 40] 1A is a cross-sectional view showing the positions of the supply container and the developer receiving portion when installation is complete, and FIG. 1B is a schematic diagram showing the positions of the pull-in member and the lift portion. [Diagram 41] FIG. 13 is a partially enlarged perspective view showing a flange portion of the fifth embodiment. [Diagram 42] 1A is a perspective view showing the positions of the lift portion and the regulating member at the start of mounting, and FIG. [Diagram 43] 1A is a perspective view showing the positions of the lift portion and the regulating member during movement, and FIG. [Diagram 44] 1A is a perspective view showing the positions of the lift portion and the regulating member when the lift portion starts to rise, and FIG. [Diagram 45] 1A is a perspective view showing the positions of the lift portion and the regulating member when the attachment is complete, and FIG. [Figure 46] 13A is a perspective view showing a supply container according to a sixth embodiment, and FIG. [Figure 47] FIG. 13 is a partially enlarged perspective view showing a developer receiving device according to a sixth embodiment. [Figure 48] FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a restricting member and a shutter according to a sixth embodiment. [Figure 49] 1A is a perspective view showing the positions of the lift portion and the regulating member at the start of mounting, and FIG. [Figure 50] 1A is a perspective view showing the positions of the lift portion and the regulating member during movement, and FIG. [Figure 51] 1A is a perspective view showing the positions of the lift portion and the regulating member when the lift portion starts to rise, and FIG. [Figure 52] 1A is a perspective view showing the positions of the lift portion and the regulating member when the attachment is complete, and FIG. [Diagram 53] 13A and 13B are a perspective view and a cross-sectional view showing a supply container according to a seventh embodiment. [Figure 54] 1A and 1B are enlarged perspective views showing a part of the lifting mechanism before the lift section is raised, and after the lift section is raised. [Figure 55] FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged perspective view showing the vicinity of a second switch of the lifting mechanism. [Figure 56] 13A is a perspective view of a flange portion of an eighth embodiment as viewed from the bottom, and FIG. [Figure 57] 13A and 13B are a top view and a perspective view showing a shutter according to an eighth embodiment. [Figure 58] (a) is a side view and (b) is a partially enlarged view showing the positions of the lift part and the supported part at the start of installation. [Figure 59] (a) Side view and (b) enlarged portion showing the positions of the lifting part and the supported part at the start of ascent. [Figure 60] (a) Side view and (b) enlarged partial view showing the positions of the lifting part and the supported part during ascent. [Figure 61] (a) Side view and (b) enlarged partial view showing the positions of the lifting part and the supported part when installation is complete. [Figure 62] 13A and 13B are a top view and a perspective view showing a magnet member according to a ninth embodiment. [Figure 63] 13A is a side view, FIG. 13B is a partially enlarged view, and FIG. 13C is a partially enlarged perspective view showing a flange portion of a ninth embodiment. [Figure 64]FIG. 13 is a partially enlarged perspective view showing a flange portion of the tenth embodiment. [Figure 65] (a) is a perspective view, and (b) is a front view showing the weight. [Figure 66] FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a flange portion of the tenth embodiment. [Figure 67] FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a lift portion of the tenth embodiment. [Figure 68] FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a shutter according to a tenth embodiment. [Figure 69] 13A is a side view showing a flange portion of the tenth embodiment, and FIG. [Figure 70] 1A is a cross-sectional view showing the positions of the weight and the shutter at the start of mounting, and FIG. 1B is a side view showing the positions of the lift portion and the developer receiving portion. [Figure 71] 1B is a side view showing the positions of the lift portion and the developer receiving portion when the lifting portion starts to move upward. FIG. [Figure 72] FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view showing the positions of the weight and the shutter during ascent, and FIG. 4B is a side view showing the positions of the lift portion and the developer receiving portion. [Figure 73] 1B is a side view showing the positions of the lift portion and the developer receiving portion when the lift is completed; FIG. [Figure 74] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing the positions of the weight, the shutter, and the developer receiving portion when the mounting is complete. [Figure 75] FIG. 23 is a side view showing a flange portion of the eleventh embodiment. [Figure 76] FIG. 4 is a side view illustrating the operation of the lift unit. [Figure 77] 10A to 10D are diagrams illustrating a conventional example, in which (a) is when attachment starts, (b) is when ascent starts, (c) is midway through ascent, and (d) is when attachment is completed. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] First Embodiment A first embodiment will be described below. First, an image forming apparatus to which the present invention can be applied will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0012] [Image forming equipment] In FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 100 has an original reading device 103 on the upper part of the apparatus main body 100a. An original 101 is placed on an original table glass 102. Then, an electrostatic latent image is formed by forming an optical image corresponding to image information of the original 101 on a photosensitive drum 104, which is a cylindrical photosensitive body serving as an image carrier, by a plurality of mirrors M and lenses Ln of the original reading device 103. This electrostatic latent image is visualized by a dry developing device (one-component developing device) 201 using toner (one-component magnetic toner) as a developer (dry powder). In this embodiment, an example in which one-component magnetic toner is used as a developer to be replenished from a developer supply container 1 (hereinafter simply referred to as a supply device) will be described, but this is not the only example, and the configuration described below may be used.

[0013] Specifically, when a one-component developer that uses one-component non-magnetic toner for development is used, one-component non-magnetic toner is replenished as the developer. When a two-component developer that uses a two-component developer in which a magnetic carrier and a non-magnetic toner are mixed is used, non-magnetic toner is replenished as the developer. In this case, a configuration in which a magnetic carrier is replenished together with the non-magnetic toner as the developer may also be used.

[0014] 1 develops an electrostatic latent image formed on a photosensitive drum 104 based on image information of an original 101, using toner as a developer, as described above. A developer supply system 200 is connected to the developing device 201, and the developer supply system 200 has a supply container 1 and a developer receiving device 8 to which the supply container 1 can be detachably attached. The developer supply system 200 will be described later.

[0015] The developing device 201 is provided with a developing roller 201f in addition to the developer hopper portion 201a. The developer hopper portion 201a is provided with an agitating member 201c for agitating the developer supplied from the supply container 1. The developer agitated by the agitating member 201c is sent to the conveying member 201e side by the conveying member 201d. The developer conveyed by the conveying members 201e and 201b in order is carried by the developing roller 201f and is finally supplied to the developing portion with the photosensitive drum 104. Since a one-component developer is used in this embodiment, the toner as the developer is supplied from the supply container 1 to the developing device 201. However, when a two-component developer is used, the toner and carrier as the developer may be supplied from the supply container.

[0016] Each of the cassettes 105-108 stores a recording material S such as a sheet. During image formation, a cassette that stores an optimal recording material S is selected from the cassettes 105-108 based on information input by an operator (user) via an operation unit 100d (see FIG. 2) of the image forming apparatus 100 or the size of the document 101. The recording material S is not limited to paper, and can be appropriately used and selected, for example, an OHP sheet. Then, one sheet of recording material S transported by the feeding / separating devices 105A-108A is transported to the registration rollers 110 via the transport unit 109, and transported by synchronizing the rotation of the photosensitive drum 104 with the scanning timing of the document reading device 103.

[0017] A transfer charger 111 and a separation charger 112 are provided at a position facing the photosensitive drum 104 on the downstream side of the registration roller 110 in the recording material conveying direction. The transfer charger 111 transfers an image (toner image) formed by the developer on the photosensitive drum 104 onto the recording material S conveyed by the registration roller 110. The recording material S onto which the toner image has been transferred is separated from the photosensitive drum 104 by the separation charger 112. Thereafter, the recording material S conveyed by the conveying section 113 is subjected to heat and pressure in the fixing section 114, and the toner is fixed onto the recording material. Thereafter, in the case of single-sided copying, the recording material S onto which the toner image has been fixed passes through a discharge reversal section 115 and is discharged to a discharge tray 117 by a discharge roller 116.

[0018] On the other hand, in the case of double-sided copying, the recording material S passes through a discharge reversal section 115, and a part of it is discharged once outside the apparatus by discharge rollers 116. Then, the trailing edge of the recording material S passes through a switching member 118, and while the recording material S is still held by the discharge rollers 116, the position of the switching member 118 is switched and the discharge rollers 116 are rotated in reverse, so that the recording material S is conveyed again into the apparatus. After that, the recording material S is conveyed to the registration rollers 110 via re-feed conveyance sections 119 and 120, and is then discharged to a discharge tray 117 following the same path as in the case of single-sided copying.

[0019] In the image forming apparatus 100 having the above-mentioned configuration, image forming process devices such as a developing unit 201, a cleaner unit 202, and a primary charger 203 are installed around the photosensitive drum 104. The developing unit 201 develops an electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 104 based on image information of the original 101 read by the original reading device 103 by attaching a developer to the electrostatic latent image. The primary charger 203 is for uniformly charging the surface of the photosensitive drum 104 to form a desired electrostatic image on the photosensitive drum 104. The cleaner unit 202 is for removing developer remaining on the photosensitive drum 104.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 2, when an operator opens a replacement cover 100b, which is a part of the exterior cover of the main body 100a of the image forming apparatus 100, a part of the developer receiving device 8, which will be described later, appears. Then, by inserting the supply container 1 into the developer receiving device 8, the supply container 1 is mounted in a state in which the developer can be supplied to the developer receiving device 8. On the other hand, when the operator replaces the supply container 1, the operator performs the reverse operation of the mounting operation to remove the supply container 1 from the developer receiving device 8, and then mounts a new supply container 1. The replacement cover 100b is a dedicated cover for attaching and detaching (replacing) the supply container 1, and is opened and closed only to attach and detach the supply container 1. On the other hand, maintenance of the image forming apparatus 100 is performed by opening and closing the front cover 100c. Here, the replacement cover 100b and the front cover 100c may be integrated, in which case replacement of the supply container 1 and maintenance of the image forming apparatus 100 are performed by opening and closing an integrated cover (not shown).

[0021] [Developer receiving device] Next, the developer receiving device 8 constituting the developer replenishing system 200 will be described with reference to Figs. 3(a) to 4(c). As shown in Fig. 3(a), the developer receiving device 8 is provided with a mounting portion 8f to which the replenishing container 1 is removably mounted. The mounting portion 8f is provided with an insertion guide 8e for guiding the replenishing container 1 in the mounting and removal direction. In the case of this embodiment, the insertion guide 8e is configured so that the mounting direction of the replenishing container 1 is the direction of arrow A, and the removal direction of the replenishing container 1 is the opposite direction to the direction of arrow A (the direction of arrow B).

[0022] As shown in FIG. 3(a) to FIG. 4(a), the developer receiving device 8 has a drive gear 9 that functions as a drive mechanism for driving the supply container 1. The drive gear 9 has a function of applying a rotational drive force to the supply container 1 mounted in the mounting portion 8f by transmitting the rotational drive force from the drive motor 500 via a drive gear train (not shown). The drive motor 500 is configured to have its operation controlled by a control device 600. The control device 600 controls the drive motor 500 and also controls the entire image forming apparatus 100. The control device 600 has a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and a RAM (Random Access Memory). The CPU controls each part while reading a program corresponding to the control procedure stored in the ROM. In addition, working data and input data are stored in the RAM, and the CPU performs control by referring to the data stored in the RAM based on the above-mentioned program and the like.

[0023] The mounting portion 8f of the developer receiving device 8 is provided with a developer receiving portion 11 for receiving the developer discharged from the supply container 1. The developer receiving portion 11 is connected to the container discharge port 3a4 (see FIG. 5(b)) of the supply container 1 when the supply container 1 is mounted, and has a receiving port 11a for receiving the developer discharged from the container discharge port 3a4. The developer receiving portion 11 is attached so as to be movable (displaceable) in the vertical direction with respect to the developer receiving device 8 in the direction in which the receiving port 11a moves toward or away from the container discharge port 3a4 in this embodiment. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3(b), the developer receiving portion 11 is biased by a biasing member 12 (e.g., a coil spring) in the direction in which the receiving port 11a moves away from the container discharge port 3a4 (vertically downward). Therefore, the developer receiving portion 11 moves against the biasing force of the biasing member 12 when the receiving opening 11a moves in a direction approaching the container discharge opening 3a4 (vertically upward).

[0024] 4(a), the mounting portion 8f of the developer receiving device 8 is provided with shutter stopper portions 8a, 8b upstream of the developer receiving portion 11 in the mounting direction (arrow A direction). The shutter stopper portions 8a, 8b restrict the relative movement of only a shutter 4 (see FIG. 13(a)) described later with respect to the developer receiving device 8 during mounting / removal of the supply container 1 which moves relative to the developer receiving device 8. In this case, the shutter 4 moves relative to a part of the supply container 1 other than the shutter 4, such as a container body 2 described later.

[0025] 3(b) and 4(b), a sub-hopper 8c for temporarily storing the developer supplied from the supply container 1 is provided vertically below the developer receiving device 8. In the sub-hopper 8c, a transport screw 14 for transporting the developer to a developer hopper portion 201a (see FIG. 1), which is a part of the developing device 201, and an opening 8d communicating with the developer hopper portion 201a are provided.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 4(c), the developer receiver 11 is provided with a body seal 13 formed to surround the receiving port 11a. The body seal 13 is made of an elastic body, a foam body, or the like. When the supply container 1 is attached, the body seal 13 is in close contact with the opening seal 3a5 (see FIG. 5(b)) surrounding the container discharge port 3a4 of the supply container 1, sandwiching the shutter 4 (see FIG. 13(a)). This prevents the developer discharged from the container discharge port 3a4 of the supply container 1 through the shutter opening 4j of the shutter 4 to the receiving port 11a from the container discharge port 3a4 of the supply container 1 from leaking out of the receiving port 11a, which is the developer transport path.

[0027] In addition, the diameter of the receiving opening 11a is preferably set to be approximately the same diameter or slightly larger than the diameter of the shutter opening 4j of the shutter 4 in order to prevent the inside of the mounting portion 8f from being soiled by the developer. This is because if the diameter of the receiving opening 11a is smaller than the diameter of the shutter opening 4j, the developer discharged from the shutter opening 4j is likely to adhere to the upper surface of the main body seal 13. The adhered developer adheres to the lower surface of the supply container 1 during the attachment and detachment operation of the supply container 1, which contributes to the soiling by the developer. In view of this, it is preferable that the diameter of the receiving opening 11a is approximately the same diameter or approximately 2 mm larger than the diameter of the shutter opening 4j. For example, if the diameter of the shutter opening 4j of the shutter 4 is a fine opening (pinhole) of approximately 2 mm, the diameter of the receiving opening 11a is preferably set to approximately 3 mm.

[0028] As shown in Fig. 4(c), the developer receiving portion 11 is provided with a supported portion 11b protruding toward the center from a side surface. In the case of this embodiment, this supported portion 11b is supported from below in the vertical direction by a lift portion 30 (see Fig. 8(a)) which is provided on the supply container 1 and will be described later. As will be described in detail later, in this embodiment, the lift portion 30 operates to move the developer receiving portion 11 by the lift portion 30 via the supported portion 11b. The lift portion 30 will be described later.

[0029] [Supply container] Next, the supply container 1 constituting the developer supply system 200 will be described with reference to Figs. 5(a) to 13(b). First, the overall configuration of the supply container 1 will be described with reference to Figs. 5(a) to 5(c). The supply container 1 mainly has a container body 2, a flange portion 3, a shutter 4, a pump portion 5, a reciprocating member 6, a cover 7, and a lift portion 30. The container body 2 rotates in the direction of arrow R around a rotation axis P shown in Fig. 5(a) in the developer receiving device 8, thereby supplying developer to the developer receiving device 8 (see Fig. 3(a)). Each element constituting the supply container 1 will be described in detail below.

[0030] [Container body] The container body 2 mainly has a developer storage section 2c that stores a developer therein, as shown in FIG. 6. The container body 2 also has a spirally formed transport groove 2a (transport section) that transports the developer in the developer storage section 2c by the container body 2 rotating in the direction of the arrow R about the rotation axis P. As shown in FIG. 6, a cam groove 2b and a drive receiving section (gear) 2d that receives drive from the main body side are integrally formed over the entire circumference of the outer circumferential surface on one end face side of the container body 2. In this embodiment, the cam groove 2b and the drive receiving section 2d are integrally formed with the container body 2, but the cam groove 2b or the drive receiving section 2d may be formed as separate bodies and integrally attached to the container body 2. In this embodiment, for example, a toner having a volume average particle size of 5 μm to 6 μm is stored in the developer storage section 2c as the developer. In this embodiment, the developer storage section 2c is not only the container body 2, but also the container body 2 and the internal space of the flange section 3 and the pump section 5 described later.

[0031] [Flange] Next, the flange portion 3 will be described with reference to Figures 5(a) to 8(b). The flange portion 3 is attached to the container body 2 so as to be rotatable relative to the rotation axis P. When the supply container 1 is attached to the developer receiving device 8 (see Figure 3(a)), the flange portion 3 is held so as not to rotate in the direction of arrow R relative to the attachment portion 8f. In consideration of ease of assembly, the flange portion 3 consists of an upper flange portion 31 and a lower flange portion 32, and as will be described below, a pump portion 5, a reciprocating member 6, a shutter 4, a cover 7, and a lift portion 30 are attached to the flange portion 3.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 5(a), the pump section 5 is screwed to one end of the upper flange section 31, and the container body 2 is joined to the other end via a seal member (not shown). The reciprocating member 6 is disposed so as to sandwich the pump section 5, and an engagement protrusion 6b (see FIG. 10(a)) provided on the reciprocating member 6 is fitted into the cam groove 2b (see FIG. 6) of the container body 2. The shutter 4 is incorporated between the upper flange section 31 and the lower flange section 32. In this embodiment, the flange section 3 and the shutter 4 constitute a discharge section 700 that discharges the developer contained in the developer containing section 2c. The surface on which the shutter 4 is provided is the bottom surface of the flange section 3. In order to improve the external appearance and to protect the reciprocating member 6 and the pump section 5, a cover 7 is integrally assembled so as to cover the entire flange section 3, the pump section 5, and the reciprocating member 6, and is configured as shown in FIG. 5(b). 5(c), the lift unit 30, which will be described later, is disposed below a plane H including the rotation axis P. The plane H including the rotation axis P is a horizontal plane, and the lift unit 30 is disposed below this horizontal plane.

[0033] [Upper flange] The upper flange portion 31 will be described. The upper flange portion 31 shown in FIG. 7(a) includes a pump joint portion 3a1 to which the pump portion 5 is screwed, a container body joint portion 3a2 to which the container body 2 is joined, and a storage portion 3a3 for storing the developer transported from the container body 2. The upper flange portion 31 also includes a circular container discharge port 3a4 for discharging the developer in the storage portion 3a3 to the developer receiving device 8, which is formed on the bottom surface as shown in FIG. 7(b), and an opening seal 3a5 is disposed so as to surround the container discharge port 3a4. Here, the opening seal 3a5 is attached to the bottom surface of the upper flange portion 31 with, for example, double-sided tape, and is sandwiched between the shutter 4 (described later) and the upper flange portion 31, thereby preventing the developer from leaking from the container discharge port 3a4.

[0034] As described above, the diameter of the container outlet 3a4 is set to about 2 mm so that developer is not unnecessarily discharged and the surrounding area is not soiled with developer when the shutter 4 is opened and closed in response to the mounting and demounting operation of the supply container 1 to the developer receiving device 8. In this embodiment, the container outlet 3a4 is formed on the lower surface side of the supply container 1, specifically, on the bottom surface of the upper flange portion 31, but this is not limiting. For example, the container outlet 3a4 may be formed on a side surface other than the upstream end surface or downstream end surface in the mounting direction of the supply container 1 to the developer receiving device 8. Even in this case, the connection configuration shown in this embodiment is applicable. When the container outlet 3a4 is formed on the side surface, the formation position thereof may be set in consideration of the circumstances of each product.

[0035] [Lower flange] The lower flange portion 32 will be described. As shown in Fig. 7(a), the lower flange portion 32 has a shutter insertion portion 3b1 into which a shutter 4 (see Fig. 13(a)) described later is inserted. The lower flange portion 32 is integrated with the upper flange portion 31 in a state in which the shutter 4 is inserted into the shutter insertion portion 3b1.

[0036] In this embodiment, a pair of lift holders 3b for holding a lift section 30 (see FIG. 12(a)) described later is erected from below in the vertical direction upward on both sides of the lower flange section 32 in a width direction intersecting with the mounting and removal direction of the supply container 1 and intersecting with the vertical direction. As shown in FIG. 8(a) and FIG. 8(b), the pair of lift holders 3b arranged to face each other in the mounting direction of the supply container 1 holds the lift section 30 slidably in the vertical direction. In this embodiment, the lift holder 3b is formed in a concave shape that can be fitted with the fitting section 30a (see FIG. 12(a)) of the lift section 30 formed in a convex shape. And, below the pair of lift holders 3b, a lift stopper section 3c is formed extending from one side to the other. When no force is applied to lift the lift section 30 upward in the vertical direction, the lift stopper section 3c abuts against the lift section 30 that descends vertically downward due to its own weight or the like.

[0037] [Pump section] The pump section 5 will be described with reference to Figs. 9(a) and 9(b). The pump section 5 operates such that the internal pressure of the developer accommodating section 2c is alternately and repeatedly switched between a state lower than atmospheric pressure and a state higher than atmospheric pressure by the driving force received by the drive receiving section 2d of the container body 2 (see Fig. 6). In this embodiment, the pump section 5 is provided in a part of the supply container 1 in order to stably discharge the developer from the small container discharge port 3a4 as described above. The pump section 5 is a volume-variable pump whose volume can be changed. Specifically, the pump section 5 is configured of a bellows-like expandable member that can expand and contract.

[0038] The expansion and contraction of the pump section 5 changes the pressure in the supply container 1, and the developer is discharged using the pressure. Specifically, when the pump section 5 is contracted, the inside of the supply container 1 is pressurized, and the developer is pushed out by the pressure and discharged from the container discharge port 3a4 of the supply container 1. When the pump section 5 is extended, the inside of the supply container 1 is depressurized, and air is taken in from the outside through the container discharge port 3a4. The taken in air loosens the developer near the container discharge port 3a4 and the storage section 3a3 (see FIG. 7(a)) that stores the developer transported from the container body 2 of the flange section 3, so that the next discharge can be performed smoothly. That is, the developer in the supply container 1 may gather near the container discharge port 3a4 and the storage section 3a3 of the supply container 1 due to vibration during transportation of the supply container 1, and the developer may solidify in this area. Therefore, by taking in air through the container discharge port 3a4 as described above, the solidified developer can be loosened. In addition, during normal developer discharge operations, the intake of air in this manner mixes the air with the powdered developer, improving the fluidity of the developer and reducing the likelihood of developer clogging.

[0039] As shown in Fig. 9(a), the pump section 5 has a joint 5b at the open end so that it can be joined to the upper flange section 31. Here, a configuration in which a screw is formed as the joint 5b is shown as an example. Also, as shown in Fig. 9(b), the pump section 5 has a reciprocating member engaging section 5c at the other end which engages with a reciprocating member 6 (see Fig. 10(a)) to be described later in order to displace the reciprocating member 6 in synchronization with the reciprocating member 6.

[0040] As shown in FIG. 9(b), the pump section 5 has a bellows-like expandable section (bellows section, expandable member) 5a in which "mountain folds" and "valley folds" are periodically formed. The expandable section 5a can be folded by moving the reciprocating member engaging section 5c in the direction of arrow B relative to the joint section 5b along the folds (using the folds as a base point), or can be expanded by moving it in the direction of arrow A. Therefore, when the bellows-like pump section 5 of this embodiment is used, the variation in the amount of volume change relative to the amount of expansion and contraction can be reduced, making it possible to perform a stable volume variable operation.

[0041] In this embodiment, polypropylene resin is used as the material of the pump portion 5, but this is not limited to this. The material (material quality) of the pump portion 5 may be any material that exhibits an elastic function and can change the internal pressure of the developer accommodating portion 2c by changing the volume. For example, ABS (acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer), polystyrene, polyester, polyethylene, etc. may be used. Alternatively, rubber or other elastic materials may be used.

[0042] [Reciprocating parts] The reciprocating member 6 will be described with reference to Figs. 10(a) and 10(b). As shown in Figs. 10(a) and 10(b), the reciprocating member 6 has a pump engaging portion 6a that engages with a reciprocating member engaging portion 5c (see Fig. 9(b)) provided on the pump portion 5 in order to vary the volume of the pump portion 5. The reciprocating member 6 also has an engaging protrusion 6b that is fitted into the cam groove 2b (see Fig. 6) during assembly. The engaging protrusion 6b is provided on the tip of an arm 6c that extends in the attachment / detachment direction (the direction of arrows A and B in the figure) from the vicinity of the pump engaging portion 6a. The reciprocating member 6 is restricted in rotational displacement about the rotation axis P (see Fig. 5(a)) of the arm 6c by a reciprocating member holding portion 7b (see Fig. 11(b)) of a cover 7, which will be described later. Therefore, when the container body 2 receives drive force from the drive receiving portion 2d via the drive gear 9 and the cam groove 2b rotates integrally, the reciprocating member 6 reciprocates in the directions of arrows A and B due to the action of the engagement protrusion 6b fitted into the cam groove 2b and the reciprocating member holding portion 7b of the cover 7. In conjunction with this, the pump portion 5 engaged with the pump engagement portion 6a of the reciprocating member 6 via the reciprocating member engagement portion 5c expands and contracts in the directions of arrows A and B.

[0043] [cover] The cover 7 will be described with reference to Figs. 11(a) and 11(b). As described above, the cover 7 is provided as shown in Fig. 5(b) for the purpose of improving the appearance of the supply container 1 and protecting the reciprocating member 6 and the pump section 5. More specifically, the cover 7 is provided integrally with the upper flange section 31 and the lower flange section 32 so as to cover the entire flange section 3, the pump section 5, and the reciprocating member 6. As shown in Fig. 11(a), the cover 7 is provided with a guide groove 7a that is guided by an insertion guide 8e (see Fig. 3(a)) of the developer receiving device 8. Also, as shown in Fig. 11(b), the cover 7 is provided with a reciprocating member holding section 7b that regulates the rotational displacement of the reciprocating member 6 about the rotation axis P (see Fig. 5(a)).

[0044] [Lift section] The lift section 30 will be described with reference to Figures 12(a) and 12(b). The lift section 30 as a support section has a fitting section 30a, a shutter sliding section 30b, a receiving support section 30c, and a lift main section 30d. The fitting sections 30a are formed on both ends of the lift main section 30d in the attachment / detachment direction of the supply container 1, and engage with the lift holding sections 3b (see Figure 8(a)) of the flange section 3. This allows the lift section 30 to be held slidably in the vertical direction relative to the flange section 3.

[0045] As shown in FIG. 12(a), the receiving support part 30c is formed on the lift main body part 30d so as to protrude in the width direction and extend in the mounting direction of the supply container 1 (arrow A direction). The receiving support part 30c can support the supported part 11b (see FIG. 4(c)) of the developer receiving part 11 from below in the vertical direction. Also, as shown in FIG. 12(b), on the surface of the lift main body part 30d opposite to the receiving support part 30c, the shutter sliding part 30b as a sliding part is formed so as to protrude in the width direction and extend in the mounting direction of the supply container 1. However, the shutter sliding part 30b is formed so as to have a shorter length in the mounting direction than the receiving support part 30c, and is disposed upstream of the center of the lift main body part 30d. In this embodiment, the receiving support part 30c is configured to be approximately parallel to the mounting direction or the rotation axis P (see FIG. 5(a)), but is not limited to this, and may be configured to be inclined.

[0046] Furthermore, the shutter sliding portion 30b has a tip surface 30ba in the mounting direction (arrow A direction) formed to be inclined. As will be described in detail later, the shutter sliding portion 30b slides on the shutter inclined portion 4f (see FIG. 13(b)) of the shutter 4 when the supply container 1 is mounted or removed. In order to slide smoothly on the shutter inclined portion 4f at that time, the tip surface 30ba of the shutter sliding portion 30b is formed to be inclined, and the inclination angle with respect to the mounting / removal direction of the supply container 1 is set to be substantially the same as the inclination angle of the shutter inclined portion 4f.

[0047] [Shutter] The shutter 4 will be described with reference to Figures 13(a) and 13(b). The shutter 4 is provided so as to be movable relative to a part of the supply container 1 (flange portion 3) so as to slide on the shutter insertion portion 3b1 (see Figure 7(a)) of the lower flange portion 32. The shutter 4 has a shutter opening 4j, and opens and closes a container discharge port 3a4 as a discharge port of the supply container 1 in association with the mounting operation of the supply container 1. The shutter 4 moves relative to the supply container 1 in association with the mounting operation of the supply container 1, so that the shutter opening 4j and the container discharge port 3a4 communicate with each other, and further communicates with the receiving port 11a of the developer receiving portion 11. This makes it possible to discharge the developer inside the supply container 1 to the receiving port 11a. That is, the flange portion 3 and the shutter 4 constitute a discharge portion 700 (see FIG. 5(b)) for discharging the developer, and the shutter 4 of the discharge portion 700 is formed with a shutter opening 4j as a discharge port for discharging the developer.

[0048] On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 13(a) and FIG. 13(b), the developer sealing portion 4a is provided at a position away from the shutter opening 4j of the shutter 4. The developer sealing portion 4a blocks the container discharge port 3a4 by the shutter 4 moving relative to the supply container 1 in association with the operation of removing the supply container 1. The developer sealing portion 4a also prevents leakage of developer from the container discharge port 3a4 when the supply container 1 is not mounted in the mounting portion 8f (see FIG. 3(a)) of the developer receiving device 8. A sliding surface that slides on the shutter insertion portion 3b1 of the flange portion 3 is provided on the back side (developer receiving portion 11 side) of the developer sealing portion 4a. The shutter 4 engages with the flange portion 3 with the developer sealing portion 4a facing upward.

[0049] The shutter 4 has stopper portions 4b, 4c that are held by shutter stopper portions 8a, 8b (see FIG. 4(a)) of the developer receiving device 8 so that the supply container 1 can move relative to the shutter 4. Of these stopper portions 4b, 4c, the first stopper portion 4b engages with the first shutter stopper portion 8a of the developer receiving device 8 when the supply container 1 is attached, and fixes the position of the shutter 4 relative to the developer receiving device 8. The second stopper portion 4c engages with the second shutter stopper portion 8b of the developer receiving device 8 when the supply container 1 is removed.

[0050] The shutter 4 also has a support portion 4d that supports the stopper portions 4b and 4c in a displaceable manner. The support portion 4d is provided to extend from the developer sealing portion 4a and be elastically deformable in order to displaceably support the first stopper portion 4b and the second stopper portion 4c. The first stopper portion 4b is inclined so that the angle α formed by the first stopper portion 4b and the support portion 4d is an acute angle. In contrast, the second stopper portion 4c is inclined so that the angle β formed by the second stopper portion 4c and the support portion 4d is an obtuse angle.

[0051] The shutter opening 4j is an outlet for discharging the developer in the supply container 1 to the outside, and the developer in the supply container 1 can be discharged to the outside only when the container outlet 3a4 and the shutter opening 4j communicate with each other as a result of the shutter 4 sliding relative to the flange portion 3. When the container outlet 3a4 and the shutter opening 4j are not in communication with each other, the developer sealing portion 4a closes the container outlet 3a4, preventing the developer from leaking out of the supply container 1.

[0052] In this embodiment, the shutter 4 is used to operate the lift portion 30. To do so, as shown in FIG. 13(b), the shutter 4 is formed with a shutter inclined portion 4f as an inclined portion protruding from the support portion 4d. The shutter inclined portion 4f is formed in an inclined shape so that the vertical length gradually increases from the upstream side (near side) to the downstream side (deep side) in the mounting direction (arrow A direction) of the supply container 1. In other words, the shutter inclined portion 4f has an inclined surface that descends toward the developer receiving portion side as it moves from the downstream side to the upstream side in the mounting direction. As will be described in detail later, when the supply container 1 moves relative to the shutter 4, the lift portion 30 also moves relative to the shutter 4. In this case, the shutter sliding portion 30b of the lift portion 30 slides against the shutter inclined portion 4f, so that the lift portion 30 moves up and down in the vertical direction along the shutter inclined portion 4f.

[0053] The inclined surface of the shutter inclined portion 4f is not limited to being formed in a straight line as shown in FIG. 13(b). The shape of the shutter inclined portion 4f may be, for example, a curved shape as long as it allows the lift portion 30 to move in the vertical direction. However, from the viewpoint of making the operating force accompanying the attachment and detachment operation of the supply container 1 constant, it is desirable to form it in a linear inclined shape. The inclination angle of the shutter inclined portion 4f with respect to the attachment and detachment direction of the supply container 1 is desirably set to, for example, about 10 to 50 degrees. In this embodiment, it is set to about 40 degrees.

[0054] [Developer receiving section operation] The operation of connecting the developer receiving portion 11 to the supply container 1 by the lift portion 30 will be described in chronological order of the mounting operation of the supply container 1 to the developer receiving device 8 using Figs. 14(a) to 15(d) while referring to Figs. 12(a) to 13(b) and the like. Figs. 14(a) and 15(a) show the start of mounting the supply container 1, Figs. 14(b) and 15(b) show the start of lifting the lift portion 30, Figs. 14(c) and 15(c) show the lift portion 30 in the middle of rising, and Figs. 14(d) and 15(d) show the completion of mounting the supply container 1. Figs. 14(a) to 14(d) are views showing the vicinity of the connection portion between the supply container 1 and the developer receiving portion 11. Figs. 15(a) to 15(d) are views focusing on the relationship between the shutter 4 and the lift portion 30. The mounting operation refers to an operation until the developer can be replenished from the supply container 1 to the developer receiving device 8.

[0055] At the start of mounting the supply container 1 as shown in FIG. 14(a), the first stopper portion 4b of the shutter 4 has not yet come into contact with the first shutter stopper portion 8a of the developer receiving device 8, so the shutter 4 and the lift portion 30 move together in the supply container 1 without moving relatively. When the shutter 4 and the lift portion 30 move together, the inclined portion 4f of the shutter 4 and the shutter sliding portion 30b are maintained in a non-contact state in which they are not in contact with each other as shown in FIG. 15(a). When the inclined portion 4f and the shutter sliding portion 30b are in a non-contact state, the lift portion 30 is in the lowest position where it abuts against the lift stopper portion 3c, and the receiving support portion 30c of the lift portion 30 does not support the supported portion 11b of the developer receiving portion 11. As described above, the developer receiving portion 11 is biased by the biasing member 12 in a direction away from the supply container 1 (see FIG. 3(b)), so that the receiving opening 11a is separated from the container discharge opening 3a4 of the supply container 1. The container discharge opening 3a4 is sealed by the developer sealing portion 4a of the shutter 4.

[0056] When the supply container 1 is inserted from the state shown in FIG. 14(a) to the back in the mounting direction, it becomes as shown in FIG. 14(b). In this case, the first stopper portion 4b of the shutter 4 and the first shutter stopper portion 8a of the developer receiving device 8 engage with each other. This fixes the position of the shutter 4 relative to the developer receiving device 8. By holding the position of the shutter 4 relative to the developer receiving unit 8 in this way, the movement of the shutter 4 in the mounting direction (arrow A direction) relative to the developer receiving unit 11 is stopped, but the movement of the supply container 1, excluding the shutter 4, in the mounting direction relative to the developer receiving unit 11 is maintained. In addition, the shutter inclined portion 4f and the shutter sliding portion 30b start to come into contact with each other as shown in FIG. 15(b). Furthermore, the supported portion 11b of the developer receiving unit 11 starts to be supported from below in the vertical direction by the receiving support portion 30c of the lift portion 30. That is, the lift portion 30 is moved to a position where the receiving support portion 30c supports (or can support) the supported portion 11b of the developer receiving portion 11. In this case, the shutter opening 4j reaches a position vertically above the receiving opening 11a of the developer receiving portion 11 while the container discharge opening 3a4 is maintained in a sealed state by the developer sealing portion 4a of the shutter 4. However, the developer receiving portion 11 has not been displaced from the initial position, and the receiving opening 11a is separated from the container discharge opening 3a4 (shutter opening 4j) as shown in FIG. 14(b).

[0057] Next, when the supply container 1 is inserted further in the mounting direction from the state shown in Fig. 14(b), the supply container 1 moves relative to the shutter 4 in the mounting direction as shown in Fig. 14(c). In this case, as shown in Fig. 15(c), the shutter sliding portion 30b slides on the shutter inclined portion 4f and moves upward along the inclined portion 4f in response to the mounting operation of the supply container 1. As a result, the lift portion 30 is moved substantially upward in the vertical direction. Then, since the supported portion 11b of the developer receiving portion 11 is supported from below in the vertical direction by the receiving support portion 30c of the lift portion 30, the developer receiving portion 11 is moved upward in the vertical direction against the urging force of the urging member 12.

[0058] 14(c), when the supply container 1 is further inserted in the mounting direction, as shown in FIG. 14(d), the supply container 1 moves relative to the shutter 4 in the mounting direction in the same manner as before, and the supply container 1 reaches the mounting completion position. As shown in FIG. 14(d), the positional relationship between the container discharge port 3a4 and the lift unit 30 at the mounting completion position is such that a plane L (a plane perpendicular to the rotation axis P) passing through the container discharge port 3a4 passes through the lift unit 30. Also, a plane including the receiving support portion 30c (see FIG. 12(a)) of the lift unit 30 is disposed between the rotation axis P and the container discharge port 3a4. Then, as shown in FIG. 15(d), when the shutter sliding portion 30b reaches the apex of the shutter inclined portion 4f, the lift unit 30 stops moving vertically upward. In this case, the developer receiving portion 11, whose supported portion 11b is supported by the lift portion 30, has the receiving port 11a connected to the container discharge port 3a4 of the supply container 1. In this way, the developer can be replenished. In detail, the developer in the developer storage portion 2c of the container body 2 can be replenished to the sub hopper 8c through the receiving port 11a from the storage portion 3a3 via the container discharge port 3a4 by the reciprocating motion of the pump portion 5 described above.

[0059] 15(d), when the supply container 1 reaches the mounting completion position with respect to the developer receiving device 8, the supported portion 11b of the developer receiving portion 11 is pressed against the receiving support portion 30c of the lift portion 30 by the biasing force of the biasing member 12. Therefore, the vertical position of the developer receiving portion 11 is kept stable.

[0060] Next, the operation of the lift portion 30 in response to the removal operation of the supply container 1 from the developer receiving device 8 will be described. The removal operation of the supply container 1 is performed in the reverse order of the above-mentioned mounting operation. In other words, the supply container 1 is removed from the developer receiving device 8 in the order from Figures 14(d) and 15(d) to Figures 14(a) and 15(a). The removal operation refers to the operation up to the point where the supply container 1 is in a state where it can be removed from the developer receiving device 8.

[0061] When the developer in the supply container 1 becomes low at the mounting completion position shown in FIG. 14(d), a message is displayed on a monitor (not shown) provided in the image forming apparatus 100 (see FIG. 1) to prompt the operator to replace the supply container 1. The operator who has prepared a new supply container 1 opens the replacement cover 100b of the image forming apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 2 and pulls out the supply container 1 from the developer receiving device 8 in the removal direction (arrow B direction). In this process, since the second stopper portion 4c of the shutter 4 abuts against the second shutter stopper portion 8b of the developer receiving device 8, the shutter 4 does not displace in the removal direction with the operation of removing the supply container 1. In other words, the supply container 1 moves relative to the shutter 4. In this embodiment, the shutter 4 cannot be displaced relative to the developer receiving device 8 until the supply container 1 is removed from the position shown in FIG. 14(d) to the position shown in FIG. 14(b), and the supply container 1 moves relative to the shutter 4.

[0062] At this time, as shown in Figures 15(d) and 15(b), the developer receiving portion 11 moves vertically downward in response to the removal operation of the supply container 1. That is, when the supply container 1 and the shutter 4 move relative to each other, the shutter sliding portion 30b is moved downward along the shutter inclined portion 4f by the weight of the lift portion 30 and the biasing force of the biasing member 12 so as to slide down the shutter inclined portion 4f. As a result, the lift portion 30 is substantially moved vertically downward, and the developer receiving portion 11, the supported portion 11b of which is supported by the receiving support portion 30c of the lift portion 30, moves vertically downward. Then, with the further removal operation of the supply container 1, the developer receiving portion 11 is moved vertically downward by the lift portion 30 and reaches the position shown in Figure 15(a), and the removal operation of the developer receiving portion 11 from the supply container 1 by the lift portion 30 is completed.

[0063] Thereafter, when the supply container 1 is further removed in the removal direction, the second stopper portion 4c of the shutter 4 comes into contact with the second shutter stopper portion 8b of the developer receiving device 8. As a result, the second stopper portion 4c of the shutter 4 is elastically deformed along the inclined surface of the second shutter stopper portion 8b, and the shutter 4 becomes displaceable in the removal direction relative to the developer receiving device 8 together with the supply container 1. That is, the shutter 4 seals the container discharge port 3a4. Then, when the supply container 1 is removed from the developer receiving device 8, the shutter 4 is in a state where it has returned to the position where the supply container 1 was not attached to the developer receiving device 8. Therefore, the container discharge port 3a4 is securely sealed by the shutter 4, and developer does not scatter from the supply container 1 removed from the developer receiving device 8.

[0064] [Conventional example] Here, the connecting operation of the developer receiving portion 11 according to the conventional example will be briefly described with reference to Figs. 77(a) to 77(d). As shown in Figs. 77(a) to 77(d), in the conventional example, a guide portion 310 that engages with the supported portion 11b of the developer receiving portion 11 is provided on the side surface of the flange portion 3. The guide portion 310 guides the developer receiving portion 11 to be displaced toward the supply container 1 in association with the mounting operation of the supply container 1 in the direction of the arrow A so that the supply container 1 and the developer receiving portion 11 are in a connected state in which supply from the supply container 1 to the developer receiving portion 11 is possible. The guide portion 310 also guides the developer receiving portion 11 to be displaced in a direction away from the supply container 1 in association with the removal operation of the supply container 1 in the direction of the arrow B so that the connection between the supply container 1 and the developer receiving portion 11 is cut off. To achieve this, the guide portion 310 is inclined so as to gradually become higher in the vertical direction from the downstream side to the upstream side in the mounting direction of the supply container 1. This is because the force applied to the supply container 1 during attachment and detachment is used to move the developer receiving portion 11 (specifically, the supported portion 11b) along the guide portion 310. However, in this case, particularly during the attachment operation of the supply container 1, the guide portion 310 is likely to simultaneously apply a force displacing the supported portion 11b of the developer receiving portion 11 in both the attachment direction and the vertical direction. This causes a load that can easily hinder smooth attachment of the supply container 1.

[0065] In contrast, in the case of this embodiment, as described above, when the supply container 1 is mounted, the lift portion 30 applies a force to the supported portion 11b of the developer receiving portion 11 to lift it vertically upward (toward the supply container). In this case, the force displacing the developer receiving portion 11 in the mounting direction is extremely small compared to the conventional example described above. Therefore, when the developer receiving portion 11 is moved as the supply container 1 is mounted, the load applied to the movement of the developer receiving portion 11 is reduced, thereby achieving the effect of realizing smooth mounting of the supply container.

[0066] Second Embodiment In the above-described first embodiment, the shutter inclination portion 4f is provided on the shutter 4, the shutter sliding portion 30b is provided on the lift portion 30, and the lift portion 30 is operated by utilizing the shutter 4 that moves relatively to the lift portion 30, but the mechanism for operating the lift portion 30 is not limited to this. For example, the shutter and the lift portion may be connected by a plurality of gears, and the gears may be driven by the relative movement between the lift portion and the shutter to operate the lift portion.

[0067] The second embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 16 to 21(b). As will be described later, in this embodiment, a second rack gear 30e is provided on the lift portion 30A and a first rack gear 4g is provided on the shutter 4A, and a pinion gear 40 that connects these gears is disposed on the lower flange portion 32. Since other basic configurations and functions are similar to those of the first embodiment described above, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals and their description will be omitted or simplified, and the following description will focus on the parts that are different from the first embodiment.

[0068] [Flange] The flange portion 3A of the second embodiment is shown in Fig. 16. As shown in Fig. 16, the flange portion 3A of this embodiment is provided with a pinion gear holding portion 3g protruding in the width direction on the side surface of the lower flange portion 32 in addition to the lift holding portion 3b and the lift stopper portion 3c described above. The pinion gear holding portion 3g rotatably holds the pinion gear 40 shown in Fig. 17. As shown in Fig. 17, the pinion gear 40 as a rotating body has a first gear portion 40a and a second gear portion 40b having a diameter larger than that of the first gear portion 40a, and a through hole 40c through which the pinion gear holding portion 3g passes is formed in the center thereof.

[0069] [Lift section] The lift unit 30A of the second embodiment is shown in Fig. 18(a) to Fig. 18(b). As shown in Fig. 18(a) to Fig. 18(b), the lift unit 30A is different from the lift unit 30 of the first embodiment in that a second rack gear 30e (lift gear) is provided on the surface of the lift body 30d opposite to the receiving support portion 30c instead of the shutter sliding portion 30b. The second rack gear 30e as a conversion transmission mechanism is provided to extend vertically and meshes with the first gear portion 40a of the pinion gear 40 described above.

[0070] [Shutter] The shutter 4A of the second embodiment is shown in Fig. 19. As shown in Fig. 19, compared to the shutter 4A of the first embodiment, the shutter 4A does not have a shutter inclined portion 4f (see Fig. 13(b)) formed on the support portion 4d, and instead has a first rack gear 4g. The first rack gear 4g as a rotational operating portion is provided so as to extend in the mounting direction of the supply container 1, and meshes with the second gear portion 40b of the pinion gear 40 described above.

[0071] FIG. 20 shows a refill container 1A of this embodiment in which the above-mentioned lift unit 30A, shutter 4A, and pinion gear 40 are combined. The pinion gear 40 provided in the discharge unit 700 rotates around the pinion gear holding unit 3g as the center of rotation. The rotation of the pinion gear 40 occurs when the lift unit 30A and the shutter 4A move relative to each other. That is, the flange unit 3A (more specifically, the lower flange unit 32) moves relative to the shutter 4A while rotating the pinion gear 40 via the second gear unit 40b on the first rack gear 4g of the shutter 4A, whose movement is restricted. Then, the rotation of the pinion gear 40 is transmitted to the second rack gear 30e meshed with the first gear unit 40a, and the lift unit 30A moves vertically via the second rack gear 30e. In other words, the rotational motion of the pinion gear 40 is converted into linear motion by the second rack gear 30e and transmitted to the lift unit 30A, thereby operating the lift unit 30A.

[0072] [Developer receiving section operation] The operation of connecting the developer receiving unit 11 to the supply container 1 by the lift unit 30A will be described with reference to Figures 21(a) and 21(b). Figure 21(a) shows the start of lifting of the lift unit 30A, and Figure 21(b) shows the completion of mounting of the supply container 1A. Note that in Figures 21(a) and 21(b), in order to make the description easier to understand, gears that are not actually visible because they overlap the lift unit 30A are illustrated to be visualized.

[0073] When the movement of the shutter 4A in the mounting direction (arrow A direction) is restricted and the supply container 1 is inserted to the back of the developer receiving device 8 (see FIG. 3(a)) in the mounting direction, the lift portion 30A moves relative to the shutter 4A in the mounting direction. In this case, as shown in FIG. 21(a), the pinion gear 40 is rotated by the first rack gear 4g of the shutter 4A via the second gear portion 40b in response to the mounting operation of the supply container 1. Then, the rotation is transmitted to the second rack gear 30e of the lift portion 30A via the first gear portion 40a. As a result, the lift portion 30A starts to move vertically upward. Then, since the supported portion 11b of the developer receiving portion 11 is supported from below in the vertical direction by the receiving support portion 30c of the lift portion 30A, the developer receiving portion 11 moves vertically upward. Next, when the supply container 1 is inserted further in the installation direction from the state shown in Figure 21(a), the lift portion 30A moves relative to the shutter 4A in the same manner as before, and the supply container 1 reaches the completed installation position, as shown in Figure 21(b).

[0074] As described above, in the second embodiment, in order to move the developer receiving portion 11, the lift portion 30 is operated via a gear in association with the mounting operation of the supply container 1, and the supported portion 11b of the developer receiving portion 11 is lifted vertically upward (toward the supply container) by the lift portion 30. This reduces the load applied to the movement of the developer receiving portion 11, thereby achieving the same effect as in the first embodiment, that is, the supply container can be smoothly mounted.

[0075] Furthermore, in the case of the second embodiment, the lift unit 30 is operated by utilizing the smooth rotation of the gears, which reduces the operability when attaching the refill container 1. Therefore, the operator can smoothly attach the refill container 1 with less force than in the past.

[0076] In the second embodiment described above, a rack and pinion gear is used to operate the lift unit 30 in association with the mounting operation of the supply container 1, but this is not limited to this. As long as a rotating body can be used to convert linear motion (reciprocating motion) in the mounting direction into rotational motion, and the rotational motion can be further converted into linear motion (reciprocating motion) in the vertical direction, other mechanisms such as a slider crank mechanism may be used.

[0077] <Third embodiment> In the first and second embodiments described above, a shutter is used to connect the developer receiving portion 11 to the supply container, but this is not limiting, and a shutter need not be used. A third embodiment that enables the developer receiving portion 11 to be connected to the supply container 1 without using a shutter will be described with reference to Figures 22(a) to 31(b). Note that in the third embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof will be omitted or simplified, and the following description will focus on the parts that are different from the first embodiment.

[0078] A supply container 1B of the third embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 22(a) and 22(b). The supply container 1B mainly includes a container body 2, a flange portion 3B, a shutter 4B, a pump portion 5, a reciprocating member 6, a cover 7, and a lift unit portion 300. The lift unit portion 300 includes a lift portion 30B and a lift operation arm portion 45, and the lift unit portion 300 is disposed in the supply container 1B such that the lift operation arm portion 45 protrudes from the cover 7 in the mounting direction (arrow A direction). The flange portion 3B includes an upper flange portion 31 and a lower flange portion 32B, and as shown in Figure 22(b), the upper flange portion 31 and the lower flange portion 32B are integrated with the shutter 4B inserted.

[0079] [Flange] The flange portion 3B will be described with reference to FIG. 23. As shown in FIG. 23, a restricting rib 3i is provided on both widthwise side walls of the lower flange portion 32B constituting the flange portion 3B, which holds the lift portion 30B (see FIG. 24(a)), restricts the moving direction of the lift portion 30B, and guides the lift portion 30B. In the present embodiment, the restricting rib 3i as a guide means extends so that the upstream side in the mounting direction (arrow A direction) of the supply container 1B is higher than the downstream side in order to hold the lift portion 30B slidably obliquely with respect to the vertical direction. The restricting rib 3i prevents the lift portion 30B from falling off by a snap fit (not shown). In addition, a holding member 3n is provided on both widthwise side walls of the lower flange portion 32B downstream of the restricting rib 3i in the mounting direction, which holds the lift operation arm portion 45 movably in the mounting / detaching direction. A through hole is formed in the holding member 3n through which the lift operation arm portion 45 can pass. Furthermore, the lower flange portion 32B is formed with a mounting groove 3k for mounting a part of the lifting arm portion 45 so as to be slidable in the attachment / detachment direction, and a fixing portion 3p for fixing one end of a biasing member 41 (see FIG. 24(a)) that biases the lifting arm portion 45 in the attachment direction. The lifting arm portion 45 mounted in the mounting groove 3k is prevented from falling off the supply container 1B by a cover 7A (see FIG. 27).

[0080] [Lift unit] The lift unit 300 will be described with reference to Figs. 24(a) to 25(b). As shown in Fig. 24(a), the lift unit 300 has a lift portion 30B, a lift operation arm portion 45 as a sliding operation portion, and a biasing member 41. As shown in Fig. 24(b), the lift portion 30B has a receiving support portion 30Ba capable of supporting the developer receiving portion 11 (specifically, the supported portion 11b), and a main body portion 30Bb in which an engagement hole 30Bd that engages with the regulating rib 3i of the lower flange portion 32B is formed. The engagement hole 30Bd as a holding portion is formed so that the upstream side in the mounting direction is higher than the downstream side, similar to the regulating rib 3i of the lower flange portion 32B, and engages with the regulating rib 3i to slidably hold the lift portion 30B. On the other hand, as shown in Fig. 24(c), the lift operation arm portion 45 is formed so that one end is bifurcated in the width direction. The pair of bifurcated arms 45b are passed through the through holes of the holding member 3n, and as shown in Fig. 24(a), their end faces come into contact with the contact surface 30Bc of the lift section 30B. In this embodiment, the lift action arm section 45 and the lift section 30B are formed to be slidable, but this is not limiting, and the lift action arm section 45 and the lift section 30B may be formed integrally. In this case, however, the lift action arm section 45 is formed to be elastically deformable so that the lift section 30B can move along the restricting rib 3i.

[0081] On the other hand, the arm 45a, which is not bifurcated, is partially placed in the mounting groove 3k, and is formed in a stepped shape having different diameters to form an abutment surface 45d that abuts against the cover 7A. The narrow side of the arm 45a is the part that protrudes from the mounting groove 3k and the cover 7A. The arm 45a is formed to a length such that the tip abuts against the developer receiving device 8 when the supply container 1 is attached. At the branching position of the arm 45a and the pair of arms 45b, an attachment part 45c for attaching the urging member 41 is provided. As shown in FIG. 24(d), the urging member 41 is, for example, a coil spring. Due to the urging force of the urging member 41, the lift operation arm part 45 is maintained in a state in which the abutment surface 45d abuts against the cover 7A when the supply container 1 is not attached to the developer receiving device 8.

[0082] When the supply container 1B is attached, a force in the attachment direction (arrow A direction) is applied to the lift action arm portion 45 by the urging force of the urging member 41 until the tip of the lift action arm portion 45 hits the developer receiving device 8. In this case, the lift portion 30B is not pushed in the direction opposite to the attachment direction (arrow B direction) by the lift action arm portion 45, so that the lift portion 30B is held at the upper end side of the engagement hole 30Bd by the restricting rib 3i of the lower flange portion 32B by its own weight, as shown in Fig. 25(a). Then, when the tip of the lift action arm portion 45 hits the developer receiving device 8, the lift action arm portion 45 and the supply container 1 excluding the lift action arm portion 45 move relatively, and a force in the direction opposite to the attachment direction is applied to the lift action arm portion 45 against the urging force of the urging member 41. As a result, the lift portion 30B is pushed in the direction opposite to the mounting direction by the lift operation arm portion 45, and is held at the lower end side of the engagement hole 30Bd by the restricting rib 3i of the lower flange portion 32B as shown in Fig. 25(b). That is, the lift portion 30B rises along the restricting rib 3i.

[0083] Figures 26(a) and 26(b) show the shutter 4B used in this embodiment. The shutter 4B differs from the shutter 4 (see Figure 13(b)) used in the above-mentioned first embodiment in that the shutter inclined portion 4f is not formed. Also, Figure 27 shows the cover 7A used in this embodiment. The cover 7A differs from the cover 7 (see Figure 11(a)) used in the above-mentioned first embodiment in that a hole 7c is formed through which the lift operation arm portion 45 (more specifically, downstream of the abutment surface 45d of the arm 45a in the mounting direction) passes.

[0084] [Developer receiving section operation] The operation of connecting the developer receiving portion 11 to the supply container 1B by the lift portion 30B will be described in chronological order of the mounting operation of the supply container 1B with reference to Figs. 28(a) to 31(b). Figs. 28(a) and 28(b) show the start of mounting the supply container 1B, Figs. 29(a) and 29(b) show the start of lifting the lift portion 30B, Figs. 30(a) and 30(b) show the lift portion 30B in the middle of rising, and Figs. 31(a) and 31(b) show the completion of mounting the supply container 1B. Note that the operation of separating the developer receiving portion 11 from the supply container 1B by the lift portion 30B in response to the removal operation of the supply container 1B will not be described here because it follows the opposite operation to the connection operation described below.

[0085] At the start of mounting the supply container 1B as shown in FIG. 28(a), the first stopper portion 4b of the shutter 4B and the first shutter stopper portion 8a of the developer receiving device 8 have not yet come into contact with each other. In this case, the lifting arm portion 45, the lifting portion 30B, and the shutter 4B move together in the supply container 1B without moving relative to each other. Also, since the lifting arm portion 45 does not abut against the developer receiving device 8, the lifting portion 30B is not pushed in the opposite direction (arrow B direction) to the mounting direction by the lifting arm portion 45. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 28(b), the lifting portion 30B is held by its own weight at the upper end side of the engagement hole 30Bd by the regulating rib 3i of the lower flange portion 32B. At this time, the lifting portion 30B is at the lowest position, and the receiving support portion 30Ba of the lifting portion 30B does not support the supported portion 11b of the developer receiving portion 11. As described above, the developer receiving portion 11 is biased in a direction away from the supply container 1B by the biasing member 12, so that the receiving opening 11a is in a state separated from the container discharge opening 3a4 of the supply container 1B. Note that the container discharge opening 3a4 is sealed by the developer sealing portion 4a of the shutter 4B.

[0086] When the supply container 1B is inserted from the state shown in FIG. 28(a) toward the back in the mounting direction, the first stopper portion 4b of the shutter 4B engages with the first shutter stopper portion 8a of the developer receiving device 8 as described above. This fixes the position of the shutter 4B relative to the developer receiving device 8, and stops the relative movement of the shutter 4B in the mounting direction (arrow A direction) with respect to the developer receiving portion 11. On the other hand, the relative movement of the supply container 1B, excluding the shutter 4B, in the mounting direction with respect to the developer receiving portion 11 is maintained. Then, as shown in FIG. 29(b), the tip of the lift operation arm portion 45 abuts against the developer receiving device 8, and the supported portion 11b of the developer receiving portion 11 engages with and is supported by the receiving support portion 30Ba of the lift portion 30B. When the tip of the lifting arm portion 45 hits the developer receiving device 8, the lifting arm portion 45 starts to push the lift portion 30B in the direction opposite to the mounting direction (the direction of the arrow B). In this case, the shutter opening 4j reaches a position vertically above the receiving opening 11a of the developer receiving portion 11 while the container discharge opening 3a4 remains sealed by the developer sealing portion 4a of the shutter 4B. However, when the lifting arm portion 45 starts to hit, the developer receiving portion 11 has not been displaced from the initial position, and the receiving opening 11a remains separated from the container discharge opening 3a4 (shutter opening 4j).

[0087] Next, when the supply container 1B is further inserted from the state shown in FIG. 29(a) toward the back in the mounting direction, the supply container 1B moves relative to the shutter 4B in the mounting direction as shown in FIG. 30(a). However, the lift portion 30B is pushed back by the lift action arm portion 45 in the direction opposite to the mounting direction (the direction of the arrow B) in response to the mounting operation of the supply container 1B. As the lift portion 30B is pushed back by the lift action arm portion 45, the abutment surface 30Bc (see FIG. 24(b)) is slid by the lift action arm portion 45, and the lift portion 30B is moved upward along the restricting rib 3i as shown in FIG. 30(b). As a result, the lift portion 30B is moved substantially upward in the vertical direction. Then, since the supported portion 11b of the developer receiving portion 11 is supported by the receiving support portion 30Ba of the lift portion 30, the developer receiving portion 11 starts to move upward in the vertical direction against the biasing force of the biasing member 12. However, the receiving opening 11a is still separated from the container discharge opening 3a4 of the replenishing container 1B.

[0088] If the supply container 1B is further inserted from the state shown in FIG. 30(a) to the back in the mounting direction, the supply container 1B moves relative to the shutter 4B in the mounting direction in the same manner as before, and the supply container 1B reaches the mounting completion position, as shown in FIG. 31(a). In this case, the lift portion 30B is further pushed back in the direction opposite to the mounting direction by the lift operation arm portion 45, and as shown in FIG. 31(b), the lift portion 30B is held at the lower end side of the engagement hole 30Bd by the regulating rib 3i, and the vertical upward movement of the lift portion 30B is stopped. Then, the developer receiving portion 11, whose supported portion 11b is supported by the lift portion 30B, is in a state in which the receiving port 11a is connected to the container discharge port 3a4 of the supply container 1B. In this way, the developer is ready to be replenished. 31(b), the positional relationship between container discharge opening 3a4 and lift unit 30B is such that plane L (a plane perpendicular to rotation axis P) passing through container discharge opening 3a4 passes through lift unit 30B. In addition, a plane including receiving support unit 30Ba of lift unit 30B is located between rotation axis P and container discharge opening 3a4.

[0089] As described above, in the third embodiment, in order to move the developer receiving portion 11, the supported portion 11b of the developer receiving portion 11 is lifted vertically upward (toward the supply container) by the lift portion 30B which is operated by the lift operation arm portion 45 in association with the mounting operation of the supply container 1. This also reduces the load applied to the movement of the developer receiving portion 11, thereby achieving the same effect as in the first embodiment, that is, the smooth mounting of the supply container can be realized.

[0090] <Fourth embodiment> Next, a fourth embodiment will be described. The fourth embodiment is different from the third embodiment described above, in that it is possible to connect the developer receiving portion 11 to a supply container without using a shutter. In the fourth embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment described above are given the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof will be omitted or simplified. The following description will focus on the parts that differ from the first embodiment. In addition, here, a case where the above-mentioned shutter 4B (see FIG. 26(a)) is used as the shutter, for example, is shown.

[0091] The developer receiving device 8A of this embodiment is shown in Figures 32(a) and 32(b). In the developer receiving device 8A of this embodiment, a retracting member 50 is rotatably provided on the downstream side in the mounting direction opposite the mounting portion 8f across the developer receiving portion 11. The retracting member 50 retracts and holds the supply container 1C to a predetermined mounting completion position in the mounting direction by rotating while engaging the supply container 1C in association with the mounting operation of the supply container 1C.

[0092] FIG. 33 shows the retraction member 50. The retraction member 50 has a lift holding portion 50a, a rotating shaft portion 50b, a main body portion 50c, and a fixing portion 50d. The lift holding portion 50a is provided so as to protrude from the main body portion 50c to the upstream side in the mounting direction (arrow A direction), and the tip portion is formed in a claw shape to lock the supply container 1C. The retraction member 50 rotates around the rotating shaft portion 50b. In this embodiment, the rotating shaft portion 50b is provided at the bent portion of the lift holding portion 50a, so that the tip portion of the lift holding portion 50a rotates in the opposite direction to the main body portion 50c in response to the rotation of the main body portion 50c. The fixing portion 50d is provided on the main body portion 50c so as to fix one end of a retraction biasing member 51 (e.g., a coil spring, see FIG. 37(a)) described later, which is provided to obtain a force to retract the supply container 1C in the mounting direction by rotating the retraction member 50. As described later, when the refill container 1C is attached, the pulling member 50 is pushed in the attachment direction via the cover 7, and in response thereto, the biasing force of the biasing member 51 rotates so as to lift the tip of the lift holding portion 50a.

[0093] A supply container 1C of the fourth embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 34. The supply container 1C mainly comprises a container body 2, a flange portion 3C, a shutter 4B, a pump portion 5, a reciprocating member 6, a cover 7, and a lift portion 30C. The flange portion 3C is composed of an upper flange portion 31 and a lower flange portion 32C, and the upper flange portion 31 and the lower flange portion 32C are integrated with the shutter 4B inserted therein.

[0094] [Flange and lift section] The flange portion 3C and the lift portion 30C will be described with reference to Figs. 35(a) to 36(b). Figs. 35(a) and 35(b) show the state where the mounting of the supply container 1C is completed. In the flange portion 3C of this embodiment, the lift portion 30C is provided rotatably on the upper surface side of the lower flange portion 32C. The lift portion 30C is attached to the lower flange portion 32C so that it can move up and down on the downstream side of the mounting direction (arrow A direction) starting from the upstream side (opposite the retracting member 50 of the developer receiving device 8A) of the mounting direction (arrow A direction) of the lower flange portion 32C. Specifically, the lower flange portion 32C is formed with a fitting portion 32Ca that fits the rotation shaft 30Cb of the lift portion 30C to rotatably support the lift portion 30C.

[0095] As shown in Fig. 36(a), the lifting section 30C has a pair of main body arms 30C1 extending in the mounting direction and a connecting section 30C2 connecting the main body arms 30C1. In this embodiment, since the lifting section 30C is provided on the upper surface side of the lower flange section 32C, the pair of main body arms 30C1 are arranged opposite each other with a gap in the width direction so that the container discharge port 3a4 of the supply container 1C is not blocked by the lifting section 30C. The width direction length of the connecting section 30C2 is set so that this happens.

[0096] The main body arm 30C1 has a pivot shaft 30Cb formed on the tip end side on the upstream side in the mounting direction (opposite the connecting part 30C2) so as to protrude from one side to the other. The main body arm 30C1 also has a locked part 30Ca formed on the tip end side on the downstream side in the mounting direction (the same side as the connecting part 30C2) so as to protrude in the direction opposite to the pivot shaft 30Cb as a pivoting part. The locked part 30Ca is locked to the retracting member 50 (more specifically, the lift holding part 50a), as will be described later in detail, and rotates around the pivot shaft 30Cb as the retracting operation of the retracting member 50 operates the receiving support part 30Cc.

[0097] Furthermore, the receiving support part 30Cc is formed on the main body arm 30C1 so as to protrude toward the opposite side of the rotating shaft 30Cb and extend in the mounting direction. The receiving support part 30Cc is disposed between the locked part 30Ca and the rotating shaft 30Cb in the mounting direction of the main body arm 30C1. In other words, the length from the rotating shaft 30Cb to the locked part 30Ca is set longer than the length from the rotating shaft 30Cb to the receiving support part 30Cc in the mounting direction of the main body arm 30C1. In this case, the fulcrum is the rotating shaft 30Cb, the force point is the receiving support part 30Cc, and the action point is the locked part 30Ca, and the distance from the fulcrum to the force point can be longer than the distance from the fulcrum to the action point due to the moment relationship. This can reduce the force required to move the developer receiving part 11 vertically upward.

[0098] The receiving support portion 30Cc can support the supported portion 11b (see FIG. 32(a)) of the developer receiving portion 11 from below in the vertical direction. As shown in FIG. 36(b), the receiving support portion 30Cc is formed at an incline with respect to the main body arm 30C1 so that its upper surface is lower on the downstream side in the mounting direction than on the upstream side. However, the inclination angle of the receiving support portion 30Cc with respect to the mounting direction of the supply container 1C is set so that the receiving support portion 30Cc is in a substantially horizontal state when the mounting of the supply container 1C is completed.

[0099] [Developer receiving section operation] The operation of connecting the developer receiving portion 11 to the supply container 1C by the lift portion 30C will be described in chronological order of the mounting operation of the supply container 1C with reference to Figs. 37(a) to 40(b). Figs. 37(a) and 37(b) show the start of mounting the supply container 1C, Figs. 38(a) and 38(b) show the start of rotation of the lift portion 30C, Figs. 39(a) and 39(b) show the middle of rotation of the lift portion 30C, and Figs. 40(a) and 40(b) show the completion of mounting of the supply container 1C. Note that the operation of separating the developer receiving portion 11 from the supply container 1C by the lift portion 30C in response to the removal operation of the supply container 1C will not be described here because it follows the opposite operation to the connection operation described below.

[0100] At the start of mounting the supply container 1C as shown in FIG. 37(a), the first stopper portion 4b of the shutter 4B and the first shutter stopper portion 8a of the developer receiving device 8 have not yet come into contact with each other. In this case, the lift portion 30C and the shutter 4B move together in the supply container 1C without moving relative to each other. The pull-in member 50 biased by the pull-in biasing member 51 has not yet started to rotate, and the lift portion 30C has not yet been lifted by the pull-in member 50. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 37(b), the lift portion 30C is moved in the mounting direction while being maintained in a substantially horizontal state by its own weight. At this time, the lift portion 30C (more specifically, the receiving support portion 30Cc) is at the lowest position, and the receiving support portion 30Cc of the lift portion 30C does not support the supported portion 11b of the developer receiving portion 11. As described above, the developer receiving portion 11 is biased in a direction away from the supply container 1C by the biasing member 12, so that the receiving opening 11a is separated from the container discharge opening 3a4 of the supply container 1C. Note that the container discharge opening 3a4 is sealed by the developer sealing portion 4a of the shutter 4B.

[0101] When the supply container 1C is inserted further in the mounting direction from the state shown in FIG. 37(a), the relative movement of the shutter 4B in the mounting direction (arrow A direction) with respect to the developer receiving portion 11 is stopped, as in the third embodiment described above. Then, in the case of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 38(a), the cover 7 starts to abut against the main body portion 50c of the pull-in member 50. After this, as the supply container 1C is further inserted further in the mounting direction, the pull-in member 50 starts to pull the supply container 1C in the mounting direction. In addition, in the case of this embodiment, the pull-in member 50 is pushed in the mounting direction via the cover 7, and can rotate so as to raise the tip of the lift holding portion 50a according to the biasing force of the pull-in biasing member 51. At this time, the tip of the lift holding portion 50a of the pull-in member 50 reaches a position vertically below the locked portion 30Ca of the lift portion 30C, as shown in FIG. 38(b). Furthermore, the supported portion 11b of the developer receiving portion 11 starts to be supported from below in the vertical direction by the receiving support portion 30Cc of the lift portion 30C. In this case, the shutter opening 4j reaches above the receiving opening 11a of the developer receiving portion 11 in the vertical direction while the container discharge opening 3a4 is maintained in a sealed state by the developer sealing portion 4a of the shutter 4B. However, as shown in FIG. 38(a), since the lift portion 30C is maintained in a substantially horizontal state, the developer receiving portion 11 is not displaced from the initial position, and the receiving opening 11a is separated from the container discharge opening 3a4 of the supply container 1C.

[0102] Next, when the supply container 1C is further inserted from the state shown in FIG. 38(a) in the mounting direction, the supply container 1C moves relative to the shutter 4B in the mounting direction as shown in FIG. 39(a). The pull-in member 50 is pushed in the mounting direction by the supply container 1C via the cover 7 and rotates, thereby engaging the locked portion 30Ca of the lift portion 30C and lifting the lift portion 30C as shown in FIG. 39(b). As a result, the receiving support portion 30Cc of the lift portion 30C is moved substantially upward in the vertical direction. Then, since the supported portion 11b of the developer receiving portion 11 is supported by the receiving support portion 30Cc of the lift portion 30C, the developer receiving portion 11 starts to move upward in the vertical direction against the biasing force of the biasing member 12. However, as shown in FIG. 39(a), the receiving opening 11a is still separated from the container discharge opening 3a4 of the supply container 1C.

[0103] When the supply container 1C is further inserted from the state shown in FIG. 39(a) to the back in the mounting direction, as shown in FIG. 40(a), the supply container 1C moves relative to the shutter 4B in the mounting direction in the same manner as before, and the supply container 1C reaches the mounting completion position. In this case, the lift portion 30C is stopped from rotating by the retracting member 50 with the receiving support portion 30Cc raised to the maximum height position as shown in FIG. 40(b). Then, the developer receiving portion 11, whose supported portion 11b is supported by the receiving support portion 30Cc, is in a state in which the receiving opening 11a is connected to the container discharge opening 3a4 of the supply container 1C. In this way, the developer can be replenished. At this time, as shown in FIG. 40(a), the positional relationship between the container discharge opening 3a4 and the lift portion 30C is such that the plane L (plane perpendicular to the rotation axis P) passing through the container discharge opening 3a4 passes through the lift portion 30C. Further, a plane including the receiving support portion 30Cc (see FIG. 36(b)) of the lift portion 30C is disposed between the rotation axis P and the container discharging opening 3a4.

[0104] As described above, in the fourth embodiment, in order to move the developer receiving portion 11, the operation of the lift portion 30C accompanying the mounting operation of the supply container 1C is performed by the pull-in member 50, and the supported portion 11b of the developer receiving portion 11 is lifted vertically upward (toward the supply container). In the case of this embodiment, the pull-in member 50 not only pulls the supply container 1C in the mounting direction by the biasing force of the pull-in biasing member 51, but also rotates the lift portion 30C. According to this, when the lift portion 30C moves the developer receiving portion 11 vertically upward, the biasing force of the pull-in biasing member 51 is involved, so less force is required compared to the conventional example described above. In other words, the load applied to the movement of the developer receiving portion 11 is reduced, thereby realizing smooth mounting of the supply container.

[0105] In the above-described fourth embodiment, the lift portion 30C is rotated by using the retracting member 50, but the lift portion 30C may be rotated without using the retracting member 50. That is, the end face of the connecting portion 30C2 of the lift portion 30C may be abutted against the wall surface on the rear side in the mounting direction of the developer receiving device 8A, and the lift portion 30C may be slid against the wall surface of the developer receiving device 8A to rotate the lift portion 30C around the rotation shaft 30Cb.

[0106] <Fifth embodiment> Next, a fifth embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 41 to 45(b). The fifth embodiment is an embodiment different from the third and fourth embodiments described above, in which the developer receiving portion 11 can be connected to a supply container without using a shutter. In the fifth embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof will be omitted or simplified. The following description will focus on the parts that are different from the first embodiment.

[0107] [Lift section] As shown in FIG. 41, the supply container 1D of the fifth embodiment mainly includes a container body 2, a flange portion 3D, a shutter 4D, a pump portion 5, a reciprocating member 6, a lift portion 30D, a cover (not shown), a regulating member 60, and a biasing member 61 as a biasing means. The flange portion 3D is composed of an upper flange portion 31 and a lower flange portion 32D, and the upper flange portion 31 and the lower flange portion 32D are integrated with each other in a state in which the shutter 4D is inserted. The lift portion 30D is attached to the lower flange portion 32D of this embodiment. The lift portion 30D moves integrally with the lower flange portion 32D in the attachment / detachment direction (arrows A and B direction). Meanwhile, the lift portion 30D is attached to the lower flange portion 32D by a biasing member 61 (e.g., a coil spring) so as to be movable in the vertical direction. One end of the urging member 61 is fixed to the lower flange portion 32D, and the other end is fixed to the lift portion 30D, and urges the lift portion 30D vertically upward, that is, in the direction in which the receiving opening 11a of the developer receiving portion 11 communicates with the container discharge opening 3a4. In this embodiment, the lift portion 30D has, on its upper surface, a receiving support portion 30Da that can support the supported portion 11b (see FIG. 4(c)) of the developer receiving portion 11 from below in the vertical direction.

[0108] [Regulation material] The regulating members 60 are attached to both ends of the lower flange portion 32D in the width direction so as to be slidable in the attachment / detachment direction (arrows A and B direction) so as to be movable relative to the lower flange portion 32D. The regulating members 60 are arranged on the lower flange portion 32D so as to be able to press the lift portion 30D from above in the vertical direction against the biasing force of the biasing member 61. While the lift portion 30D is pressed by the regulating member 60, the biasing member 61 is in a compressed state. As described later in this embodiment, the lower flange portion 32D moves relative to the regulating member 60 in response to the mounting operation of the supply container 1D, and at that time, the lift portion 30D is moved in the mounting direction while its upper surface (receiving support portion 30Da) is slid by the regulating member 60. Then, when the pressing state of the lift portion 30D by the regulating member 60 is released, the lift portion 30D is moved vertically upward by the biasing force of the biasing member 61. As will be described in more detail later, in order to move the regulating member 60 and the lift portion 30D relative to each other, the regulating member 60 is formed with an abutment portion 60a that abuts against the developer receiving portion 11 (more specifically, the movement regulating portion 11c (see Figure 42(a))) when the supply container 1D is attached.

[0109] [Shutter] The shutter 4D of this embodiment is also provided so as to be movable relative to the flange portion 3D. However, unlike the shutters shown in the first to fourth embodiments, the shutter 4D of this embodiment is fixed in position relative to the developer receiving device by the developer receiving portion 11. As will be described later, the movement of the shutter 4D of this embodiment in the mounting direction is restricted by the developer receiving portion 11. To achieve this, a stopper portion 4Db is formed on the shutter 4D, and a movement restriction portion 11c (see FIG. 42(a)) is formed on the developer receiving portion 11. During the mounting operation of the supply container 1, the stopper portion 4Db of the shutter 4D abuts against the movement restriction portion 11c of the developer receiving portion 11, thereby restricting the movement of the shutter 4D and fixing the position relative to the developer receiving device.

[0110] [Developer receiving section operation] The operation of connecting the developer receiver 11 to the supply container 1D by the lift portion 30D will be described in chronological order of the mounting operation of the supply container 1D with reference to Figures 42(a) to 45(b). Figures 42(a) and 42(b) show the start of mounting the supply container 1D, Figures 43(a) and 43(b) show the start of lifting the lift portion 30D, Figures 44(a) and 44(b) show the lift portion 30D in the middle of rising, and Figures 45(a) and 45(b) show the completion of mounting the supply container 1D.

[0111] At the start of mounting the supply container 1D as shown in FIG. 42(a), the stopper portion 4Db of the shutter 4D and the movement regulating portion 11c of the developer receiving portion 11 have not yet come into contact with each other. In the case of this embodiment, in the developer receiving portion 11, an L-shaped arm portion extends from the approximate center of the approximately cylindrical base portion 11d having the receiving port 11a in an approximately L-shape, and has a supported portion 11b at the tip side in the vertical direction upward, forming the movement regulating portion 11c. When the stopper portion 4Db and the movement regulating portion 11c are not in contact with each other, the lift portion 30D and the shutter 4D move together in the supply container 1D without moving relative to each other. In addition, the lift portion 30D moves together with the regulating member 60 without moving relative to each other, while part of the lift portion 30D remains overlapping with the regulating member 60 when viewed from the vertical direction, that is, while being pressed by the regulating member 60. At this time, the lift portion 30D is at the lowest position, and the lift portion 30D does not support the supported portion 11b of the developer receiving portion 11. As described above, the developer receiving portion 11 is biased by the biasing member 12 in a direction away from the supply container 1D, so that the receiving opening 11a is separated from the container discharge opening 3a4 of the supply container 1D. The container discharge opening 3a4 is sealed by the developer sealing portion 4a of the shutter 4D.

[0112] When the supply container 1D is inserted further in the mounting direction (arrow A direction) from the state shown in FIG. 42(a), the stopper portion 4Db of the shutter 4D comes into contact with the movement regulating portion 11c of the developer receiving portion 11 as shown in FIG. 43(a) and FIG. 43(b). However, the contact portion 60a of the regulating member 60 does not come into contact with the movement regulating portion 11c of the developer receiving portion 11 yet. That is, the contact portion 60a of the regulating member 60 comes into contact with the movement regulating portion 11c of the developer receiving portion 11 later than the stopper portion 4Db of the shutter 4D. After this, as the supply container 1D is further inserted further in the mounting direction, the relative movement of the shutter 4D with respect to the developer receiving portion 11 in the mounting direction is stopped, but the relative movement of the regulating member 60 with respect to the developer receiving portion 11 in the mounting direction is not stopped. 43(b), the lift portion 30D reaches a position vertically below the supported portion 11b of the developer receiving portion 11, and the lift portion 30D starts supporting the supported portion 11b of the developer receiving portion 11 from vertically below. In this case, the shutter opening 4j reaches a position vertically above the receiving opening 11a of the developer receiving portion 11 while the container discharge opening 3a4 is maintained in a sealed state by the developer sealing portion 4a of the shutter 4D. However, since the lift portion 30D is maintained in a pressed state by the regulating member 60, the developer receiving portion 11 is not displaced from the initial position, and the receiving opening 11a is separated from the container discharge opening 3a4 of the supply container 1.

[0113] Next, when the supply container 1D is further inserted from the state shown in FIG. 43(a) toward the back in the mounting direction, the abutting portion 60a of the regulating member 60 and the movement regulating portion 11c of the developer receiving portion 11 come into contact with each other as shown in FIG. 44(a) and FIG. 44(b). After this, as the supply container 1D is further inserted toward the back in the mounting direction, the relative movement of the regulating member 60 in the mounting direction with respect to the developer receiving portion 11 is stopped, while the movement of the lift portion 30D in the mounting direction with respect to the developer receiving portion 11 is continued. That is, the lift portion 30D moves relative to the regulating member 60 while supporting the supported portion 11b of the developer receiving portion 11. Then, the pressing state of the lift portion 30D by the regulating member 60 is released (that is, the regulating member 60 and the lift portion 30D do not overlap when viewed from the vertical direction), and the lift portion 30D can move vertically upward due to the biasing force of the biasing member 61. Since the supported portion 11b of the developer receiving portion 11 is supported by the lift portion 30D, the developer receiving portion 11 begins to move vertically upward against the biasing force of the biasing member 12 as the lift portion 30D moves vertically upward.

[0114] 45(a) and 45(b) show the state when the mounting of the supply container 1D is completed. As described above, the lift portion 30D, which is released from the pressing state by the regulating member 60, moves vertically upward. Accordingly, the developer receiving portion 11, whose supported portion 11b is supported by the lift portion 30D, is in a state in which the receiving opening 11a is connected to the container discharge opening 3a4 of the supply container 1, that is, in a state in which the developer can be replenished. Note that in this embodiment, the vertical upward movement of the lift portion 30D caused by the biasing member 61 when the mounting of the supply container 1D is completed is regulated by the regulating member 60.

[0115] As described above, in the fifth embodiment as well, the lift portion 30D is operated to move the developer receiving portion 11, thereby reducing the load applied to the movement of the developer receiving portion 11, thereby achieving the effect of enabling smooth installation of the supply container.

[0116] In addition, in the case of this embodiment, the sealing performance between the receiving opening 11a and the container discharge opening 3a4 can be improved by the biasing force of the biasing member 61. Furthermore, when the receiving opening 11a is connected to the container discharge opening 3a4, the receiving opening 11a applies a certain amount of impact to the container discharge opening 3a4 by the biasing force of the biasing member 61, which has the effect of loosening the developer near the container discharge opening 3a4.

[0117] Sixth Embodiment In the above-mentioned fifth embodiment, the lift portion 30D is pressed by the regulating member 60 that moves independently of the shutter 4D, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the regulating member 60 may be moved together with the shutter to operate the lift portion 30D. Such a sixth embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 46(b) to 52(b). In the sixth embodiment, the same components as those in the above-mentioned fifth embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted or simplified, and the following description will focus on the parts that are different from the fifth embodiment.

[0118] A refill container 1E of the sixth embodiment is shown in Figures 46(a) and 46(b). In the refill container 1E of this embodiment, a part of a regulating member 60E (see Figure 48) described later is provided so as to protrude in the width direction from the cover 7E. The regulating member 60E is attached so as to be slidable in the attachment / detachment direction (arrows A and B direction) so as to be movable relative to the lower flange portion, and thus through holes 7Ea for passing a part of the regulating member 60E are formed in both side walls in the width direction of the cover 7E along the attachment direction.

[0119] As shown in FIG. 47, the developer receiving device 8E has a regulating portion 8Ea that regulates the movement of the regulating member 60E in the mounting direction (arrow A direction) during the mounting operation of the supply container 1E, formed upstream of the developer receiving portion 11 in the mounting direction. The regulating member 60E abuts against the regulating portion 8Ea to regulate the movement in the mounting direction, and the position of the regulating member 60E relative to the developer receiving device 8E is fixed. In this way, the position of the regulating member 60E is held relative to the developer receiving device 8E, and the movement of the regulating member 60E in the mounting direction relative to the developer receiving portion 11 is stopped, but the movement of the supply container 1E, excluding the regulating member 60E, in the mounting direction relative to the developer receiving portion 11 is maintained. In this embodiment, as described later (see FIG. 48), since the regulating member 60E is attached to the shutter 4E, when the movement of the regulating member 60E is regulated by the regulating portion 8Ea, the position of the shutter 4E relative to the developer receiving device 8E is fixed. In other words, the regulating member 60E regulates the relative movement of the shutter 4E with respect to the developer receiving device 8E.

[0120] [Regulation material] Figure 48 shows the regulating member 60E and the shutter 4E. As shown in Figure 48, the shutter 4E is provided with a shutter opening 4j for discharging the developer, and a developer sealing portion 4a at a position away from the shutter opening 4j of the shutter 4. In addition, in the case of this embodiment, a fixing hole 4Ea for fixing the regulating member 60E is formed so that the shutter 4E can be moved integrally with the regulating member 60E.

[0121] The regulating member 60E has a pair of lifting arm portions 60Eb extending in the mounting direction and a connecting portion 60Ec connecting the lifting arm portions 60Eb. In this embodiment, in order to integrally form the regulating member 60E and the shutter 4E, the connecting portion 60Ec is formed with a fixing portion 60Ed that is fixed to the fixing hole 4Ea of the shutter 4E. In addition, the pair of lifting arm portions 60Eb are arranged opposite each other with a gap in the width direction so that the shutter opening 4j of the shutter 4E is not blocked by the regulating member 60E. The width direction length of the connecting portion 60Ec is set so that this is the case.

[0122] The lifting arm 60Eb has a stopper 60Ea formed on the tip end of the upstream side in the mounting direction (opposite the connecting portion 60Ec). The stopper 60Ea protrudes from the through hole 7Ea (see FIG. 46(b)) of the cover 7E and is formed to protrude in opposite directions in the width direction so as to abut against the regulating portion 8Ea (see FIG. 47) of the developer receiving device 8E during the mounting operation of the supply container 1E. The lifting arm 60Eb is formed in the illustrated shape having a pressing portion 601 that causes the lift portion 30D to be in a pressed state and a releasing portion 602 that releases the pressed state of the lift portion 30D. As shown in FIG. 48, the pressing portion 601 is provided upstream of the releasing portion 602 in the mounting direction, and its widthwise length is formed longer than the releasing portion 602. In other words, the releasing portion 602 is a recess formed between the pressing portion 601 and the connecting portion 60Ec in the mounting direction.

[0123] [Developer receiving section operation] The operation of connecting the developer receiver 11 to the supply container 1E by the lift portion 30D will be described in chronological order of the mounting operation of the supply container 1E with reference to Figs. 49(a) to 52(b). Figs. 49(a) and 49(b) show the start of mounting the supply container 1E, Figs. 50(a) and 50(b) show the lift portion 30D moving, Figs. 51(a) and 51(b) show the start of lifting the lift portion 30D, and Figs. 52(a) and 52(b) show the completion of mounting the supply container 1E. Note that the operation of separating the developer receiver 11 from the supply container 1E by the lift portion 30D in response to the removal operation of the supply container 1E will not be described here because it follows the opposite operation to the connection operation described below.

[0124] At the start of mounting the supply container 1E as shown in FIG. 49(a), the stopper portion 60Ea of the regulating member 60E and the regulating portion 8Ea of the developer receiving device 8E have not yet come into contact with each other. In this case, in the supply container 1E, the lift portion 30D moves integrally with the regulating member 60E while overlapping with the pressing portion 601 of the regulating member 60E when viewed from the vertical direction, that is, while being pressed by the regulating member 60E. At this time, the lift portion 30D is at the lowest position, and the lift portion 30D does not support the supported portion 11b of the developer receiving portion 11. As described above, the developer receiving portion 11 is biased by the biasing member 12 in a direction away from the supply container 1E, so that the receiving opening 11a is separated from the container discharge opening 3a4 of the supply container 1E. The container discharge opening 3a4 is sealed by the developer sealing portion 4a of the shutter 4E.

[0125] When the supply container 1E is inserted further in the mounting direction (arrow A direction) from the state shown in FIG. 49(a), the stopper portion 60Ea of the regulating member 60E comes into contact with the regulating portion 8Ea of the developer receiving device 8E, as shown in FIG. 50(a) and FIG. 50(b). After this, the relative movement of the regulating member 60E and the shutter 4E in the mounting direction with respect to the developer receiving portion 11 is stopped in response to the supply container 1E being further inserted in the mounting direction. On the other hand, in the supply container 1E, the lift portion 30D moves relative to the regulating member 60E in the mounting direction. In this case, the shutter opening 4j reaches a position vertically above the receiving port 11a of the developer receiving portion 11 while the container discharge port 3a4 is kept sealed by the developer sealing portion 4a of the shutter 4E. However, the lift portion 30D is overlapped with the pressing portion 601 of the regulating member 60E when viewed from the vertical direction. In other words, since the lift portion 30D remains pressed by the regulating member 60E, the developer receiving portion 11 has not been displaced from its initial position, and the receiving opening 11a is spaced apart from the container discharge opening 3a4 of the supply container 1.

[0126] Next, when the supply container 1E is further inserted from the state shown in FIG. 50(a) toward the back in the mounting direction, the lift portion 30D, which moves relatively, reaches the release portion 602 of the regulating member 60E, as shown in FIG. 51(a) and FIG. 51(b). Then, the state in which the lift portion 30D is pressed by the regulating member 60E is released, and the lift portion 30D can move vertically upward by the biasing force of the biasing member 61. At this time, the lift portion 30D reaches a position vertically below the supported portion 11b of the developer receiving portion 11, and the supported portion 11b of the developer receiving portion 11 starts to be supported from below in the vertical direction by the lift portion 30D. As a result, the developer receiving portion 11 starts to move vertically upward against the biasing force of the biasing member 12 as the lift portion 30D moves vertically upward.

[0127] 52(a) and 52(b) show the state when the mounting of the supply container 1E is completed. As described above, the lift portion 30D, which is released from the pressing state by the regulating member 60E, moves vertically upward in accordance with the biasing force of the biasing member 61. Accordingly, the developer receiving portion 11, whose supported portion 11b is supported by the lift portion 30D, is in a state in which the receiving opening 11a is connected to the container discharge opening 3a4 of the supply container 1, that is, in a state in which the developer can be replenished.

[0128] As described above, in the sixth embodiment as well, the lift portion 30D is operated to move the developer receiving portion 11, thereby reducing the load applied to the movement of the developer receiving portion 11, thereby achieving the effect of enabling smooth installation of the supply container.

[0129] Seventh Embodiment In the above-mentioned first to sixth embodiments, the lift part is operated by utilizing the force applied by the operator when the supply container is mounted on the developer receiving device 8, and the operation of connecting the developer receiving device to the supply container by the lift part is realized, but the method of operating the lift part is not limited to this. For example, the lift part may be operated by the driving force of a motor or the magnetic force of a magnet. Therefore, a seventh embodiment in which the lift part is operated by a motor will be described with reference to Figs. 53(a) to 55. In the seventh embodiment, the same components as those in the above-mentioned first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description will be omitted or simplified, and the following description will focus on the parts different from the first embodiment. In addition, the case where the above-mentioned shutter 4B (see Fig. 26(a)) is used as the shutter is shown here. Furthermore, in Figs. 53(a) and 53(b), for convenience of illustration, part of the developer receiving device is omitted.

[0130] [Supply container] As shown in Fig. 53(a) and Fig. 53(b), the supply container 1F of the seventh embodiment mainly includes a container body 2, a flange portion 3F, a shutter 4B, a pump portion 5, a reciprocating member 6, a cover 7F, a lift portion 30F, and a lift mechanism K. The supply container 1F is detachably mounted to a developer receiving device 8, some of which are not shown, and when the supply container 1 is mounted, the receiving port 11a of the developer receiving portion 11 is connected to the container discharge port 3a4 of the supply container 1 (see Fig. 5(b)). The developer receiving portion 11 is mounted so as to be movable in a direction (vertical direction) in which the receiving port 11a moves toward and away from the container discharge port 3a4. A sub-hopper 8C for temporarily storing the developer supplied from the supply container 1 is provided below the developer receiving device 8 in the vertical direction. A conveying screw 14 for conveying the developer is provided in the sub-hopper 8c. The cover 7F is formed with a hole 7Fa through which a protrusion (not shown) formed on the developer receiving device 8 passes. The lifting mechanism K serving as a driving means is disposed downstream of the upper flange portion 31 in the mounting direction (arrow A direction), and is covered by the cover 7F together with the flange portion 3F, the pump portion 5, the reciprocating member 6, etc.

[0131] [Lifting mechanism] The lifting mechanism K will be described with reference to Fig. 54(a) to Fig. 55. Fig. 54(a) shows the lift unit 30F before it is moved by the lifting mechanism K, and Fig. 54(b) shows the lift unit 30F after it is moved by the lifting mechanism K. Fig. 55 also shows an enlarged view of the vicinity of the second switch 83 of the lifting mechanism K.

[0132] As shown in FIG. 54(a) and FIG. 54(b), the lifting mechanism K is composed of a driving motor 80, a power source 81, a first switch 82, a second switch 83, a motor gear 84, a driving gear 85, and a lifting gear 86. In this embodiment, the driving motor 80, the power source 81, the first switch 82, and the second switch 83 are connected in series by electric wires such as enamel wires. The driving motor 80 is held by a motor holding part Ka having a substantially L-shape and standing upright from the lower flange part 32F. In addition to the driving motor 80, the motor holding part Ka holds a power source 81 for supplying power to drive the driving motor 80, a first switch 82 for starting the driving of the driving motor 80, and a second switch 83 for stopping the driving of the driving motor 80. The second switch 83 is formed of two elastically deformable conductive metal plates arranged opposite to each other, and the two metal plates are provided so as to be displaceable between a position where they are in contact with each other and a position where they are spaced apart from each other. The motor gear 84 is attached to the motor shaft of the drive motor 80, and rotates in accordance with the rotation of the drive motor 80. The drive gear 85 is meshed with the motor gear 84, and rotates with the rotation of the motor gear 84. A cylindrical lift gear 86 having a spiral groove around the rotation shaft is provided on the drive gear 85 and extends vertically upward, and the lift gear 86 rotates together with the drive gear 85 in the direction of arrow V. That is, the rotational force of the drive motor 80 is transmitted to the lift gear 86 via the motor gear 84 and the drive gear 85.

[0133] In this embodiment, when the first switch 82 is pressed while the metal plates of the second switch 83 are in contact with each other, the drive motor 80 starts to rotate as a result of power being supplied from the power source 81 and current being started. After the drive motor 80 starts to rotate as a result of power being supplied from the power source 81 being displaced to a position where the metal plates of the second switch 83 are separated, the power supply from the power source 81 is stopped and the drive motor stops rotating.

[0134] [Lift section] The lift portion 30F will be described. The lift portion 30F has a receiving support portion 30Fa, a rotation restricting protrusion portion 30Fb, a release protrusion portion 30Fc, and a gear fitting hole 30Fd. The receiving support portion 30Fa is formed on both widthwise ends of the lift portion 30F so as to protrude in the widthwise direction and extend in the mounting direction (arrow A direction). The receiving support portion 30Fa can support the supported portion 11b of the developer receiving portion 11 from below in the vertical direction. The lift gear 86 is attached to the gear fitting hole 30Fd so as to mesh with the spiral groove of the lift gear 86. The rotation restricting protrusion portion 30Fb is formed so as to be sandwiched between a pair of opposing rotation restricting portions 87 erected vertically upward on the lower flange portion 32F. In this way, the lift portion 30F can move vertically upward relative to the lift gear 86 without rotating due to the rotation of the lift gear 86. As a result, the lift portion 30F is moved vertically upward. When the supported portion 11b of the developer receiving portion 11 is supported from below in the vertical direction by the receiving support portion 30Fa of the lift portion 30F, the developer receiving portion 11 is moved vertically upward against the biasing force of the biasing member 12.

[0135] [Developer receiving section operation] Next, the operation of connecting the developer receiving portion 11 to the supply container 1F by the lift portion 30F will be described. When the mounting of the supply container 1F begins, the lifting mechanism K is not operating, the lift portion 30F is in the lowest position, and the receiving support portion 30Fa of the lift portion 30F does not support the supported portion 11b of the developer receiving portion 11. As described above, the developer receiving portion 11 is biased by the biasing member 12 in a direction away from the supply container 1, so that the receiving opening 11a is separated from the container discharge opening 3a4 of the supply container 1.

[0136] Thereafter, when the supply container 1F is further inserted in the mounting direction, the supported portion 11b of the developer receiving portion 11 starts to be supported from below in the vertical direction by the receiving support portion 30Fa of the lift portion 30F, as shown in FIG. 54(a). However, even at this time, the lifting mechanism K has not yet operated. In other words, the developer receiving portion 11 has not been displaced from the initial position, and the receiving opening 11a is separated from the container discharge opening 3a4 of the supply container 1F. The container discharge opening 3a4 remains sealed by the developer sealing portion 4a of the shutter 4B.

[0137] When the supply container 1F reaches the mounting completion position, the protrusion (not shown) of the developer receiving device 8 enters the cover 7F through the hole 7Fa of the cover 7F described above and presses the first switch 82. The shutter opening 4j and the container discharge port 3a4 are in communication with each other. When the first switch 82 is pressed, the drive motor 80 receives power from the power source 81 and starts to rotate, and the lift gear 86 rotates via the motor gear 84 and the drive gear 85, and the lift portion 30F moves vertically upward as shown in FIG. 54(b). Since the supported portion 11b of the developer receiving portion 11 is supported from below in the vertical direction by the receiving support portion 30Fa of the lift portion 30F, the developer receiving portion 11 moves vertically upward against the biasing force of the biasing member 12. The operation of the first switch 82 is not limited to being performed by the projection of the developer receiving device 8, but may be performed by an operator after the mounting of the supply container 1 is completed.

[0138] As shown in FIG. 55, the release protrusion 30Fc of the lift unit 30F pushes up one of the metal plates constituting the second switch 83 (here, the metal plate 83b arranged vertically upward). When the metal plate 83b is elastically deformed by being pushed up by the lift unit 30F, the metal plates 83b and 83a go from a contact state to a separated state. This cuts off the power supply to the drive motor 80 from the power source 81, and the drive motor 80 stops rotating. When the drive motor 80 stops rotating, the lift gear 86, which rotates via the motor gear 84 and the drive gear 85, also stops rotating, and as a result, the lift unit 30F stops moving.

[0139] In this way, by moving the lift portion 30F, the developer receiving portion 11 is moved to a state where the receiving port 11a is connected to the container discharge port 3a4 of the supply container 1F. In this case, the container discharge port 3a4 is exposed from the shutter 4B, and the container discharge port 3a4 and the receiving port 11a are in communication with each other. In this way, the developer can be replenished.

[0140] When the supply container 1F is removed in the removal direction (arrow B direction), the receiving and supporting portion 30Fa of the lift portion 30F releases the support of the supported portion 11b of the developer receiving portion 11. Then, the developer receiving portion 11 is moved vertically downward by the biasing force of the biasing member 12.

[0141] As described above, in the seventh embodiment, in order to move the developer receiving portion 11, the lift portion 30F is operated by the drive motor 80, and the supported portion 11b of the developer receiving portion 11 is lifted vertically upward (toward the supply container). As a result, when the lift portion 30F moves the developer receiving portion 11 vertically upward, the drive force of the drive motor 80 is added, so less force is required compared to the conventional example described above. In other words, the load applied to the movement of the developer receiving portion 11 is reduced, thereby achieving the effect of realizing smooth attachment of the supply container.

[0142] Eighth embodiment Next, an eighth embodiment in which the lift unit is operated by utilizing a magnetic force will be described with reference to Figures 56(a) to 62. Note that in the eighth embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof will be omitted or simplified. The following description will focus on the parts that are different from the first embodiment.

[0143] This embodiment is significantly different from the first embodiment in that the shutter 4G is provided with a first magnet 70 instead of the shutter inclination portion 4f, and the lift portion 30G, one end of which is supported by the lift holding portion 3b, is provided with a second magnet 71. In this embodiment, the first magnet 70 and the second magnet 71 are provided so that when they face each other when the supply container 1G is attached, as described later, their opposing surfaces have the same polarity. That is, the first magnet 70 is arranged so that the lift portion 30G side (support portion side) of the shutter 4G has a predetermined polarity, and the second magnet 71 is arranged so that the shutter 4G side (shutter side) of the lift portion 30G has the same polarity. As a result, when the first magnet 70 and the second magnet 71 face each other, they repel each other. The second magnet 71 is provided on the vertically lower side of the receiving support portion 30c, as shown in FIG. 56(b). 57(a) and 57(b), the first magnet 70 is provided on a support portion 4d that displaceably supports the stopper portions 4b and 4c of the shutter 4G. The shutter 4G is provided with a shutter opening 4j for discharging the developer and a developer sealing portion 4a at a position away from the shutter opening 4j of the shutter 4.

[0144] [Developer receiving section operation] The operation of connecting the developer receiver 11 to the supply container 1G by the lift portion 30G will be described in chronological order of the mounting operation of the supply container 1G with reference to Figs. 58(a) to 61(b). Figs. 58(a) and 58(b) show the start of mounting the supply container 1G, Figs. 59(a) and 59(b) show the start of lifting the lift portion 30G, Figs. 60(a) and 60(b) show the lift portion 30G in the middle of rising, and Figs. 61(a) and 61(b) show the completion of mounting the supply container 1G. Note that the operation of separating the developer receiver 11 from the supply container 1G by the lift portion 30G in response to the removal operation of the supply container 1G will not be described here because it follows the opposite operation to the connection operation described below.

[0145] At the start of mounting the supply container 1G as shown in FIG. 58(a), the shutter 4G and the lift portion 30G move together in the supply container 1G without moving relative to each other. When the shutter 4G and the lift portion 30G move together, the first magnet 70 of the shutter 4G and the second magnet 71 of the lift portion 30G maintain a distance in the mounting direction (arrow A direction). In this case, the first magnet 70 and the second magnet 71 do not face each other, and are unlikely to be influenced by each other's magnetic forces, so they do not repel each other. Therefore, the lift portion 30G is at the lowest position where it abuts against the lift stopper portion 3c, and the receiving support portion 30c of the lift portion 30G does not support the supported portion 11b of the developer receiving portion 11. As described above, the developer receiving portion 11 is biased in a direction away from the supply container 1 by the biasing member 12, so that the receiving opening 11a is separated from the container discharge opening 3a4 of the supply container 1G. The container discharge port 3a4 is sealed by a developer sealing portion 4a of a shutter 4G.

[0146] When the supply container 1G is inserted from the state shown in FIG. 58(a) toward the back in the mounting direction, the first stopper portion 4b of the shutter 4G engages with the first shutter stopper portion 8a of the developer receiving device 8 as described above. This fixes the position of the shutter 4G relative to the developer receiving device 8. By holding the position of the shutter 4G relative to the developer receiving unit 8, the movement of the shutter 4G in the mounting direction (arrow A direction) relative to the developer receiving portion 11 is stopped, but the movement of the supply container 1G excluding the shutter 4G in the mounting direction relative to the developer receiving portion 11 is maintained. In this case, the supported portion 11b of the developer receiving portion 11 starts to be supported from below in the vertical direction by the receiving support portion 30c of the lift portion 30G as shown in FIG. 59(b). In this case, the container discharge opening 3a4 remains sealed by the developer sealing portion 4a of the shutter 4G, and the shutter opening 4j reaches vertically above the receiving opening 11a of the developer receiving portion 11. However, since the first magnet 70 and the second magnet 71 do not face each other and the influence of their magnetic forces is weak, the developer receiving portion 11 has not been displaced from the initial position, and the receiving opening 11a is separated from the container discharge opening 3a4 of the supply container 1G.

[0147] Next, when the supply container 1G is further inserted from the state shown in FIG. 59(a) to the back in the mounting direction, the supply container 1G moves relative to the shutter 4G in the mounting direction as shown in FIG. 60(a). At this time, the container discharge port 3a4 is not exposed from the shutter 4G and is still sealed by the developer sealing portion 4a. In addition, in this case, as shown in FIG. 60(b), the first magnet 70 and the second magnet 71 face each other, so that the first magnet 70 and the second magnet 71 of the same polarity repel each other. As a result, the lift portion 30G moves vertically upward. And, since the supported portion 11b of the developer receiving portion 11 is supported from below in the vertical direction by the receiving support portion 30c of the lift portion 30G, the developer receiving portion 11 moves vertically upward against the biasing force of the biasing member 12. Since the first magnet 70 and the second magnet 71 repel each other, a vertically downward force is also applied to the shutter 4G. However, since the shutter 4G is held by the mounting portion 8f of the developer receiving device 8, the shutter 4G maintains its vertical position even if it is affected by the magnetic force.

[0148] If the supply container 1G is further inserted from the state shown in FIG. 60(a) to the back in the mounting direction, as shown in FIG. 61(a), the supply container 1G moves relative to the shutter 4G in the mounting direction in the same manner as before, and the supply container 1G reaches the mounting completion position. Also, as shown in FIG. 60(b), the first magnet 70 reaches approximately the center of the second magnet 71 in the vertical direction, and the repulsive force between the first magnet 70 and the second magnet 71 becomes maximum, so that the movement of the lift portion 30G stops at the maximum reaching position in the vertical direction upward. In this case, the developer receiving portion 11, whose supported portion 11b is supported by the lift portion 30G, is in a state in which the receiving port 11a is connected to the container discharge port 3a4 of the supply container 1G. In this way, the developer is ready to be replenished.

[0149] As described above, in the eighth embodiment, in order to move the developer receiving portion 11, the lift portion 30G is operated by the first magnet 70 and the second magnet 71, and the supported portion 11b of the developer receiving portion 11 is lifted vertically upward (toward the supply container). As a result, when the lift portion 30G moves the developer receiving portion 11 vertically upward, a repulsive force of the magnetic forces generated by the first magnet 70 and the second magnet 71 is added, so less force is required compared to the conventional example described above. In other words, the load applied to the movement of the developer receiving portion 11 is reduced, thereby achieving the effect of realizing smooth attachment of the supply container.

[0150] In addition, in the present embodiment, the supported portion 11b supported by the receiving support portion 30c moves on the upper surface (approximately horizontal surface) of the receiving support portion 30c. Compared to the above-mentioned conventional example in which the supported portion 11b slides on the inclined guide portion 310, in the present embodiment, when the supported portion 11b slides on a horizontal surface, the load applied in the horizontal direction (mounting direction) when mounting the refill container 1G can be reduced. This allows for smoother mounting of the refill container.

[0151] <Ninth embodiment> In the above-mentioned eighth embodiment, an example was shown in which the first magnet 70 was formed integrally with the shutter 4G, but this is not limiting, and a magnet member separate from the shutter may be provided so that the first magnet 70 can be easily added to an existing shutter. Such a ninth embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 62(a) to 63(c). In the ninth embodiment, the same components as those in the above-mentioned eighth embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted or simplified, and the following description will focus on the parts that are different from the eighth embodiment.

[0152] 62(a) and 62(b) show the mounting member 72 of this embodiment. The mounting member 72 is used by being superimposed on the above-mentioned shutter 4B (see FIG. 26(a)), and has stopper portions 72b, 72c having the same shape as the stopper portions 4b, 4c of the shutter 4B, and a support portion 72d having the same shape as the support portion 4d. That is, the mounting member 72 is formed so that its appearance is approximately the same as that of the shutter 4B when viewed from above in the vertical direction in a state where it is superimposed on the shutter 4B. As a result, the mounting member 72, like the shutter 4B, is held by the shutter stopper portions 8a, 8b (see FIG. 4(a)) of the developer receiving device 8, and can move together with the shutter 4B relative to a part of the supply container 1G other than the shutter 4B. That is, as shown in FIG. 63(a) to FIG. 63(c), in the supply container 1G, the mounting member 72 is attached to the shutter 4B in a state where it is superimposed vertically above the shutter 4B. When mounting or removing the mounting member 72 from the developer receiving device 8, the stopper portions 72b, 72c of the mounting member 72 engage with the shutter stopper portions 8a, 8b of the developer receiving device 8, and the position of the mounting member 72 relative to the developer receiving device 8 is fixed. At this time, the stopper portions 4b, 4c of the shutter 4B also engage with the shutter stopper portions 8a, 8b, and the shutter 4B is also fixed relative to the developer receiving device 8.

[0153] The first magnet 70 is provided on the stopper portions 72b and 72c. In this embodiment, the first magnet 70 is arranged so that when the mounting member 72 is superimposed on the shutter 4B, the first magnet 70 is arranged so as to substantially match the arrangement position of the first magnet 70 on the shutter 4G described above. In this way, when the mounting member 72 is fixed to the developer receiving device 8, the positional relationship between the first magnet 70 and the second magnet 71 of the lift portion 30G is the same as that of the eighth embodiment described above. According to this, when the supply container 1G is attached, the lift portion 30G can be moved vertically upward by using a magnetic force, and the developer receiving portion 11 can be brought into a state in which the receiving port 11a is connected to the container discharge port 3a4 of the supply container 1G.

[0154] The mounting member 72 of this embodiment does not have a shutter, and can be applied to a configuration in which the container discharge port 3a4 (see FIG. 5(b)) of the supply container 1G is sealed with a film-like seal member (not shown) instead of a shutter. In this case, after the supply container 1G is attached to the developer receiving device 8, the seal member is pulled out by an operator, so that the developer in the supply container 1G can be supplied. Even in such a configuration, by providing the above-mentioned mounting member 72, it is possible to operate the lift portion 30G by utilizing a magnetic force and connect the developer receiving portion 11 to the supply container 1G. In this way, the above-mentioned ninth embodiment can be applied regardless of the presence or absence of a shutter.

[0155] Tenth Embodiment Furthermore, the lift unit may be operated by utilizing gravity. Such a tenth embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 64 to 74. Note that in the tenth embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof will be omitted or simplified. The following description will focus on the differences from the first embodiment.

[0156] 64 shows a resupply container 1H of the tenth embodiment. The resupply container 1H mainly has a container body 2, a flange portion 3H, a shutter 4H, a pump portion 5, a reciprocating member 6, a cover 7, a lift portion 30H, and a weight 90. The weight 90 is disposed downstream of the upper flange portion 31 in the mounting direction (arrow A direction) and vertically above the shutter 4H, and is covered by the cover 7 together with the flange portion 3H, the pump portion 5, the reciprocating member 6, etc. As will be described later, the weight 90 is provided within the cover 7 so as to be vertically movable, and is supported by the shutter 4H.

[0157] [Weight] FIG. 65(a) and FIG. 65(b) show the weight 90. The weight 90 has protrusions 90a on both widthwise ends. The protrusions 90a are formed in a vertically elongated shape. One end of a wire, which will be described later, is fixed to the protrusions 90a. The weight 90 also has a shutter-supported portion 90b that protrudes vertically downward from the bottom surface on the upstream side, downstream of the center in the mounting direction (arrow A direction). The shutter 4H abuts against the shutter-supported portion 90b, so that the weight 90 is supported by the shutter 4H. The weight 90 is also formed such that the widthwise length of the vertically lower side including the shutter-supported portion 90b is shorter than the widthwise length of the vertically upper side. This is to ensure a space for passing a wire, which will be described later, on both widthwise ends of the weight 90.

[0158] [Flange] The flange portion 3H will be described with reference to FIG. 66. The lower flange portion 32H has a shutter insertion portion 3b1 into which the shutter 4H described later is inserted. The lower flange portion 32H is integrated with the upper flange portion 31 in a state in which the shutter 4H is inserted into the shutter insertion portion 3b1. On both sides in the width direction of the lower flange portion 32H, a lift holding portion 92 is formed in a slit shape to hold the lift portion 30H (see FIG. 67) described later so as to be slidable in the vertical direction. On the downstream side in the mounting direction from the lift holding portion 92, a weight holding portion 93 is formed in a slit shape to hold the protrusion 90a of the weight 90 described above so as to be slidable in the vertical direction. That is, the lift portion 30H is restricted by the lift holding portion 92, and the weight 90 is restricted by the weight holding portion 93 in the mounting and detaching directions (arrows A and B). In addition, a wire holding portion 91 is provided on both sides in the width direction of the upper flange portion 31 for passing and holding a wire described later.

[0159] [Lift section] FIG. 67 shows the lift part 30H. The lift part 30H has a fitting part 30Ha, a wire connection part 30Hb, a receiving support part 30c, and a lift main body part 30d. The lift main body part 30d is formed with a receiving support part 30c capable of supporting the supported part 11b (see FIG. 4(c)) of the developer receiving part 11 from below in the vertical direction. On the opposite side of the receiving support part 30c of the lift main body part 30d, a wire connection part 30Hb for fixing one end of a wire described later is provided. The fitting part 30Ha protrudes from the surface of the lift main body part 30d opposite the receiving support part 30c, and connects the lift main body part 30d and the wire connection part 30Hb. As shown in the figure, the fitting part 30Ha is formed shorter than the length of the lift main body part 30d and the wire connection part 30Hb in the mounting direction (arrow A direction). In this embodiment, the fitting portion 30Ha is fitted into the lift holding portion 92 of the lower flange portion 32H, so that the lift portion 30H is held so as to be slidable in the vertical direction relative to the flange portion 32H.

[0160] [Shutter] FIG. 68 shows the shutter 4H. In this embodiment, the shutter 4H is used to operate the lift portion 30H by the weight 90 that moves according to gravity. To do so, the shutter 4H is formed with a weight support portion 4H1. As shown in FIG. 68, in this embodiment, the weight support portion 4H1 as a moving member is formed to protrude toward the supply container side over the entire width direction at the downstream end in the mounting direction (arrow A direction). In addition, the weight support portion 4H1 is formed in an inclined shape so that the vertical length gradually becomes shorter from the upstream side to the downstream side in the mounting direction. In other words, the weight support portion 4H1 has an inclined surface that is inclined toward the developer receiving portion side as it moves from the upstream side to the downstream side in the mounting direction. As will be described in detail later, when the supply container 1H moves relative to the shutter 4H, the weight 90 also moves relative to the shutter 4H. In this case, the weight 90 moves while sliding on the weight support portion 4H1 according to gravity, and the lift portion 30H connected to the weight 90 by a wire is moved in the vertical direction.

[0161] [Wire] In this embodiment, the weight 90 and the lift section 30H are connected by a wire 95 as shown in Fig. 69(a) and Fig. 69(b). One end of the wire 95, which is a moving member and a string-like member, is fixed to the protrusion 90a of the weight 90, and the other end is fixed to the wire connection section 30Hb (see Fig. 67) of the lift section 30H. The wire 95 is held so as not to bend by passing through the first wire holding section 91 of the upper flange section 31 and the second wire holding section 94 formed in the weight holding section 93 of the lower flange section 32H. This makes the displacement amount of the weight 90 and the displacement amount of the lift section 30H approximately the same. The length of the wire 95 is set so that when the weight 90 is positioned at the top in the vertical direction, the lift section 30H is positioned at the bottom in the vertical direction, and when the weight 90 is positioned at the bottom in the vertical direction, the lift section 30H is positioned at the top in the vertical direction.

[0162] [Developer receiving section operation] The operation of connecting the developer receiving portion 11 to the supply container 1H by the lift portion 30H will be described in chronological order of the operation of mounting the supply container 1H to the developer receiving device 8 with reference to Figs. 70(a) to 74. Figs. 70(a) and 70(b) show the start of mounting the supply container 1H, and Figs. 71(a) and 71(b) show the start of lifting the lift portion 30H. Also, Figs. 72(a) and 72(b) show the lift portion 30H in the middle of rising, Figs. 73(a) and 73(b) show the completion of lifting the lift portion 30H, and Fig. 74 shows the completion of mounting the supply container 1H.

[0163] At the start of mounting the supply container 1H as shown in FIG. 70(a), the shutter 4H and the lift portion 30H move together in the supply container 1H without moving relative to each other. When the shutter 4H and the lift portion 30H move together, the weight 90 is supported by the shutter 4H on the uppermost surface of the weight support portion 4H1. In this case, as shown in FIG. 70(b), the weight 90 is located at the topmost position in the vertical direction, so the lift portion 30H is at the lowermost position where it abuts against the lift stopper portion 3c. In addition, the receiving support portion 30c of the lift portion 30H does not support the supported portion 11b of the developer receiving portion 11. As described above, the developer receiving portion 11 is biased in a direction away from the supply container 1 by the biasing member 12 (see FIG. 3(b)), so that the receiving opening 11a is separated from the container discharge opening 3a4 of the supply container 1. The container discharge opening 3a4 is sealed by the developer sealing portion 4a of the shutter 4H.

[0164] When the supply container 1H is inserted from the state shown in FIG. 70(a) to the rear in the mounting direction, the position of the shutter 4H relative to the developer receiving device 8 is fixed as described above. This maintains the relative movement of the supply container 1H, excluding the shutter 4H, in the mounting direction (the direction of the arrow A) relative to the developer receiving portion 11. Therefore, the container discharge port 3a4 is maintained in a sealed state by the developer sealing portion 4a of the shutter 4H. Then, as shown in FIG. 71(b), the supported portion 11b of the developer receiving portion 11 is supported by the receiving support portion 30c of the lift portion 30H. However, the weight 90 remains in a state of being positioned at the topmost position in the vertical direction supported by the top surface of the weight support portion 4H1. Therefore, since the lift portion 30H remains positioned at the bottommost position in the vertical direction, the developer receiving portion 11 is not displaced from the initial position, and the receiving port 11a remains separated from the container discharge port 3a4 of the supply container 1H.

[0165] Next, when the supply container 1H is further inserted from the state shown in FIG. 71(a) toward the back in the mounting direction, the supply container 1H moves relative to the shutter 4H in the mounting direction as shown in FIG. 72(a). At this time, the container discharge port 3a4 is not exposed from the shutter 4H and is still sealed by the developer sealing portion 4a. In this case, the weight 90 moves vertically downward while sliding on the weight support portion 4H1 according to gravity in response to the mounting operation of the supply container 1H. Then, as shown in FIG. 72(b), the lift portion 30H is pulled by the weight 90 via the wire 95 and moves vertically upward. Then, since the supported portion 11b of the developer receiving portion 11 is supported from below in the vertical direction by the receiving support portion 30c of the lift portion 30H, the developer receiving portion 11 moves vertically upward against the urging force of the urging member 12. At this time, as the weight 90 moves vertically downward along the weight support portion 4H1, the lift portion 30H moves vertically upward by the same amount as the displacement of the weight 90. However, the receiving opening 11a is still separated from the container discharge opening 3a4 of the supply container 1H. In this case, the container discharge opening 3a4 is not exposed from the shutter 4H and is still sealed by the developer sealing portion 4a.

[0166] For example, the weight 90 is made of brass and has a volume of, for example, 43 cm 3 In this case, the weight of the weight 90 is 360 g. The biasing force of the biasing member 12 that biases the developer receiving portion 11 in a direction away from the supply container 1H is set to, for example, 300 g. The biasing force of the biasing member 12 is set to a value lower than the sum of the weight of the weight of the weight 90 and the weight of the lift portion 30H (for example, 10 g). Therefore, the lift portion 30H can be moved via the wire 95 in accordance with the movement of the weight 90. Note that the volume and material of the weight 90 are not limited to these, and any material may be used as long as the sum of the weight of the weight and the weight of the lift portion 30H exceeds the biasing force of the biasing member 12.

[0167] 72(a) is inserted further in the mounting direction, the supply container 1H moves relative to the shutter 4H in the mounting direction, as shown in FIG. 73(a), and the weight 90 moves further vertically downward due to gravity. Thus, when the weight 90 moves to the bottom in the vertical direction in response to the mounting operation of the supply container 1H, the lift portion 30H moves to the top in the vertical direction and stops. In this embodiment, the developer receiving portion 11, whose supported portion 11b is supported by the lift portion 30H, has the receiving opening 11a connected to the shutter opening 4j, but the container discharge opening 3a4 is not exposed from the shutter 4H and remains sealed by the developer sealing portion 4a.

[0168] Then, as the supply container 1H is further inserted from the state shown in FIG. 73(a) toward the back in the mounting direction, the supply container 1H moves relative to the shutter 4H in the mounting direction, and the supply container 1H reaches the mounting completion position. In this embodiment, in this case, as shown in FIG. 74, the container discharge port 3a4 is exposed from the shutter 4H, and the container discharge port 3a4 and the receiving port 11a communicate with each other. In this way, the developer can be replenished. At this time, as shown in FIG. 73(b), the positional relationship between the container discharge port 3a4 and the lift portion 30H is such that a plane L (a plane perpendicular to the rotation axis P) passing through the container discharge port 3a4 passes through the lift portion 30H. Also, the plane including the receiving support portion 30c of the lift portion 30H is disposed between the rotation axis P and the container discharge port 3a4.

[0169] Conversely, when the supply container 1H is removed, the shutter 4H lifts the weight 90 and moves it vertically upward in association with the removal of the supply container 1H. As the weight 90 moves vertically upward, the lift portion 30H moves vertically downward due to its own weight and the biasing force of the biasing member 12 that biases the developer receiving portion 11. In this way, the developer receiving portion 11 moves to the opposite side to the supply container 1H, that is, moves away from the supply container 1H.

[0170] As described above, in the tenth embodiment, in order to move the developer receiving portion 11, the lift portion 30H is operated by moving the weight 90, and the supported portion 11b of the developer receiving portion 11 is lifted vertically upward (toward the supply container). With this, when the lift portion 30H moves the developer receiving portion 11 vertically upward, a pulling force is applied by the weight 90, so less force is required compared to the conventional example described above. In other words, the load applied to the movement of the developer receiving portion 11 is reduced, thereby achieving the effect of realizing smooth attachment of the supply container.

[0171] In addition, by changing the inclination angle of the weight support portion 4H1 of the shutter 4H or the position of the weight support portion 4H1 in the mounting direction, the lifting timing and lifting speed can be changed, which provides a high degree of freedom in design.

[0172] In this embodiment, an example in which the weight support portion 4H1 for holding the weight 90 is integrally formed with the shutter 4H has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. The weight support portion 4H1 described above may be provided on a member separate from the shutter 4H, and this member may be attached to, for example, the shutter 4B (see FIG. 26(a)) that does not have the weight support portion 4H1.

[0173] Eleventh Embodiment In the above-mentioned tenth embodiment, an example was shown in which the displacement of the weight 90 was transmitted to the lift unit 30H using the wire 95 in order to operate the lift unit using gravity, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the displacement of the weight 90 may be transmitted to the lift unit using a rotating member without using the wire 95. Such an eleventh embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 75 and 76. Fig. 75 shows the start of mounting the supply container 1J of this embodiment, and Fig. 76 shows the completion of mounting the supply container 1J of this embodiment. In the eleventh embodiment, the same components as those of the above-mentioned tenth embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted or simplified, and the following description will focus on the parts that are different from the tenth embodiment.

[0174] As shown in FIG. 75, in the flange portion 3J of the supply container 1J of this embodiment, the lift portion 30J is rotatably provided on each of the rotation shafts 32Ja provided at both ends in the width direction of the lower flange portion 32J. In the lift portion 30J of this embodiment, the receiving support portion 30Ja capable of supporting the supported portion 11b of the developer receiving portion 11 from below in the vertical direction is formed in the lift main body portion 30Jb rotatable around the rotation shaft 32Ja. In this embodiment, the receiving support portion 30Ja is provided on the upstream side of the mounting direction (arrow A direction) integrally with the lift main body portion 30Jb as a rotating operation portion. The lift main body portion 30Jb is formed in an elongated shape and disposed on the lower flange portion 32J so that it can abut against the protrusion portion 90a of the weight 90 on the downstream side in the mounting direction and can support the supported portion 11b of the developer receiving portion 11 by the receiving support portion 30Ja on the upstream side.

[0175] In this embodiment, when the weight 90 moves vertically downward along the weight support portion 4H1 (see FIG. 68) of the shutter 4H due to gravity in response to the mounting operation of the supply container 1J, one end side of the lift main body portion 30Jb where the receiving support portion 30Ja is not formed is pushed down by the protrusion portion 90a. Then, as shown in FIG. 76, the lift main body portion 30Jb rotates about the rotation shaft 32Ja, and prior to this, the receiving support portion 30Ja that has already supported the supported portion 11b of the developer receiving portion 11 is lifted. Then, when the weight 90 moves to the bottom in the vertical direction in response to the mounting operation of the supply container 1J, the receiving support portion 30Ja moves to the top in the vertical direction. As a result, the developer receiving portion 11 is moved vertically upward toward the supply container 1J side, so that the container discharge port 3a4 of the supply container 1J and the receiving port 11a of the developer receiving portion 11 can be connected. In this way, the state in which the developer can be replenished is achieved. 76, the positional relationship between the container discharge opening 3a4 and the lift unit 30J is such that a plane L (a plane perpendicular to the rotation axis P) passing through the container discharge opening 3a4 passes through the lift unit 30J. In addition, a plane including the receiving support unit 30Ja of the lift unit 30J is disposed between the rotation axis P and the container discharge opening 3a4.

[0176] Conversely, when the supply container 1J is removed, the weight 90 is lifted by the shutter 4H and moves vertically upward in association with the removal of the supply container 1J. When the weight 90 moves vertically upward, the other end of the lift main body 30Jb on which the receiving support portion 30Ja is formed is lowered downward by the weight of the receiving support portion 30Ja and the biasing force of the biasing member 12 that biases the developer receiving portion 11. In this way, the developer receiving portion 11 moves to the opposite side to the supply container 1J, that is, moves away from the supply container 1J.

[0177] As described above, in the eleventh embodiment as well, the operation of the lift portion 30J is performed by the movement of the weight 90, and the supported portion 11b of the developer receiving portion 11 is lifted vertically upward (toward the supply container). This reduces the load applied to the movement of the developer receiving portion 11, thereby achieving the effect of realizing smooth attachment of the supply container.

[0178] In addition, since this embodiment uses the principle of a lever, it is easy to change the position of the fulcrum, i.e., the center of rotation, to make the weight of weight 90 lighter and increase the amount of displacement, or conversely, make weight 90 heavier and decrease the amount of displacement. [Explanation of symbols]

[0179] 1... developer supply container (supply container), 2c... developer storage section, 3a4... discharge port (container discharge port), 3i... guide means (regulating rib), 4 (4A, 4B, 4D, 4E, 4G, 4H)... shutter, 4f... inclined portion (operation means, shutter inclined portion), 4g... rotational operation portion (first rack gear), 4H1... moving member (weight support portion), 8... developer receiving device, 11... developer receiving section, 11a... receiving port, 11b... supported portion, 30 (30A to 30H, 30J)... support portion (lift portion), 30b... sliding portion (operation means, shutter sliding portion), 30e... conversion transmission mechanism (second rack gear), 30Bd... guide means (holding portion, engagement hole), 30Ca...rotating operation portion (operation means, engaged portion), 30Cb...rotating shaft (operation means), 30Jb...rotating operation portion (lift main body portion), 32Ja...rotating shaft (moving member), 40...rotating body (pinion gear), 45...sliding operation portion (lift operation arm portion), 50...pulling member, 60...regulating member (operation means), 61...biasing means (operation means, biasing member), 70...first magnet (operation means), 71...second magnet (operation means), 72...mounting member, 90...weight (operation means), 95...moving member (string-like member, wire), 200...developer supply system, 700...discharge portion, K...driving means (lifting mechanism)

Claims

1. A developer supply container, a developer storage unit that stores a developer; a developer discharge section communicating with the developer accommodating section, the developer accommodating section being rotatable about a rotation axis relative to the developer discharge section, and a developer discharge port for discharging the developer accommodated in the developer accommodating section to the outside being provided on a bottom side of the developer discharge section; a lifter provided outside the developer discharge portion, the lifter being capable of linearly ascending and descending relative to the developer discharge portion in a direction intersecting a horizontal plane including the rotation shaft when the developer supply container is placed so that the developer discharge port is located on the bottom side of the developer discharge portion; A developer supply container comprising:

2. A moving mechanism is provided which linearly lifts the lifter relative to the developer discharge portion in a direction intersecting the horizontal plane.

2. The developer supply container according to claim 1,

3. The lifter moves linearly in a direction intersecting the horizontal plane relative to the developer discharge portion by the movement mechanism moving in the direction of the rotation shaft.

3. The developer supply container according to claim 2, wherein the developer supply container is a container for supplying a developer to a developer container.

4. The moving mechanism includes a shutter configured to be slidable relative to the developer discharge section in the direction of the rotation axis between an open position where the developer discharge port is open and a closed position where the developer discharge port is closed, the lifter is linearly raised in a direction intersecting the horizontal plane relative to the developer discharge portion as the shutter slides from the closed position to the open position; 4. The developer supply container according to claim 3.

5. The moving mechanism has a first gear configured to be rotatable relative to the developer discharge portion, and a second gear provided on the lifter and configured to mesh with the first gear, the lifter is linearly lifted in a direction intersecting the horizontal plane relative to the developer discharge portion by rotation of the first gear and meshing of the first gear with the second gear; 3. The developer supply container according to claim 2, wherein the developer supply container is a container for supplying a developer to a developer container.

6. The moving mechanism further has a third gear that meshes with the first gear to rotate the first gear.

6. The developer supply container according to claim 5,

7. The first gear includes a first gear portion configured to mesh with the second gear and a second gear portion configured to mesh with the third gear; The diameter of the second gear portion is greater than the diameter of the first gear portion.

7. A developer supply container according to claim 6.

8. The first gear portion and the second gear portion are supported by a protrusion portion provided on the developer discharge portion, The first gear portion and the second gear portion are rotatable about the protrusion.

8. The developer supply container according to claim 7,

9. A shutter configured to be slidable relative to the developer discharge section in the direction of the rotation axis between an open position where the developer discharge port is open and a closed position where the developer discharge port is closed, The shutter has the third gear.

7. A developer supply container according to claim 6.

10. The lifter is lifted linearly relative to the developer discharge portion by rotation of the first gear meshing with the second gear and the third gear as the shutter slides from the closed position to the open position.

10. The developer supply container according to claim 9.

11. The first gear is supported by the developer discharge portion.

6. The developer supply container according to claim 5,

12. The first gear is disposed between a tip end of the developer discharge portion and the developer discharge port in a direction of the rotation shaft.

6. The developer supply container according to claim 5,

13. The second gear is disposed between the tip end of the developer discharge portion and the developer discharge port in the direction of the rotation shaft.

6. The developer supply container according to claim 5,

14. the lifter is provided on a side surface of the developer discharge portion, 2. The developer supply container according to claim 1,

15. When the developer supply container is positioned so that the developer discharge port is located below the developer discharge portion, the lifter is capable of linearly raising and lowering between a first position and a second position higher than the first position in a direction intersecting the horizontal plane relative to the developer discharge portion, the lifter has a receiving support portion, and when the lifter is disposed at the second position, a portion of the receiving support portion passes through the developer discharge port across a plane intersecting the rotation axis; 2. The developer supply container according to claim 1,

16. The lifter has a receiving support portion, the receiving support portion has a first upward surface and a second upward surface inclined with respect to the horizontal plane when the developer supply container is disposed so that the developer discharge port is located below the developer discharge portion, the first upward surface is located between the second upward surface and the developer accommodating portion in a direction of the rotation shaft; 2. The developer supply container according to claim 1,

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