Image forming apparatus

Abstract

To provide one form of an image forming apparatus.SOLUTION: An image forming apparatus (1) has a supply container (40) storing toner removably attached thereto and forms a toner image on a recording material, and the image forming apparatus comprises: an image carrier (21); a developer container (32) that stores the toner; developing means (31) that develops an electrostatic latent image formed on the image carrier into a toner image by using the toner stored in the developer container; a supply port that, upon attachment of the supply container, allows supply of toner from the supply container outside the image forming apparatus to the developer container; a regulation member that can make a transition between a permission state for permitting rotation of the supply container attached to the supply port and a regulation state for regulating the rotation; notification means (300) that notifies supply procedures to supply the toner from the supply container to the developer container; and control means that causes the notification means to notify at least one procedure of the supply procedures.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a recording material.

Background Art

[0002] Generally, in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, an electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of a photoreceptor is developed into a toner image using toner, and then the toner image is transferred from the photoreceptor to a recording material to form an image on the recording material. As a method of supplying toner consumed by repeatedly forming images to the image forming apparatus, a process cartridge method and a sequential supply method are known. In the process cartridge method, a photoreceptor and a developing container that houses toner are integrated as a process cartridge, and when the toner remaining amount in the developing container becomes empty, the process cartridge is replaced with a new one.

[0003] On the other hand, Patent Document 1 describes a sequential supply type developing apparatus including a toner conveyance path that supplies toner to a developing roll and a developer supply box connected to the toner conveyance path, and supplies toner from the developer supply box to the toner conveyance path according to the detection result of the toner remaining amount.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] In recent years, various usage methods such as the above-described process cartridge method and toner supply method have been demanded by users for image forming apparatuses.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a form of an image forming apparatus.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] One aspect of the present invention is an image forming apparatus that forms a toner image, in which a supply container is detachable, Sheet and includes a photosensitive drum, a developing roller that supplies toner to the photosensitive drum, a toner storage unit that stores toner to be carried on the developing roller, a mounting unit provided with a supply port communicating with the toner storage unit, and a shutter that opens and closes the supply port, a first sheet loading part on which the sheet is loaded, a feeding roller for feeding out the sheet from the first sheet loading part, and the toner image carrier a process unit having a cover provided with an opening for exposing the mounting unit, an opening / closing member that moves between a closed position for closing the opening so as to cover the mounting unit and an open position for opening the opening so as to expose the mounting unit to the outside of the image forming apparatus and allow the supply container to be mounted on the mounting unit, a transfer roller that forms a transfer nip part for transferring the toner image carried on the photosensitive drum to the sheet while conveying the sheet, a discharge roller for discharging the sheet onto which the toner image has been transferred to the outside of the image forming apparatus, and a second sheet loading part on which the sheet discharged by the discharge roller is loaded, the second sheet loading part being above the first sheet loading part wherein the shutter is configured to open and close the supply port by operating the supply container mounted on the mounting unit while the opening / closing member is in the open position, and further includes a speaker that emits a sound to notify the progress of the supply operation using the supply container.

Advantages of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, one form of an image forming apparatus can be provided.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010]

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[0011] Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0012] <First Embodiment> (1) Image forming apparatus Fig. 1(a) is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an image forming apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment. The image forming apparatus 1 is a monochrome printer that forms an image on a recording material based on image information input from an external device. The recording material includes various sheet materials of different materials such as paper like plain paper and thick paper, plastic films such as overhead projector sheets, special-shaped sheets such as envelopes and index papers, and cloth.

[0013] (1 - 1) Overall configuration As shown in Figs. 1(a) and 1(b), the image forming apparatus 1 includes a printer main body 100 as the apparatus main body, a reading device 200 that is supported by the printer main body 100 so as to be openable and closable, and an operation unit 300 attached to the exterior surface of the printer main body 100. The printer main body 100 includes an image forming unit 10, a feeding unit 60, a fixing unit 70, and a pair of discharge rollers 80. The feeding unit 60 feeds the recording material to the image forming unit 10, and the image forming unit 10 forms a toner image on the recording material. The fixing unit 70 fixes the toner image formed by the image forming unit 10 to the recording material, and the pair of discharge rollers 80 discharges the recording material that has passed through the fixing unit 70 outside the apparatus. In addition, the process cartridge 20 of the present embodiment adopts a direct replenishment method in which toner is directly replenished from outside the image forming apparatus 1 using a toner pack 40 filled with replenishing toner.

[0014] The image forming unit 10 is an electrophotographic image forming means having a scanner unit 11, a process cartridge 20, and a transfer roller 12. The process cartridge 20 has a photosensitive drum 21, a charging roller 22, a developing roller 31, and a cleaning blade 24 disposed around the photosensitive drum 21.

[0015] The photosensitive drum 21 as an image carrier in the present embodiment is a cylindrical photoreceptor. The photosensitive drum 21 of the present embodiment has a photosensitive layer formed of a negatively chargeable organic photoreceptor on a drum-shaped substrate formed of aluminum. Further, the photosensitive drum 21 is rotationally driven by a motor in a predetermined direction (clockwise direction in the figure) at a predetermined process speed.

[0016] The charging roller 22 contacts the photosensitive drum 21 with a predetermined pressure contact force to form a charging portion. Further, by applying a desired charging voltage by a charging high-voltage power supply, the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 is uniformly charged to a predetermined potential. In the present embodiment, the photosensitive drum 21 is charged negatively by the charging roller 22.

[0017] The scanner unit 11 scans and exposes the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 by irradiating the photosensitive drum 21 with a laser beam L corresponding to the image information input from an external device or a reading device 200 using a polygon mirror. By this exposure, an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the image information is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 21. Note that the scanner unit 11 is not limited to a laser scanner device, and for example, an LED exposure device having an LED array in which a plurality of LEDs are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the photosensitive drum 21 may be employed.

[0018] The developing unit 802 includes a developing roller 31 as a developer carrier for carrying a developer, a developing container 32 that serves as a frame of the developing unit 802, and a supply roller 33 capable of supplying the developer to the developing roller 31. The developing roller 31 and the supply roller 33 are rotatably supported by the developing container 32. Further, the developing roller 31 is disposed at an opening of the developing container 32 so as to face the photosensitive drum 21. The supply roller 33 is rotatably in contact with the developing roller 31, and toner as a developer stored in the developing container 32 is applied to the surface of the developing roller 31 by the supply roller 33.

[0019] The developing unit 802 of the present embodiment uses a contact developing method as a developing method. That is, the toner layer carried on the developing roller 31 as a developing means contacts the photosensitive drum 21 in a developing portion (developing region) where the photosensitive drum 21 and the developing roller 31 face each other. A developing voltage is applied to the developing roller 31 by a developing high-voltage power source. Under the developing voltage, the toner carried on the developing roller 31 transfers from the developing roller 31 to the drum surface according to the potential distribution on the surface of the photosensitive drum 21, so that the electrostatic latent image is developed into a toner image. In addition, in the present embodiment, an inversion developing method is adopted. That is, a toner image is formed by attaching toner to a region where the charge amount has decayed due to exposure in the exposure process among the surfaces of the photosensitive drum 21 charged in the charging process.

[0020] In addition, in the present embodiment, toner with a particle size of 6 μm and a normal charging polarity of negative polarity is used. As an example, the toner of the present embodiment employs polymerized toner generated by a polymerization method. Further, the toner of the present embodiment does not contain a magnetic component, and is a so-called non-magnetic one-component developer in which the toner is carried on the developing roller 31 mainly by intermolecular forces and electrostatic forces (image forces). However, a one-component developer containing a magnetic component may also be used. In addition, the one-component developer may contain additives (for example, waxes and silica fine particles) for adjusting the fluidity and charging performance of the toner in addition to the toner particles. Further, a two-component developer composed of non-magnetic toner and a magnetic carrier may be used as the developer. When a magnetic developer is used, as the developer carrier, for example, a cylindrical developing sleeve with a magnet disposed inside is used. That is, the developing container 32 may accommodate not only a one-component developer composed of a toner component but also a two-component developer composed of toner and a carrier.

[0021] Inside the developing container 32, a stirring member 34 as a stirring means is provided. The stirring member 34 is driven to rotate, thereby stirring the toner in the developing container 32 and feeding the toner toward the developing roller 31 and the supply roller 33. Further, the stirring member 34 has a role of circulating the toner peeled off from the developing roller 31 that is not used for development in the developing container and equalizing the toner in the developing container.

[0022] In addition, at the opening of the developing container 32 where the developing roller 31 is disposed, a developing blade 35 for regulating the amount of toner carried on the developing roller 31 is disposed. The toner supplied to the surface of the developing roller 31 passes through the opposing portion with the developing blade 35 as the developing roller 31 rotates, thereby being uniformly thinned and charged negatively by triboelectrification.

[0023] The paper feed unit 60 includes a front door 61 that is supported by the printer main body 100 so as to be openable and closable, a loading tray 62, a middle plate 63, a tray spring 64, and a pickup roller 65. The loading tray 62 constitutes the bottom surface of the recording material storage space that appears when the front door 61 is opened, and the middle plate 63 is supported by the loading tray 62 so as to be movable up and down. The tray spring 64 biases the middle plate 63 upward and presses the recording material P loaded on the middle plate 63 against the pickup roller 65. Note that the front door 61 closes the recording material storage space in a state where it is closed with respect to the printer main body 100, and supports the recording material P together with the loading tray 62 and the middle plate 63 in a state where it is opened with respect to the printer main body 100.

[0024] The transfer roller 12 as the transfer means transfers the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 21 of the process cartridge 20 to the recording material. In this embodiment, a direct transfer method in which the toner image formed on the image carrier is directly transferred from the image carrier to the recording material will be described. However, an intermediate transfer method in which the toner image is transferred from the image carrier to the recording material via an intermediate transfer body such as an intermediate transfer belt may also be used. In that case, for example, a transfer unit including an intermediate transfer belt, a primary transfer roller that primarily transfers the toner image from the photosensitive drum to the intermediate transfer belt, and a secondary transfer roller that transfers the toner image from the intermediate transfer belt to the recording material functions as the transfer means.

[0025] The fixing unit 70 is of a heat fixing type that performs an image fixing process by heating and melting the toner on the recording material. The fixing unit 70 includes a fixing film 71, a fixing heater such as a ceramic heater that heats the fixing film 71, a thermistor that measures the temperature of the fixing heater, and a pressure roller 72 that presses against the fixing film 71.

[0026] Next, the image forming operation of the image forming apparatus 1 will be described. When a command for image formation is input to the image forming apparatus 1, an image forming process by the image forming unit 10 is started based on the image information input from an external computer or a reading device 200 connected to the image forming apparatus 1. The scanner unit 11 irradiates the photosensitive drum 21 with a laser beam L based on the input image information. At this time, the photosensitive drum 21 is pre-charged by a charging roller 22, and an electrostatic latent image is formed on the photosensitive drum 21 by the irradiation of the laser beam L. Then, this electrostatic latent image is developed by a developing roller 31, and a toner image is formed on the photosensitive drum 21.

[0027] In parallel with the above-described image forming process, the pickup roller 65 of the feeding unit 60 feeds out the recording material P supported by the front door 61, the stacking tray 62, and the intermediate plate 63. The recording material P is fed by the pickup roller 65 to the registration roller pair 15, and the skew is corrected by hitting the nip of the registration roller pair 15. Then, the registration roller pair 15 is driven in accordance with the transfer timing of the toner image obtained from the exposure start time of the scanner unit 11, and conveys the recording material P toward the transfer unit which is the nip portion formed by the transfer roller 12 and the photosensitive drum 21.

[0028] A transfer voltage is applied to the transfer roller 12 from a transfer high voltage power source, and the toner image carried on the photosensitive drum 21 is transferred to the recording material P conveyed by the registration roller pair 15. After the transfer, the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 is cleaned of the remaining transferred toner by a cleaning blade 24 which is an elastic blade in contact with the photosensitive drum 21. The recording material P onto which the toner image has been transferred is conveyed to the fixing unit 70, and the toner image is heated and pressurized when passing through the nip portion between the fixing film 71 and the pressure roller 72 of the fixing unit 70. As a result, the toner particles melt and then adhere, so that the toner image is fixed to the recording material P. The recording material P that has passed through the fixing unit 70 is discharged to the outside of the image forming apparatus 1 by a discharge roller pair 80 and stacked on a discharge tray 81 formed at the upper part of the printer main body 100.

[0029] The discharge tray 81 is inclined upward toward the downstream in the discharge direction of the recording material, and the recording material discharged onto the discharge tray 81 slides down the discharge tray 81, and the rear end is aligned by the regulation surface 84.

[0030] (1-2) Openable parts of the image forming apparatus As shown in FIGS. 2(a), (b) and FIG. 3, a first opening 101 that opens upward is provided at the upper part of the printer main body 100. The first opening 101 is covered by the top cover 82 in the in-use state (FIG. 1(b)), and the process cartridge 20 is exposed by opening the top cover 82 upward (FIG. 2(b)). The top cover 82 is supported so as to be openable and closable with respect to the printer main body 100 about a rotation axis 82c (FIG. 3) extending in the left-right direction, and a discharge tray 81 is provided on the upper surface. The top cover 82 is opened from the front side toward the back side in a state where the reading device 200 is opened with respect to the printer main body 100. Note that the reading device 200 and the top cover 82 may be configured to be held in an opened state and a closed state by a holding mechanism such as a hinge mechanism.

[0031] For example, when the recording material jammed (paper jammed) in the conveyance path CP through which the recording material fed by the pickup roller 65 passes, the user opens the top cover 82 together with the reading device 200. Then, the user accesses the process cartridge 20 from the first opening 101 exposed by opening the top cover 82, and pulls out the process cartridge 20 along the cartridge guide 102. The cartridge guide 102 slides and guides on a protruding portion 21a (FIG. 5(a)) provided at an end portion of the process cartridge 20 in the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 21.

[0032] Then, when the process cartridge 20 is pulled out from the first opening 101 to the outside, a space is created through which the conveyance path CP can be accessed. The user can put a hand into the printer main body 100 from the first opening 101 and access the recording material jammed in the conveyance path CP, thereby removing the jammed recording material.

[0033] Also, in this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1(b) and 4(c), an opening / closing member 83 is provided on the top cover 82 so as to be openable and closable. On the upper surface of the top cover 82 provided with the discharge tray 81, an opening 82a that opens upward is provided, and the opening 82a is covered when the opening / closing member 83 is closed. The opening / closing member 83 and the opening 82a are provided on the right side of the top cover 82. Further, the opening / closing member 83 is supported by the top cover 82 so as to be openable and closable about a rotation axis 83a extending in the front-rear direction, and is opened to the left by hooking a finger into a groove portion 82b provided in the top cover 82. The opening / closing member 83 is formed in a substantially L shape along the shape of the top cover 82. Note that the opening / closing member 83 is not limited to the above-described opening / closing mechanism. For example, it may be arranged on the top cover 82 so as to cover the supply container mounting portion 701, and may be configured to open and close the opening 82a by rotating so as to slide on the upper surface of the top cover 82 about a rotation axis perpendicular to the top cover 82. Here, sliding on the upper surface of the top cover 82 means that the movement of the opening / closing member 83 in the direction of the rotation axis is restricted.

[0034] The opening 82a is opened so that a supply container mounting portion 701 for toner supply provided on the upper part of the process cartridge 20 is exposed. By opening the opening / closing member 83, the user can access the supply container mounting portion 701 without opening the top cover 82. The user can supply toner to the process cartridge 20 by mounting the toner pack 40 on the supply container mounting portion 701.

[0035] In this embodiment, while the process cartridge 20 is mounted on the image forming apparatus 1, a toner replenishing method (direct replenishing method) is adopted in which the user replenishes the process cartridge 20 with toner from a toner pack 40 (Figs. 1(a) and (b)) filled with replenishing toner. For this reason, when the remaining amount of toner in the process cartridge 20 decreases, there is no need to remove the process cartridge 20 from the printer main body 100 and replace it with a new process cartridge, so user-friendliness can be improved. Note that the image forming apparatus 1 and the toner pack 40 constitute an image forming system.

[0036] Note that in this embodiment, a reading device 200 is provided above the image forming apparatus 1. When opening the opening / closing member 83, it is necessary to first open the reading device 200 to expose the top cover 82. However, the reading device 200 may be omitted, and the opening / closing member 83 may be exposed above the image forming apparatus 1 from the beginning.

[0037] (1-3) Reading Device As shown in Figs. 4(a) and (b), the reading device 200 includes a reading unit 201 having a reading section (not shown) built therein, and a pressure plate 202 that is supported by the reading unit 201 so as to be openable and closable. On the upper surface of the reading unit 201, a document table glass 203 that transmits light emitted from the reading section and on which a document is placed is provided.

[0038] When the user causes the reading device 200 to read the image of a document, the user places the document on the document table glass 203 with the pressure plate 202 open. Then, by closing the pressure plate 202, displacement of the document on the document table glass 203 is prevented, and for example, by operating the operation unit 300, a reading command is output to the image forming apparatus 1. When the reading operation is started, the reading section in the reading unit 201 reciprocates in the sub-scanning direction, that is, in the left-right direction with the operation unit 300 of the image forming apparatus 1 facing forward. The reading section reads the image of the document by emitting light from the light emitting section to the document, receiving the light reflected by the document with the light receiving section, and performing photoelectric conversion.

[0039] Hereinafter, with reference to the state where the operation unit 300 faces the front, the front-rear direction, left-right direction, and up-down direction (gravity direction) in the image forming apparatus 1 are defined. The positional relationship of the members detachable from the printer main body 100, such as the process cartridge 20, is described with reference to the state of being mounted on the printer main body 100. Further, the "longitudinal direction" of the process cartridge 20 refers to the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 21.

[0040] (1-4) Configuration of the Process Cartridge Next, the configuration of the process cartridge 20 will be described. FIG. 5(a) is a perspective view showing the process cartridge 20 and the toner pack 40, and FIG. 5(b) is a side view showing the process cartridge 20 and the toner pack 40. FIG. 6(a) is a cross-sectional view taken along line 6A-6A of FIG. 5(b), FIG. 6(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line 6B-6B of FIG. 5(b), and FIG. 6(c) is a cross-sectional view taken along line 6C-6C of FIGS. 6(a) and (b). In FIGS. 5 and 6, the outer shape of the supply container mounting portion 701 is shown in a simplified manner (for the detailed shape, refer to, for example, FIG. 9(a)).

[0041] As shown in FIGS. 5 to 6, the process cartridge 20 is composed of a toner receiving unit 801, a developing unit 802, and a cleaning unit 803. The toner receiving unit 801, the cleaning unit 803, and the developing unit 802 are arranged in this order from above to below in the gravity direction. Hereinafter, each unit will be described in turn.

[0042] The toner receiving unit 801 is disposed above the process cartridge 20. Inside the toner receiving unit 801, a toner storage portion 8011 composed of a frame for storing toner is provided, and a supply container mounting portion 701 for coupling with the toner pack 40 is provided at a longitudinal end portion. Note that the frame constituting the toner storage portion 8011 may be composed of one member or a combination of a plurality of members. The supply container mounting portion 701 has a supply port 8012 for receiving the toner discharged from the toner pack 40. Details of the configuration of the supply container mounting portion 701 and the mounting of the toner pack 40 to the supply container mounting portion 701 will be described later.

[0043] Furthermore, a first conveying member 8013, a second conveying member 8014, and a third conveying member 8015 are provided inside the toner receiving unit 801. The first conveying member 8013 conveys the toner that has fallen to the end portion of the toner storage portion 8011 in the longitudinal direction through the supply port 8012 toward the center portion of the toner storage portion 8011 in the direction of arrow H (FIG. 6(c)). The second conveying member 8014 conveys the toner conveyed by the first conveying member 8013 in the direction of arrow J (FIG. 6(c)) perpendicular to the longitudinal direction above the developing unit 802, that is, to the discharge port 8016. The third conveying member 8015 receives the toner mainly at the center portion in the longitudinal direction from the second conveying member 8014 and conveys it to one side and the other side in the longitudinal direction (arrow K direction and arrow K' direction). Note that since the first to third conveying members operate to move the toner, they can also be referred to as the first to third developer moving members.

[0044] When the toner from the toner pack 40 as a supply container flows into the toner receiving unit 801, air also flows in simultaneously. The toner receiving unit 801 has an air filter 8017 (see FIG. 5(a)) for allowing air to flow in the direction of arrow H during toner supply so that the toner can be easily supplied during toner supply. This air filter 8017 prevents the toner from jetting out from the supply port 8012 when the internal pressure of the toner receiving unit 801 increases during toner supply and some air flows in the direction opposite to the direction of arrow H.

[0045] And at both longitudinal ends of the toner receiving unit 801, there are discharge ports 8016 for discharging toner from the toner storage portion 8011 to the developing container 32 of the developing unit 802 (Fig. 6(b)) ) are provided. The toner that has reached the discharge port 8016 by the third conveying member 8015 falls into the developing container 32 by gravity. Note that a conveying member may be further provided in the middle of the discharge port 8016 path to hold the toner movement by gravity

[0046] The developing unit 802 located below the process cartridge 20 has an opening 8021 for receiving the toner discharged from the discharge port 8016 (Fig. 6(b)). A sealing member (not shown) is provided between the discharge port 8016 and the opening 8021 to seal so that toner does not leak from the gap between the discharge port 8016 and the opening 8021

[0047] The toner that has fallen from the toner pack 40 into the toner receiving unit 801 through the supply port 8012 is conveyed inside the toner receiving unit 801 by the first conveying member 8013, the second conveying member 8014, and the third conveying member 8015. Then, it is transferred from the toner receiving unit 801 to the developing unit 802 through the discharge ports 8016 and the opening 8021 at both longitudinal ends. In this way, the toner replenished through the supply port 8012, which is located at the end of the process cartridge 20 in the longitudinal direction and horizontally away from the developing container 32 when viewed from the longitudinal direction, is conveyed inside the cartridge and reaches the developing container 32

[0048] In this way, the toner storage section 8011 of the toner receiving unit 801 and the developing container 32 of the developing unit 802 communicate with each other to constitute a storage container that forms a space for storing toner in the process cartridge 20. Therefore, in this embodiment, a replenishment port 8012 for replenishing toner from the outside is provided as a part of the storage container of the process cartridge 20. However, a replenishment port directly connected to the replenishment container may be provided in the printer main body, and the process cartridge may receive toner through this replenishment port. In this case, the process cartridge 20 excluding the replenishment port can be detached from the image forming apparatus 1 as shown in FIG. 3.

[0049] The toner supplied to the developing unit 802 through the opening 8021 is accommodated in a conveyance chamber 36 formed inside the developing container 32 constituted by the frame of the developing unit 802 (FIGS. 6(a) and (b)). Note that the frame constituting the developing container 32 may be constituted by one member or may be constituted by combining a plurality of members. Here, a stirring member 34 is provided in the conveyance chamber 36. The stirring member 34 has a shaft member 34a provided in the vicinity of the rotation center of the stirring member 34 and blade portions 34b extending radially from the shaft member 34a. In a cross section, the toner within the rotation locus of the tip of the blade portion 34b is pushed and moved in accordance with the movement of the blade portion 34b. The toner replenished through the opening 8021 is conveyed toward the developing roller 31, the supply roller 33, and the developing blade 35 while being stirred by the stirring member 34.

[0050] The cleaning unit 803 includes a fourth conveying member 8031, a fifth conveying member 8032, and a waste toner chamber 8033 formed by a frame (Figs. 6(a) and (b)). Note that the frame forming the waste toner chamber 8033 may be composed of one member or a combination of a plurality of members. The waste toner chamber 8033 is a space for storing recovered materials such as transferred residual toner (so-called waste toner) recovered from the photosensitive drum 21 by the cleaning blade 24, and is independent of the internal spaces of the toner receiving unit 801 and the developing unit 802. The waste toner recovered by the cleaning blade 24 is conveyed in the direction of arrow M by the fourth conveying member 8031 and the fifth conveying member 8032, and gradually accumulates from the back portion 8033a of the waste toner chamber toward the front.

[0051] Here, a laser passage space SP is formed as a gap through which the laser light L emitted from the scanner unit 11 (Fig. 1(a)) toward the photosensitive drum 21 can pass between the cleaning unit 803 and the developing unit 802 (Fig. 6(a)). As described above, the discharge port 8016 and the opening 8021 for transferring the toner from the toner receiving unit 801 to the developing unit 802 are provided at the ends of each unit in the longitudinal direction. For this reason, with a compact configuration of the entire process cartridge 20, while securing the laser passage space SP, the toner supplied from the outside of the image forming apparatus (particularly, through the supply port opening on the upper surface of the apparatus) can be conveyed to the developing container 32 at the lower part of the cartridge.

[0052] (1 - 5) Configuration of the Toner Pack The configuration of the toner pack 40 will be described. Fig. 7(a) is a perspective view showing the toner pack 40 with the shutter member 41 in the closed state, and Fig. 7(b) is its bottom view. Fig. 8(a) is a perspective view showing the toner pack 40 with the shutter member 41 in the open state, Fig. 8(b) is its bottom view, and Fig. 8(c) shows a state where the user squeezes the toner pack 40 by hand during toner replenishment. Fig. 12 is a perspective view of the toner pack 40 with the shutter member 41 in the closed state as viewed from below.

[0053] As shown in FIGS. 7 to 8, a toner pack 40, which is an example of a supply container, includes a bag member 43 filled with toner, a resin discharge portion 42 attached to the bag member 43, and a shutter member 41 capable of opening and closing the opening of the discharge portion 42. Further, a memory unit 45 as a storage means for storing information of the toner pack 40 is attached to the discharge portion 42. The memory unit 45 has a plurality of metal plates (metal terminals) exposed outside the toner pack 40 as a contact portion 45a that contacts a contact portion 70133 (see FIG. 9) of a supply container mounting portion 701 described later. Regarding the bag member 43, materials such as PP resin (polypropylene), PET resin (polyethylene terephthalate resin), cardboard, and paper can be adopted. Also, the thickness can be set to 0.01 mm to 1.2 mm. Further, from the viewpoints of ease of opening by the user of the bag and strength, 0.05 mm to 1.0 mm or less is more preferable.

[0054] As shown in FIGS. 7(b), 8(b), and 12, the shutter member 41 has a shape in which a part of a disk that can rotate relative to the discharge portion 42 is cut out. The side surface forming the thickness of the shutter member 41 at the cut-out portion functions as an engaging surface 41s. On the other hand, the discharge portion 42 also has a shape with a cut-out. The discharge portion 42 has an engaging surface 42s parallel to the engaging surface 41s at the cut-out portion. And the discharge port 42a is provided at a position approximately 180 degrees away from the engaging surface 42s in the circumferential direction of the discharge port 42a. The details of the engaging surface 41s and the engaging surface 42s are shown in FIG. 12.

[0055] As shown in FIGS. 7(b) and 12, when the positions of the notches are aligned when viewed from the upper or lower surface of the shutter member 41 and the discharge portion 42, the discharge port 42a is covered by the shutter member 41 (closed state). As shown in FIG. 8(b), when the shutter member 41 rotates 180 degrees with respect to the discharge portion 42, the discharge port 42a is exposed through the notch portion of the shutter member 41, and the internal space of the bag member 43 communicates with the external space of the toner pack 40. As shown in FIG. 12, it is preferable that the shutter member 41 has a structure in which a seal layer 41b formed of an elastic material such as sponge is bonded to a main body portion 41a having rigidity. In this case, toner leakage can be prevented by the seal layer 41b being in close contact with a seal layer 42c that covers the peripheral edge of the discharge port 42a in the closed state. Although the seal layer 42c is shown in FIG. 12, this seal layer 42c is also formed of an elastic material such as sponge, similar to the seal layer 41b.

[0056] As described later, when supplying toner from the toner pack 40 to the image forming apparatus 1, the discharge portion 42 is aligned with a predetermined position, and the toner pack 40 is inserted and coupled to the supply container mounting portion 701. Then, by rotating the discharge portion 42 by 180 degrees, the discharge portion 42 rotates relative to the shutter member 41, the discharge port 42a opens, and the toner in the bag member 43 flows down to the toner receiving unit 801 according to gravity. At this time, the shutter member does not move relative to the supply container mounting portion 701.

[0057] As shown in FIG. 8(c), the user can promote the discharge of toner from the toner pack 40 by squeezing the bag member 43 by hand with the toner pack 40 mounted on the supply container mounting portion 701 and rotated by 180 degrees.

[0058] Here, a rotary shutter member 41 is illustrated, but the shutter member may be omitted, or a slide-type shutter member may be applied instead of the rotary shutter member 41. Further, the shutter member 41 may be configured to be broken by mounting the toner pack 40 on the supply port 8012 or rotating the toner pack in the mounted state, or may be a removable lid structure such as a seal.

[0059] Also, it is preferable to attach a protective cap to the discharge portion 42 of the unused toner pack 40 so that toner does not leak during transportation or the like. The protective cap is configured to engage with the shutter member 41 and the notch portion of the discharge portion 42 in a state of being attached to the discharge portion 42, for example, and to restrict the relative rotation of the shutter member 41 and the discharge portion 42. By removing the protective cap, the user can attach the toner pack 40 to the supply container mounting portion 701.

[0060] (1-6) Configuration of supply container mounting portion The shutter opening / closing mechanism of the toner pack 40 and the toner receiving unit 801, and the locking mechanism of the shutter member 41 will be described. FIG. 9(a) is a perspective view of the supply container mounting portion 701, and FIG. 9(b) is a top view thereof. The supply container mounting portion 701 has a supply port 8012, a supply port shutter 7013, a locking member 7014, and a rotation detection portion 7015.

[0061] The supply port 8012 is an opening that communicates with the toner storage portion 8011 (see FIG. 6) of the toner receiving unit 801, and is fixed to the frame 8010 of the toner receiving unit 801. The supply port shutter 7013 has a lid portion 70131 that covers the supply port 8012, a cylindrical portion 70132 that receives the discharge portion 42 of the toner pack 40, and a contact portion 70133 that is connected to the contact portion 45a (see FIG. 8(b)) of the memory unit 45 of the toner pack 40. In the figure, the portion of the cylindrical portion 70132 that covers the contact portion 70133 is indicated by 70132a. The supply port shutter 7013 is a member in which the lid portion 70131, the cylindrical portion 70132, and the contact portion 70133 are integrated and rotatably attached to the frame 8010 of the toner receiving unit 801. Each conductor exposed at the contact portion 70133 is electrically connected to the control portion of the image forming apparatus 1 mounted on the printer main body 100 via the wiring provided in the process cartridge 20 and the contacts between the process cartridge 20 and the printer main body 100.

[0062] The rotation detection unit 7015 as a rotation detection sensor is a mechanism for detecting the rotation of the supply port shutter 7013. The rotation detection unit 7015 of the present embodiment is composed of two conductive leaf springs 70151 and 70152. The leaf spring 70152 is spring-biased in the clockwise direction, and when pressed by the protruding portion 70135a provided on the outer periphery of the supply port shutter 7013, it contacts the other leaf spring 70151 at the tip portion 701521. That is, the rotation detection unit 7015 is an electric circuit configured to switch between a conductive state and a cut-off state according to the rotation angle (rotation position) of the supply port shutter 7013. As will be described later, the control unit 90 (FIG. 19) of the image forming apparatus recognizes whether the discharge port 42a of the toner pack 40 and the supply port 8012 of the supply container mounting portion 701 are in a communicating state based on whether the rotation detection unit 7015 is conductive or cut off. In other words, the control unit 90 can determine that the replenishment operation of the toner pack 40 by the user has been normally performed at least until the discharge port 42a and the supply port 8012 communicate with each other.

[0063] A plurality of protruding portions 70135a and 70135b are provided on the outer peripheral portion of the cylindrical portion 70132 of the supply port shutter 7013. Also, a plurality of protruding portions 70125a and 70125b are provided on the portion (the cylindrical portion 7011a of 7011) of the frame body 8010 that supports the cylindrical portion 70132 of the supply port shutter 7013. The plurality of protruding portions 70125a and 70125b are located below the protruding portion 70135a (the right side in FIG. 10(a)) in the direction of gravity. The protruding portion 70125b allows the passage of the protruding portion 70135a (the right side in FIG. 10(a)) by rotational movement. On the other hand, the protruding portion 70135a (the left side in FIG. 10(a)) extends downward to the same height as the protruding portion 70135a (the right side in FIG. 10(a)) and to a height that overlaps with the protruding portions 70125a and 70125b. Therefore, the protruding portion 70125b contacts the protruding portion 70135a (the left side in FIG. 10(a)) according to the rotation angle (rotation position) of the supply port shutter 7013, and restricts the rotational movement of the protruding portion 70135a (the left side in FIG. 10(a)).

[0064] Also, before the supply port shutter 7013 rotates in the R1 direction, the protrusion 70125a abuts against the protrusion 70135a (left side), restricting the rotational movement of the protrusion 70135a in the R2 direction. Further, the protrusion 70135a (right side in FIG. 10(a)) abuts against the lock member 7014, restricting the rotational movement of the lock member 7014 in the R1 direction. On the other hand, after the supply port shutter 7013 rotates in the R1 direction, the protrusion 70135b abuts against the lock member 7014 after it has moved to the locked position, restricting the rotational movement of the lock member 7014 in the R2 direction. Also, the protrusion 70135a (right side in FIG. 10(a)) abuts against the protrusion 70125b, restricting further rotational movement of the protrusion 70135a in the R1 direction. Note that the rotational direction of the supply port shutter 7013 is the R1 direction when the toner pack 40 is attached and the R2 direction when it is removed.

[0065] The lock member 7014 is a member that restricts the rotation of the supply port shutter 7013. FIG. 11(a) shows the state where the lock member 7014 is in the locked position, and FIG. 11(b) shows the state where the lock member 7014 is in the unlocked position. The lock member 7014 can transition between the locked position (restricted position) and the unlocked position (permitted position) by moving up and down. As shown in FIGS. 9(b) and 11(a), when the lock member 7014 abuts against the protrusion 70135a of the supply port shutter 7013 in the locked position, the rotation of the supply port shutter 7013 is restricted. As shown in FIG. 11(b), when the lock member 7014 moves to the unlocked position, the rotation of the supply port shutter 7013 is permitted because the lock member 7014 retracts from the movement locus of the protrusion 70135a when the supply port shutter 7013 rotates.

[0066] (1 - 7) Pressing mechanism of the lock member FIG. 13 shows a pressing mechanism 600 that moves the lock member 7014 between a locked position and an unlocked position. The pressing mechanism 600 includes a motor 601, an input gear 602, a cam gear 603, and a reciprocating pin 604. The input gear 602 is a screw gear attached to the output shaft of the motor 601. The cam gear 603 includes a gear portion 6032 formed of a spur gear that meshes with the input gear 602, and a cam portion 6031 for reciprocating the reciprocating pin 604.

[0067] The reciprocating pin 604 is supported by a holding member so as to be linearly movable in the direction of gravity and the opposite direction (vertical direction). When the motor 601 rotates, the cam gear 603 rotates via the input gear 602, and the reciprocating pin 604 reciprocates up and down by being pressed by the cam portion 6031. Accordingly, the lock member 7014 also moves up and down between the locked position and the unlocked position. FIG. 13 shows a locked state.

[0068] Note that the drive transmission configuration of the pressing mechanism 600 in the present embodiment is a combination of a spur gear and a screw gear, but is not limited thereto as long as it can convert the rotation of the motor into a linear motion. For example, a bevel gear may be used, or the input gear 602 may be omitted and the cam gear 603 may be directly driven by the motor 601. Further, instead of the motor 601, an actuator that outputs a linear motion, such as a solenoid, may be used as a drive source.

[0069] Further, each member constituting the pressing mechanism 600 shown in FIG. 13 is supported by the frame 609 of the printer main body. On the other hand, the rotation shaft 7014a of the lock member 7014 is rotatably and slidably held in the vertical direction by a holding portion provided on the frame 8010 of the toner receiving unit 801. Therefore, when replacing the process cartridge 20, the lock member 7014 is also replaced at the same time, and the pressing mechanism 600 remains in the printer main body. The rotation shaft 7014a and the advance / retreat pin 604 are made of separate members. When the lock member 7014 is in the unlocked position, the advance / retreat pin 604 is separated from the lock member, and the process cartridge 20 is removed from the main body while leaving the advance / retreat pin 604 in the main body. However, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. For example, it is also possible to support the rotation shaft 7014a of the lock member 7014 by the printer main body.

[0070] (1-8) Flow of replenishment operation using toner pack Based on the configurations of the toner pack 40, the supply container mounting portion 701, and the pressing mechanism 600 described above, a series of operations when mounting the toner pack 40 on the supply container mounting portion 701, replenishing toner, and then removing it will be described. FIG. 10(a) is a top view of the supply container mounting portion 701 with the supply port 8012 in the closed state, and FIG. 10(b) is a top view of the supply container mounting portion 701 with the supply port 8012 in the open state.

[0071] As shown in FIG. 10(a), the supply port shutter 7013 in the closed state is fixed so as not to rotate with respect to the supply port 8012 by the protruding portion 70135a abutting against the lock member 7014 in the lock position in the rotation direction. At this time, the lid portion 70131 of the supply port shutter 7013 completely closes the supply port 8012. Further, the leaf springs 70151 and 70152 of the rotation detection portion 7015 are separated, and the rotation detection portion 7015 is in a cut-off state.

[0072] When inserting the toner pack 40 into the supply container mounting portion 701, the user aligns the discharge portion 42 of the toner pack 40 and the notch portion of the shutter member 41 (FIG. 12) with the supply port 8012 and the lid portion 70131 of the supply port shutter 7013 and inserts them. Then, the engaging surface 42s of the discharge portion 42 engages with the engaging surface 7013s (see FIG. 9(c)), which is the side surface of the lid portion 70131, and the engaging surface 41s of the shutter member 41 engages with the engaging surface 8012s (see FIG. 9(c)) provided on the outer peripheral portion of the supply port 8012. At this time, the discharge portion 42 engaged with the lid portion 70131 of the supply port shutter 7013 cannot rotate until the lock of the supply port shutter 7013 by the lock member 7014 is released later, and it can rotate together with the supply port shutter 7013 by the release of the lock. On the other hand, the shutter member 41 of the toner pack 40 is in a non-rotatable state by engaging with the supply port 8012 fixed to the frame body 8010 of the toner receiving unit 801. In addition, as another engaging configuration of the lid portion 70131 and the discharge portion 42, a convex portion protruding upward from the upper surface of the lid portion 70131 may be provided, and a concave portion engaging with this protrusion may be provided on the lower surface 42b (see FIG. 12) of the discharge portion 42.

[0073] Also, due to the insertion of the toner pack 40, the contact portion 45a (FIG. 7) of the memory unit 45 contacts the contact portion 70133 of the supply container mounting portion 701, and the information recorded in the memory unit 45 is read by the control unit 90 of the image forming apparatus. The memory unit 45 records information (new product flag) indicating whether or not toner is contained in the toner pack 40 (whether it is a used toner pack). When the control unit 90 reads the new product flag and determines that the currently installed toner pack 40 contains toner (is unused), it controls the pressing mechanism 600 to push up the lock member 7014. As a result, the lock member 7014 moves from the locked position to the unlocked position (FIG. 11(b)).

[0074] In a state where the lock member 7014 has moved to the unlock position, the lock member 7014 is separated from the protruding portion 70135a of the supply port shutter 7013, so that the supply port shutter 7013 can rotate in the R1 direction in FIGS. 10(a) and 10(b) (FIG. 11(b)). On the other hand, since the protruding portion 70125a provided on the frame 8010 of the toner receiving unit 801 interferes with the protruding portion 70135a (FIG. 10(a)), the rotation of the supply port shutter 7013 in the R2 direction is restricted. That is, in FIG. 10(a), 70125a and 70125b are located below 70135a and 70135b in the gravitational direction so that 70135a and 70135b can move through in the rotation direction.

[0075] When the user grips the toner pack 40 and rotates the discharge portion 42 or the bag member 43 in the vicinity thereof 180 degrees in the R1 direction, the state shown in FIG. 10(b) is obtained. By rotating the supply port shutter 7013 180 degrees together with the discharge portion 42 of the toner pack 40, the lid portion 70131 moves from the position covering the supply port 8012 and the supply port 8012 is exposed. The side surface of the lid portion 70131 is pushed by the engagement surface 42s which is a part of the discharge portion 42 that rotates and rotates and moves together with the engagement surface 42s. Further, when the discharge portion 42 rotates 180 degrees with the shutter member 41 fixed, the discharge port 42a of the toner pack 40 is exposed (FIG. 8(b)) and faces the supply port 8012. As a result, the internal space of the toner pack 40 and the internal space of the toner receiving unit 801 communicate with each other through the discharge port 42a and the supply port 8012, and the toner filled in the bag member 43 flows down to the toner storage portion 8011.

[0076] As described above, the toner that has fallen into the toner storage unit 8011 is conveyed inside the toner receiving unit 801 and reaches the developing container 32, where it can be used in the developing process. Even before the newly replenished toner reaches the developing container 32, as long as there is an amount of toner necessary to maintain image quality remaining in the developing container 32, the developing unit 802 may be configured to be able to execute the developing process. That is, regardless of whether the image forming operation in the image forming unit 10 (FIG. 1(a)) is being executed or not, the toner may be replenished from a replenishing container outside the image forming apparatus to the developing container.

[0077] Further, the protruding portion 70125b is arranged so as to come into contact with the protruding portion 70135a of the supply port shutter 7013 when the supply port shutter 7013 rotates 180 degrees in the R1 direction from the state of FIG. 10(a) (FIG. 10(b)). That is, similar to 70125a, the protruding portion 70125b is also located below 70135a and 70135b in the direction of gravity. As a result, the supply port shutter 7013 is restricted from rotating more than 180 degrees in the R1 direction. At the same time, the protruding portion 70135a of the supply port shutter 7013 presses the leaf spring 70152 of the rotation detection unit 7015, and its tip 701521 comes into contact with the leaf spring 70151. When the rotation detection unit 7015 becomes conductive, the control unit 90 recognizes that the supply port shutter 7013 has been opened, operates the pressing mechanism 600, and moves the lock member 7014 back to the locked position. Then, the lock member 7014 engages with the protruding portion 70135b of the supply port shutter 7013 to restrict rotation in the R2 direction, so that the supply port shutter 7013 and the toner pack 40 are in a state where they do not rotate in any direction.

[0078] Furthermore, in the state of FIG. 10(b) where the discharge part 42 of the toner pack 40 and the supply port shutter 7013 are rotated 180 degrees, the lid part 70131 of the supply port shutter 7013 covers above the shutter member 41 of the toner pack 40. For this reason, even if an attempt is made to lift the toner pack 40 upward from the supply container mounting part 701, the movement of the toner pack 40 is restricted because the shutter member 41 interferes with the lid part 70131. Therefore, the toner pack 40 is prevented from falling off from the supply container mounting part 701 unless the user performs the removal operation of the toner pack 40 according to the predetermined procedure described below.

[0079] After the discharge of toner from the toner pack 40 starts and the conditions for determining the completion of toner discharge are satisfied, the control unit 90 operates the pressing mechanism 600 to move the locking member 7014 to the unlock position. In the present embodiment, the completion of toner discharge is determined based on the elapsed time from the point when the rotation detection unit 7015 becomes conductive.

[0080] After the locking member 7014 moves to the unlock position, the user can remove the toner pack 40 by a procedure reverse to that at the time of attaching the toner pack 40. That is, the user grips the discharge part 42 of the toner pack 40 or the bag member 43 in the vicinity thereof and rotates it 180 degrees in the R2 direction opposite to the attachment direction. Then, the supply port shutter 7013 rotates 180 degrees together with the discharge part 42, and the supply port 8012 is covered by the lid part 70131 of the supply port shutter 7013 as shown in FIG. 10(a). Further, the protrusion 70135a (left side in FIG. 10(a)) of the supply port shutter 7013 abuts against the protrusion 70125a, thereby restricting the supply port shutter 7013 from rotating more than 180 degrees in the R2 direction.

[0081] When the discharge part 42 of the toner pack 40 is rotated 180 degrees in the R2 direction, the positions of the notch part of the discharge part 42 and the notch part of the shutter member 41 are aligned (Fig. 12). Therefore, even when the toner pack 40 moves upward, the shutter member 41 does not interfere with the lid part 70131 of the supply port shutter 7013, and the user can remove the toner pack 40 from the supply container mounting part 701 by gripping and lifting it.

[0082] During the process in which the supply port shutter 7013 rotates 180 degrees in the R2 direction, the protruding part 70135a separates from the leaf spring 70152, and the rotation detection part 7015 returns to the cut-off state. Then, the control part 90 recognizes that the supply port shutter 7013 has become the closed state, and operates the pressing mechanism 600 to move the lock member 7014 to the locked position. As a result, the supply container mounting part 701 returns to the initial state before the toner supply operation. For example, the control part 90 may determine that a predetermined condition for moving the lock member 7014 to the unlocked state is satisfied when a predetermined time has elapsed since the rotation detection part 7015 became the conductive state. The trigger for moving the lock member 7014 to the locked position may be, for example, that the conduction between the contact part 70133 of the supply container mounting part and the contact part 45a of the toner pack (see Fig. 7) is lost by pulling out the toner pack 40 from the supply container mounting part.

[0083] In this embodiment, the discharge port 42a of the toner pack 40 and the supply port 8012 are in a positional relationship of communication by a 180-degree rotation. However, as long as the toner pack 40 can be attached and detached by the same operation as in this embodiment, the rotation angle required for communication can be changed.

[0084] (1-9) Panel Next, the panel 400 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1(b) and 14(a) to (c), the panel 400 is provided, for example, on the front surface of the housing of the printer main body 100. It is an example of a display means for representing information regarding the remaining amount of toner in the developing container 32 (or the empty capacity of the developing container 32). The panel 400 is composed of a liquid crystal panel including a plurality of scales (indicators). In the present embodiment, three scales 4001, 4002, and 4003 are arranged from above to below in the vertical direction. The panel 400 represents the amount of toner that can be replenished to the developing container 32 by the display of the scales 4001 to 4003 that change step by step. The control unit 90 updates the panel display at any time based on the recognition of the completion of the replenishment operation described later. Further, when the completion of the replenishment operation is not reflected in the actual toner remaining amount, the toner remaining amount may be detected subsequently and the panel display may be updated. For example, after the control unit 90 turns on the indicator 4002, if it is detected by an optical sensor (51a, 51b, see FIG. 6(a)) that the toner remaining amount is not actually sufficiently replenished, the control unit 90 turns off the indicator 4002 and updates the display of the panel 400. Further, the lowermost scale 4003 also represents whether the toner in the developing container 32 is at the Low level or the Out level. However, the Low level indicates that toner replenishment for the developing container 32 is necessary, but a minimum amount of toner remains to maintain image quality, and the image forming operation can be executed at the current time. The Out level indicates that almost no toner remains in the developing container 32 and the image forming operation cannot be executed.

[0085] In the illustrated configuration example of the panel 400, when all of the three scales 4001, 4002, and 4003 are turned off, it indicates that the toner in the developing container 32 is at the Out level (fourth state).

[0086] As shown in Fig. 14(a), when only the lower scale 4003 is lit, it indicates that the remaining toner amount in the developing container 32 is at a Low level. In this state, since two scales are turned off, it can be understood that, for example, two portions of toner can be replenished with the toner pack 40 (third state). Also, from the fact that the numeric panels of "+1" and "+2" adjacent to the scale are lit, it can be understood that two portions of toner can be replenished with the toner pack 40.

[0087] As shown in Fig. 14(b), when the lower and central scales 4002 and 4003 are lit and the upper scale 4001 is turned off, it indicates that the remaining toner amount in the developing container 32 is more than the Low level and less than the Full level. In this state, since one scale is turned off, it can be understood that, for example, one portion of toner can be replenished with the toner pack 40 (second state). Also, from the fact that the numeric panel of "+1" adjacent to the scale is lit and the numeric panel of "+2" is turned off, it can be understood that one portion of toner can be replenished with the toner pack 40.

[0088] As shown in Fig. 14(c), when all three scales 4001 to 4003 are lit, it indicates that the remaining toner amount in the developing container 32 is at the Full level. In this state, since there is no scale that is turned off, it can be understood that, for example, toner cannot be replenished from the toner pack 40 (first state). Also, from the fact that the numeric panels of "+1" and "+2" adjacent to the scale are turned off, it can be understood that toner cannot be replenished from the toner pack 40.

[0089] Note that the panel 400 shown in Fig. 14 is an example of a display means whose display content is changed according to the remaining toner amount in the developing container 32, and other configurations may be used. For example, instead of a liquid crystal panel, a panel may be configured by combining a light source such as an LED or an incandescent lamp and a diffusing lens. The scale may be omitted and only the numeric panel may be used, or the numeric panel may be omitted and only the scale may be used.

[0090] Also, the number of graduations and the display method on the panel 400 can be changed as appropriate. For example, when the toner remaining amount in the developing container 32 is at a Low level, the lower graduations may be made to blink to prompt the user to replenish the toner.

[0091] (2) First Modification Example Next, as another example of the replenishment container, a form of a first modification example using a bottle-shaped toner bottle unit instead of the bag-shaped toner pack will be described with reference to FIG. 15. Note that this toner bottle unit is configured to be attachable and detachable to the above-described replenishment container mounting portion 701 in the same manner as the above-described toner pack 40. Therefore, the description of the configuration of the image forming apparatus common to the first embodiment will be omitted.

[0092] (2-1) Configuration of Toner Bottle Unit FIG. 15(a) is a perspective view showing the appearance of the toner bottle unit 900, and FIG. 15(b) is a perspective view showing the toner bottle unit 900 after toner discharge. FIG. 15(c) is a view of the toner bottle unit 900 seen from below the piston, and FIG. 15(d) is a cross-sectional view of the toner bottle unit 900 at the cross-sectional position D-D shown in FIG. 15(c).

[0093] Also, FIG. 16(a) is a perspective view of the toner bottle unit 900 with the outer cylinder 903 (see FIG. 15(a)) hidden, and FIG. 16(b) is a perspective view of the toner bottle unit 900 with the outer cylinder 903 hidden after toner discharge. FIG. 16(c) is a view showing the state before the pushing operation of the parts related to the pushing detection of the toner bottle unit 900, and FIG. 16(d) is a view showing the state after the pushing operation of the parts related to the pushing detection. FIG. 16(e) is a view showing the state before the rotation operation of the parts related to the rotation detection of the toner bottle unit 900, and FIG. 16(f) is a view showing the state after the rotation operation of the parts related to the rotation detection of the toner bottle unit 900.

[0094] As shown in FIGS. 15(a) and 15(d), the toner bottle unit 900 generally includes an outer cylinder 903, an inner cylinder 901, a piston 902, a shutter member 904, and a memory unit 911. The outer cylinder 903 and the inner cylinder 901 are cylindrical. The inner cylinder 901 is fitted inside the outer cylinder 903, and the piston 902 is further fitted inside the inner cylinder 901 and is slidable relative to the inner cylinder 901. Hereinafter, the direction in which the piston 902 moves (the direction of the axis of the outer cylinder 903 and the inner cylinder 901) is referred to as the axial direction of the toner bottle unit 900. Also, the piston 902 is an example of a pressing member.

[0095] The inner cylinder 901 has a cylindrical toner storage portion 9014 for storing toner, a bottom portion 9013 provided on one end side in the axial direction, and a discharge port 9011 provided on the bottom portion 9013. The inner cylinder 901 has a cylinder shape in which one end portion in the axial direction of the toner storage portion 9014 is closed by the bottom portion 9013. The other end side of the toner storage portion 9014 is an opening 9012, and the piston 902 is inserted into the toner storage portion 9014 through the opening 9012. Also, the inner cylinder 901 contains a spherical weight member 905 that can freely move inside the toner storage portion 9014.

[0096] The outer cylinder 903 has a cylindrical inner cylinder accommodation portion 9034 for accommodating the toner storage portion 9014 of the inner cylinder 901 inside, a bottom portion 9033 provided on one end side in the axial direction, and a discharge port 9031 provided on the bottom portion 9033. Similar to the inner cylinder 901, the outer cylinder 903 has a cylinder shape in which one end portion in the axial direction of the inner cylinder accommodation portion 9034 is closed by the bottom portion 9033, and holds the inner cylinder 901 in a non-relative movable state. The other end side of the inner cylinder accommodation portion 9034 is an opening 9032 through which the piston 902 is inserted.

[0097] The discharge port 9011 of the inner cylinder 901 is in the shape of a slender cylinder extending from the bottom 9013 to one axial end side. The discharge port 9031 of the outer cylinder 903 is provided at a position corresponding to the discharge port 9011 of the inner cylinder 901 at the bottom 9033. The discharge port 9031 of the outer cylinder 903 is a discharge port for discharging the toner stored in the toner storage portion 9014 to the outside of the toner bottle unit 900. Note that adjacent to the discharge port 9011 of the inner cylinder 901, a retreat space 9013a is provided for the weight member 905 to retreat so as not to block the discharge port 9011 when the piston is pushed in.

[0098] Note that the bottom 9013 of the inner cylinder 901 has an inclined shape in which the cross-sectional area becomes smaller toward the axial discharge port side (specifically, a conical shape in which the inner diameter becomes smaller toward the axial discharge port side). The bottom 9033 of the outer cylinder 903 facing the bottom 9013 of the inner cylinder 901 also has a similar inclined shape. The discharge port 9011 and the retreat space 9013a of the inner cylinder 901 are provided at the apex portion of the inclined shape of the bottom 9033. The weight member 905 is spherical, guided by this bottom 9013, and moves to the retreat space 9013a by gravity.

[0099] The piston 902 includes an elastic member 906 attached to the end 9023 on one axial end side (discharge port side), and a push-in rib 9021 provided near the end 9022 on the other end side (the portion pressed by the user when the piston is pushed in). The elastic member 906 is configured to be in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the toner storage portion 9014 without a gap, and has a function of preventing the toner from slipping through when the piston is pushed in. Further, the push-in rib 9021 has a convex shape protruding radially outward from the outer peripheral surface of the piston 902.

[0100] The configuration of the shutter member 904 is the same as that of the shutter member 41 provided in the toner pack 40 described above. That is, as shown in FIG. 15(c), the shutter member 904 has a shape in which a part of a disk that is rotatable relative to the outer cylinder 903 is cut out. The side surface that forms the thickness of the shutter member 904 at the cut-out portion functions as an engagement surface 904s. On the other hand, the outer cylinder 903 also has a shape with a cut-out. The outer cylinder 903 has an engagement surface 903s parallel to the engagement surface 904s at the cut-out portion. And the discharge port 9031 is provided at a position approximately 180 degrees away from the engagement surface 903s in the circumferential direction of the outer cylinder 903.

[0101] FIG. 15(c) shows a state where the discharge port 9031 is already exposed. However, in the state at the time of shipment of the toner bottle unit 900, the positions of the cut-out engagement surfaces 903s and 904s of the shutter member 904 and the outer cylinder 903 are aligned. In this case, the discharge port 9031 is covered by the shutter member 904, and the sealed state of the toner storage portion 9014 is maintained (closed state). As shown in FIG. 15(c), when the shutter member 904 rotates 180 degrees with respect to the outer cylinder 903, the discharge port 9031 is exposed through the cut-out portion of the shutter member 904, and the seal of the toner storage portion 9014 is released to enable toner discharge (open state). The configurations of the discharge port 9031, the engagement surface 903s, and the shutter member 904 are basically the same as the configurations described in FIGS. 7, 8, and 12.

[0102] Near the discharge port 9031 in the outer cylinder 903, a memory unit 911 is attached as a storage means for storing information of the toner bottle unit 900. The memory unit 911 has a plurality of metal plates 9111, 9112, 9113 (FIG. 16(a)) exposed outside the toner bottle unit 900 as a contact portion 911a that contacts the contact portion 70133 (FIG. 9(a)) of the supply container mounting portion 701.

[0103] (2-2) Piston Pushing Detection Mechanism Also, as shown in FIGS. 16(a) and (c), between the outer cylinder 903 and the inner cylinder 901, a push detection rod 907, a first contact plate 908, and a second contact plate 909 are arranged as a push detection mechanism for detecting the pushing operation of the piston 902. The push detection rod 907 is made of an insulating material such as resin, and the first contact plate 908 and the second contact plate 909 are made of a conductive material such as metal. The push detection rod 907 has a contact release portion 9072 on one end side in the axial direction (the discharge port side), and a piston contact portion 9071 on the other end side in the axial direction that can abut against the push rib 9021 of the piston 902. The push detection rod 907 moves in the axial direction when the piston contact portion 9071 is pressed against the push rib 9021 in conjunction with the pushing operation of the piston 902.

[0104] The push detection rod 907 is fitted into a groove shape in the axial direction formed on, for example, the outer peripheral surface of the inner cylinder 901 or the inner peripheral surface of the outer cylinder 903, so that its movement in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction is restricted, and it is held movably in the axial direction with respect to the inner cylinder 901 and the outer cylinder 903. Further, the piston contact portion 9071 has a shape bent perpendicular to the axial direction, that is, an L-shaped configuration, so that the push rib 9021 can abut more reliably. In FIG. 16(a), the push rib 9021 is provided over the entire circumference on the outer peripheral surface of the piston 902, but the push rib 9021 may be formed only at the circumferential position corresponding to the piston contact portion 9071.

[0105] The first contact plate 908 and the second contact plate 909 are metal plates whose conduction state and cut-off state are switched according to the position of the push detection rod 907 formed of insulating resin. A new product detection method for the toner bottle unit 900 using the first contact plate 908 and the second contact plate 909 will be described later.

[0106] In addition, a cylinder cover 910 (Fig. 15(a)) is provided at the end of the outer cylinder 903 on the opening side to prevent the push-in detection rod 907 from falling off. That is, the cylinder cover 910 that constitutes the opening 9032 of the outer cylinder 903 is constricted inward from the end position on the radially outer side of the piston contact portion 9071 (Fig. 16(b)) (Fig. 15(d)). Therefore, even when a force is applied to move the push-in detection rod 907 toward the axial opening side, the piston contact portion 9071 interferes with the cylinder cover 910, and the push-in detection rod 907 does not fall off from the toner bottle unit 900.

[0107] (2-3) Determination of whether the toner bottle unit is new or used Next, a configuration for detecting whether the toner bottle unit 900 is unused (new) or used when the toner bottle unit 900 is mounted on the supply container mounting portion 701 will be described. As shown in Figs. 16(c) and (d), the contact release portion 9072 of the push-in detection rod 907 is located near the first contact plate 908 and the second contact plate 909.

[0108] Fig. 16(c) corresponds to the state before the piston is pushed in shown in Fig. 16(a), and the first contact plate 908 and the second contact plate 909 are in a conductive state by contacting each other. At this time, it is preferable to configure one of the metal first contact plate 908 and the second contact plate 909 in a leaf spring shape and press it against the other contact plate. Further, for example, by applying conductive grease to the contact surfaces of the first contact plate 908 and the second contact plate 909, the conduction between the first contact plate 908 and the second contact plate 909 can be made more reliable.

[0109] FIG. 16(d) corresponds to the state after the piston is pushed in as shown in FIG. 16(b), and the first contact plate 908 and the second contact plate 909 are in a disconnected state. In this state, the contact release portion 9072 of the push-in detection rod 907 pushed in by the push-in rib 9021 enters between the first contact plate 908 and the second contact plate 909, physically separating them. The push-in detection rod 907 has at least the contact release portion 9072 formed of an insulating material, and in the state of FIG. 16(d) where the contact release portion 9072 is interposed, the conduction between the first contact plate 908 and the second contact plate 909 is cut off.

[0110] The first contact plate 908 and the second contact plate 909 are respectively connected to different metal plates among the plurality of metal plates 9111 to 9113 at the ends opposite to the ends in contact with the contact release portion 9072 of the push-in detection rod 907. Here, it is assumed that the first contact plate 908 is connected to the metal plate 9111 and the second contact plate 909 is connected to the metal plate 9113. In this case, by detecting the presence or absence of current when a weak voltage is applied between the metal plates 9111 and 9113, it is possible to determine whether the toner bottle unit 900 is in the state before the piston is pushed in (unused) or the state after the piston is pushed in (used). That is, in the state where the toner bottle unit 900 is mounted on the supply container mounting portion 701, the control unit 90 of the image forming apparatus can determine whether the toner bottle unit 900 is unused or used based on the presence or absence of conduction between the metal plates 9111 and 9113. Further, the control unit 90 can determine that the replenishment operation by the user has ended when the first contact plate 908 and the second contact plate 909 become non-conductive. Based on this determination, the control unit 90 performs the display control of the panel 400 described above. Also, the control unit 90 writes a new product flag (new product: 1, used: 0) indicating that the toner bottle unit 900 is used to the memory unit 45 based on the change in conduction between the metal plates 9111 and 9113.

[0111] In the case of the above configuration, it is preferable that the memory unit 911 is disposed on a circuit connecting the metal plates 9111 and 9112. Thereby, the control unit 90 of the image forming apparatus can access the memory unit 911 via the metal plates 9111 and 9112 while monitoring the pushing operation of the toner bottle unit 900 via the metal plates 9111 and 9113 in parallel.

[0112] (2-4) Detection of Rotation of Toner Bottle Unit Next, a method for detecting the rotation of the toner bottle unit 900 will be described with reference to FIGS. 16(e) and 16(f). The rotation detection method in the present embodiment is the same as the embodiment using the toner pack 40 described above, except that a shutter member 904 for sealing the discharge port of the supply container is attached to the outer cylinder 903 of the toner bottle unit 900.

[0113] As shown in FIGS. 16(e) and 16(f), two conductive leaf springs 70151 and 70152 are arranged as a rotation detection unit 7015 in the supply container mounting portion 701 of the process cartridge. Further, a protruding portion 70135b is provided on the outer peripheral portion of the supply port shutter 7013.

[0114] As shown in FIG. 16(e), in a state before the toner bottle unit 900 inserted into the supply container mounting portion 701 is rotated, the tip part 701521 of the leaf spring 70152 does not contact the leaf spring 70152, and the rotation detection unit 7015 is in a disconnected state. That is, even if a weak voltage is applied between the leaf springs 70151 and 70152, no current flows. As shown in FIG. 16(f), when the toner bottle unit 900 is rotated by 180 degrees, the leaf spring 70152 is pressed by the protruding portion 70135a and comes into contact with the other leaf spring 70151 at the tip portion 701521 to be in a conductive state. In this state, when a weak voltage is applied between the leaf springs 70151 and 70152, a current flows. The control unit 90 of the image forming apparatus recognizes whether or not the discharge port 9031 of the toner bottle unit 900 and the supply port 8012 of the supply container mounting portion 701 are in communication based on whether the rotation detection unit 7015 is conductive or disconnected.

[0115] (2-5) Flow of the replenishment operation using the toner bottle unit A series of operations of mounting the toner bottle unit 900 on the supply container mounting portion 701 to perform toner supply and then removing the toner bottle unit 900 will be described. Note that the description of the same parts as those in the above-described embodiment using the toner pack 40 will be omitted.

[0116] First, the user mounts the unused toner bottle unit 900 on the supply container mounting portion 701. Specifically, the notch-shaped engaging surfaces 903s and 904s (FIG. 15(c)) of the outer cylinder 903 and the shutter member 904 are aligned with the lid portion 70131 (FIG. 9(a)) of the supply port 8012 and the supply port shutter 7013 and inserted. Then, the engaging surface 903s of the outer cylinder 903 engages with the engaging surface 7013s which is the side surface of the lid portion 70131, and the engaging surface 904s of the shutter member 904 engages with the engaging surface 8012s provided on the outer peripheral portion of the supply port 8012. At this time, the outer cylinder 903 engaged with the lid portion 70131 of the supply port shutter 7013 cannot rotate until the lock of the supply port shutter 7013 by the lock member 7014 is released later, and becomes rotatable together with the supply port shutter 7013 when the lock is released. On the other hand, the shutter member 904 is in a non-rotatable state by engaging with the supply port 8012 fixed to the frame 8010 of the toner receiving unit 801. Also, the leaf springs 70151 and 70152 of the rotation detection unit 7015 are separated, and the rotation detection unit 7015 is in a cut-off state (FIG. 16(e)).

[0117] When the unused toner bottle unit 900 is inserted into the supply container mounting portion 701, the control unit 90 recognizes that the toner bottle unit 900 is new by the above-described new product detection configuration. As described above, the control unit 90 may recognize the conduction between the metal plates 9111-91113, or may read and determine the new product flag (new: 1, used: 0) of the memory unit 45. Then, the control unit 90 operates the pressing mechanism 600 to move the lock member 7014 to the unlock position, and the toner bottle unit 900 becomes rotatable.

[0118] Thereafter, when the user grasps the toner bottle unit 900 and rotates it 180 degrees, the shutter member 904 and the supply port shutter 7013 are opened, and the discharge port 9031 of the toner bottle unit 900 communicates with the supply port 8012 of the supply container attachment portion 701. The operation of opening the shutter member 904 and the supply port shutter 7013 in conjunction with the rotation of the toner bottle unit 900 is the same as in the case of the toner pack 40 described using Figures 10(a) and (b).

[0119] As shown in FIG. 16(f), when the toner bottle unit 900 is rotated 180 degrees, the leaf spring 70152 pressed by the protruding portion 70135b of the supply port shutter 7013 is front The end 701521 comes into contact with the other leaf spring 70151. When the rotation detection unit 7015 is thus brought into a conductive state, the control unit 90 of the image forming apparatus detects that the toner bottle unit 900 has been rotated. In other words, the control unit 90 recognizes that the shutter member 904 and the supply port shutter 7013 have been released from sealing, and the discharge port 42a of the toner pack 40 and the supply port 8012 of the supply container attachment unit 701 are in communication with each other. The control unit 90 also operates the pressing mechanism 600 to move the locking member 7014 to the locking position, thereby restricting the rotation of the toner bottle unit 900.

[0120] Next, the user presses the piston 902 of the toner bottle unit 900 to start discharging the toner. The toner that has fallen into the toner storage section 8011 is conveyed inside the toner receiving unit 801 and reaches the developing container 32. Also in this modified example, when the piston 902 is pushed in all the way, the completion of the pushing operation of the piston 902 is detected by the above-described pushing detection mechanism. That is, as shown in FIG. 16(b), the pushing rib 9021 of the piston 902 presses the piston contact portion 9071 of the pushing detection rod 907, so that the pushing detection rod 907 moves in conjunction with the piston 902. Then, as shown in FIG. 16(d), the contact release portion 9072 of the pushing detection rod 907 cuts off the conduction between the first contact plate 908 and the second contact plate 909. The control unit 90 of the image forming apparatus recognizes the completion of the pushing of the piston 902 based on the fact that no current flows even when a voltage is applied between the metal plate 9111 connected to the first contact plate 908 and the metal plate 9113 connected to the second contact plate 909. That is, in the case of this modified example, detecting the completion of the pushing operation of the piston 902 by the pushing detection mechanism is a condition for determining the completion of the toner discharge. As another configuration example, when the conduction between the first contact plate 908 and the second contact plate 909 is cut off, the control unit 90 may rewrite the new product flag in the memory unit 911 and determine that the toner discharge is completed by rewriting the new product flag.

[0121] When the control unit 90 that has detected the completion of toner discharge from the toner bottle unit 900 operates the pressing mechanism 600 again to move the locking member 7014 to the unlock position, the toner bottle unit 900 is made rotatable. The user grips the toner bottle unit 900 and rotates it 180 degrees. Then, the discharge port 9031 of the toner bottle unit 900 is covered by the shutter member 904, and the supply port 8012 of the supply container mounting portion 701 is covered by the lid portion 70131 of the supply port shutter 7013. Also, as shown in FIG. 16(e), the leaf springs 70151 and 70152 are separated, and the rotation detection unit 7015 returns to the cut-off state. Then, the control unit 90 recognizes that the supply port shutter 7013 is in the closed state and operates the pressing mechanism 600 to move the locking member 7014 to the lock position. As a result, the supply container mounting portion 701 returns to the initial state before toner supply.

[0122] (3) Second Modification Example Next, a form of a second modification example in which the configuration of the process cartridge is different will be described. Since this modification example has the same configuration as the first embodiment except for the configuration related to the process cartridge, the description of the common parts will be omitted.

[0123] (3-1) Process Cartridge FIG. 17 is a (a) perspective view, (b) side view, (c) cross-sectional view, and (d) cross-sectional view of the process cartridge 20A according to this modification example. FIGS. 17(c) and (d) represent the cross-sectional views at the cutting positions shown in FIG. 17(b), respectively.

[0124] As shown in each of the figures in Fig. 17, the process cartridge 20A of this modified example is composed of a toner receiving unit 801, a developing unit 802, and a drum unit 803A. When compared with the first embodiment, the drum unit 803A is not provided with a cleaning blade 24 for cleaning the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 and a waste toner chamber 8033 (see Fig. 6(a)) for accommodating waste toner. This modified example adopts a cleanerless configuration in which the transfer residual toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 without being transferred to the recording material is collected by the developing unit 802 and reused. Here, for example, a non-magnetic or magnetic one-component developer is also used.

[0125] In the illustrated example, the developing unit 802 is located below the process cartridge 20A, and the toner receiving unit 801 and the drum unit 803A are located above the developing unit 802 in the direction of gravity. As shown in Fig. 17(b), when viewed in the direction of gravity, the positions of the toner receiving unit 801 and the drum unit 803A do not overlap, but they may also be configured to be at least partially arranged vertically. Also, the toner receiving unit 801 is arranged in the space where the cleaning blade 24 and the waste toner chamber 8033 were provided in the first embodiment. The configuration of the supply container mounting portion 701 provided in the toner receiving unit 801 is the same as that in the first embodiment, but Fig. 17 shows a simplified shape.

[0126] A laser passage space SP is formed as a gap through which the laser light L emitted from the scanner unit 11 (see Fig. 1(a)) toward the photosensitive drum 21 can pass between the developing unit 802 and the drum unit 803A and the toner receiving unit 801. Also, it is preferable to arrange a pre-exposure device for irradiating light on the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 to erase the electrostatic latent image between the drum unit 803A downstream of the transfer portion and the charging roller 22 in the rotation direction of the photosensitive drum 21.

[0127] (3-2) Behavior of toner in the cleanerless configuration The behavior of toner in a cleanerless configuration will be described. The transfer residual toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 21 in the transfer section is removed in the following steps. The transfer residual toner contains a mixture of toner charged positively and toner that is negatively charged but does not have sufficient charge. The photosensitive drum 21 after transfer is discharged by the pre-exposure device, and uniform discharge is generated by the charging roller 22, so that the transfer residual toner is charged negatively again. The transfer residual toner that is charged negatively again in the charging section reaches the developing section as the photosensitive drum 21 rotates. Then, the surface area of the photosensitive drum 21 that has passed through the charging section is exposed by the scanner unit 11 and an electrostatic latent image is written while the transfer residual toner remains attached to the surface.

[0128] Here, the behavior of the transfer residual toner that has reached the developing section will be described separately for the exposed area and the non-exposed area of the photosensitive drum 21. The transfer residual toner adhering to the non-exposed area of the photosensitive drum 21 transfers to the developing roller 31 due to the potential difference between the potential of the non-exposed area of the photosensitive drum 21 (dark area potential) and the developing voltage in the developing section, and is collected in the developing container 32. This is because the normal charging polarity of the toner is negative, and the developing voltage applied to the developing roller 31 is relatively positive with respect to the potential of the non-exposed area. The toner collected in the developing container 32 is agitated and dispersed with the toner in the developing container by the agitating member 34, and is carried on the developing roller 31 and used again in the developing process.

[0129] On the other hand, the transfer residual toner adhering to the exposed area of the photosensitive drum 21 remains on the drum surface without transferring from the photosensitive drum 21 to the developing roller 31 in the developing section. This is because the normal charging polarity of the toner is negative, and the developing voltage applied to the developing roller 31 is a more negative potential than the potential of the exposed area (bright area potential). The transfer residual toner remaining on the drum surface is carried on the photosensitive drum 21 together with other toner that transfers from the developing roller 31 to the exposed area and moves to the transfer section, where it is transferred to the recording material in the transfer section.

[0130] By adopting a cleanerless configuration, the installation space for a collection container for collecting residual toner and the like becomes unnecessary, enabling further miniaturization of the image forming apparatus 1. Also, by reusing the residual toner, the printing cost can be reduced.

[0131] (4) Third Modification Example Next, a third modification example in which the configuration of the process cartridge is different from any of the above forms will be described. In this modification example, since the parts other than the configuration related to the process cartridge have the same configuration as those in the first embodiment, the description of the common parts will be omitted.

[0132] (4-1) Third Form of the Process Cartridge FIG. 18 is a (a) perspective view, (b) side view, and (c) cross-sectional view of the process cartridge 20B according to this modification example. FIG. 18(c) shows the cross-sectional plane at the cutting position shown in FIG. 18(b).

[0133] As shown in each of the drawings in FIG. 18, the process cartridge 20B of this modification example is composed of a developing unit 802 and a drum unit 803A. When compared with the third embodiment, instead of the toner receiving unit 801 being omitted, a replenishment container mounting portion 701, a first conveying member 8013, and a second conveying member 8014 are arranged in the developing unit 802. That is, in this modification example, a replenishment container such as a toner pack 40 or a toner bottle unit 900 is mounted from the outside of the image forming apparatus to the replenishment port 8012 provided in the developing container 32 to perform toner replenishment. The configuration of the replenishment container mounting portion 701 is the same as that in the first embodiment, but a simplified shape is illustrated.

[0134] Between the developing unit 802, the drum unit 803A, and the toner receiving unit 801, a laser passing space SP is formed as a gap through which the laser beam L emitted from the scanner unit 11 (see FIG. 1(a)) toward the photosensitive drum 21 can pass. Further, it is preferable to dispose a pre-exposure device that irradiates light onto the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 to erase the electrostatic latent image between the drum unit 803A downstream of the transfer portion and the charging roller 22 in the rotational direction of the photosensitive drum 21. This modified example employs a cleanerless configuration. Since the behavior of toner in the cleanerless configuration is the same as that in the second modified example, the description thereof is omitted.

[0135] (5) Control System of the Image Forming Apparatus FIG. 19 is a block diagram showing the control system of the image forming apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment. The control unit 90 as the control means of the image forming apparatus 1 includes a CPU 91 as an arithmetic unit, a RAM 92 used as a work area of the CPU 91, and a non-volatile memory 93 that stores various programs. Further, the control unit 90 includes an I / O interface 94 as an input / output port connected to an external device, and an A / D conversion unit 95 that converts an analog signal into a digital signal. The CPU 91 controls each part of the image forming apparatus 1 by reading and executing the control program stored in the non-volatile memory 93. Therefore, the non-volatile memory 93 is an example of a non-transitory storage medium that stores a control program for operating the image forming apparatus in a specific manner.

[0136] In addition, a T memory 57, which is a non-volatile memory mounted on a supply container such as a toner pack 40 or a toner bottle unit 900, and a P memory 58, which is a non-volatile memory mounted on the process cartridge 20, are connected to the control unit 90. Examples of the T memory 57 as the storage means provided in the supply container are the memory unit 45 mounted on the aforementioned toner pack 40 and the memory unit 911 mounted on the aforementioned toner bottle unit 900. Further, the T memory 57 stores toner information indicating that the toner stored in a supply container such as the toner pack 40 or the toner bottle unit 900 is toner that can be supplied to the developing container 32. The toner information is, for example, information describing whether the toner pack 40 is in an unused state, the initial capacity of the toner, the expiration date, etc. The P memory 58 stores information such as the remaining amount of toner stored in the developing container 32, the total amount of toner replenished from the supply container performed so far, information regarding the photoreceptor life, and information regarding the replacement timing of the process cartridge 20.

[0137] Furthermore, a rotation lock mechanism 59 and an image forming unit 10 are connected to the control unit 90. Examples of the rotation lock mechanism 59 are a lock member 7014 (FIGS. 9 and 11) provided in the supply container mounting portion 701 and a pressing mechanism 600 (FIG. 13) for moving the lock member 7014. The image forming unit 10 has a motor M1 as a drive source for driving the photosensitive drum 21, the developing roller 31, the supply roller 33, the stirring member 34, etc. Note that the drive sources of these rotating members do not necessarily have to be the same. For example, the photosensitive drum 21, the developing roller 31, and the supply roller 33 and the stirring member 34 may be configured to be driven by separate motors. The image forming unit 10 also includes a power supply unit 211 for applying a voltage to each member such as the developing roller 31 and an exposure control unit 212 for controlling the scanner unit 11.

[0138] A toner remaining amount detection means 51, a waste toner full detection means 52, a mounting detection means 53, an opening / closing detection means 54, a rotation detection means 55, and a pushing detection means 56 are connected to the input side of the control unit 90.

[0139] The toner remaining amount detection means 51 detects the remaining amount of toner stored in the developing container 32. An example of the toner remaining amount detection means 51 is the optical sensors (51a, 51b) shown in FIG. 6(a). This optical sensor includes a light emitting unit 51a that irradiates detection light toward the inside of the developing container 32, and a light receiving unit 51b that detects the detection light. In this case, the ratio (Duty) of the period during which the optical path of the detection light is blocked by the toner with respect to the rotation period when the stirring member 34 rotates is correlated with the remaining amount of toner in the developing container 32. By using this and preparing in advance the correspondence relationship between the Duty value and the remaining amount of toner, the remaining amount of toner can be obtained from the current Duty value. Note that such an optical sensor is an example of the toner remaining amount detection means, and a pressure sensor or a capacitance type sensor may be used. The waste toner full detection means 52 detects that the amount of waste toner accumulated in the waste toner chamber 8033 (FIG. 6(a)) of the cleaning unit 803 has reached a predetermined upper limit. As the waste toner full detection means 52, for example, a pressure sensor disposed in the waste toner chamber 8033 can be used. Also, based on the assumption that a predetermined ratio of the image information becomes waste toner and is recovered, the control unit 90 may calculate and predict the amount of waste toner from the image information.

[0140] The attachment detection means 53 detects that a supply container such as the toner pack 40 is attached to the supply container attachment portion 701. The attachment detection means 53 is composed of, for example, a pressure sensitive switch provided in the supply container attachment portion 701 and outputting a detection signal when pressed by the bottom surface of the toner pack 40. Also, the attachment detection means 53 may be a detection circuit that detects that the T memory 57 is electrically connected to the control unit 90 via the contact portion 70133 (FIG. 9) of the supply container attachment portion 701.

[0141] The rotation detection means 55 detects the rotation of the supply container mounted on the supply container mounting portion 701. An example of the rotation detection means 55 is the rotation detection unit 7015 constituted by leaf springs 70151 and 70152 (Figs. 9 and 16). The rotation detection unit 7015 is an example of the rotation detection means 55. For example, a photosensor shielded by a protrusion provided on the supply port shutter 7013 can also be used as the rotation detection sensor. Further, as another example of the rotation detection sensor, a configuration may be adopted in which the leaf springs 70151 and 70152 of the rotation detection unit 7015 are electrically connected by a protrusion provided on the discharge portion 42 of the toner pack 40.

[0142] The push-in detection means 56 is an element added when using the toner bottle unit 900 of the first modification, and detects the completion of the push-in of the piston 902 of the toner bottle unit 900. An example of the push-in detection means 56 is a detection circuit provided in the image forming apparatus 1 that detects a change in the state of a push-in detection mechanism (Fig. 16) including a push-in detection rod 907, a first contact plate 908, and a second contact plate 909 provided in the toner bottle unit 900. This detection circuit detects whether the piston 902 has been pushed in or not by monitoring the current value when a voltage is applied to metal plates 9111 and 9113 to which the first contact plate 908 and the second contact plate 909 are respectively connected.

[0143] Further, the control unit 90 is connected to an operation unit 300 which is a user interface of the image forming apparatus 1 and serves as a notification means (notification means) for guiding the user through the toner replenishment procedure. Furthermore, the control unit 90 is connected to a panel 400 that notifies the user of information regarding the remaining amount of toner in the developing container 32. Here, the information regarding the remaining amount of toner is not limited to indicating the remaining amount of toner itself. In addition, the information regarding the remaining amount of toner includes information indicating how much has already been replenished using the toner pack 40 or the toner bottle unit 900. Also, the information regarding the remaining amount of toner includes information indicating the remaining capacity of the developing container 32, that is, how many more toner packs 40 or toner bottle units 900 can be used to replenish the developing container 32.

[0144] As shown in FIG. 20(a), the operation unit 300 has a display unit 301 capable of displaying various setting screens. The display unit 301 is composed of, for example, a liquid crystal panel. The operation unit 300 also includes an input unit for receiving input operations from the user. The input unit is composed of, for example, physical buttons such as buttons 310 or a touch panel function unit of the liquid crystal panel. Note that the operation unit 300 may be configured to include a sound emitting unit such as a speaker for notifying information regarding the toner remaining amount and information regarding the toner replenishment procedure by voice.

[0145] In addition, the image forming apparatus 1 is communicably connected to an information processing apparatus composed of hardware such as a CPU, a RAM, and a ROM of a portable information processing terminal 2B such as a PC 2A or a smartphone (see FIG. 21). The information processing apparatus functions as a notification means for guiding the user through the toner replenishment procedure instead of the operation unit 300. Information transmitted from the PC 2A and the portable information processing terminal 2B to the image forming apparatus 1 is input to the control unit 90 via the I / O interface 94. Information transmitted from the image forming apparatus 1 to the PC 2A or the portable information processing terminal 2B is output from the control unit 90 via the I / O interface 94 and input to the control unit of the PC 2A or the portable information processing terminal 2B. The operating states of the PC 2A and the portable information processing terminal 2B are displayed on the display units 320 (FIG. 20(b)) provided respectively. Note that the PC 2A and the portable information processing terminal 2B may be configured to be provided with a sound emitting unit such as a speaker. The image forming apparatus 1, the PC 2A, and the portable information processing terminal 2B constitute an information processing system.

[0146] (6) Guidance on Toner Replenishment Procedure <Example 1> As described above, the process cartridge 20 is of a direct replenishment type that can directly replenish toner from outside the image forming apparatus 1 by using a replenishment container such as the toner pack 40 or the toner bottle unit 900. Therefore, when replenishing the toner, the user needs to perform a predetermined operation on the toner pack 40 or the toner bottle unit 900. In this embodiment, the guidance operation of the replenishment procedure when using the toner pack 40 as the replenishment container for replenishing the toner will be described.

[0147] (6-1) Guidance of the replenishment procedure using the toner pack First, with reference to FIG. 22, the flow of the notification operation of the replenishment procedure in this embodiment will be described. FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing an example of the notification operation of the replenishment procedure in the direct replenishment type. In this embodiment, the toner remaining amount detection means 51, the mounting detection means 53, the rotation detection means 55, and the pushing detection means 56 each function as an example of a progress detection means that detects the progress of the toner replenishment procedure and changes the output value. Hereinafter, the flow of the guidance operation will be described along with the progress of the toner replenishment procedure.

[0148] The toner remaining amount detection means 51 is a sensor whose output value changes according to the remaining amount of toner contained in the developing container 32, and functions as the toner amount detection means in this embodiment. The control unit 90 acquires the output value of the toner remaining amount detection means 51 and determines the remaining amount of toner inside the developing container 32. When the remaining amount of toner in the developing container 32 is an amount that can replenish one or more copies of toner with the toner pack 40 (S501), the control unit 90 causes the operation unit 300 to display the first message 56a (Fig. 23(a)) (S502). In the first message 56a, the first procedure for attaching the toner pack 40 to the replenishment port 8012 is shown. The predetermined amount of the remaining amount of toner inside the developing container 32 in this embodiment is the remaining amount that can replenish one or more copies of toner with the toner pack 40. When the remaining amount of toner inside the developing container 32 becomes less than the predetermined amount, the notification operation of the replenishment procedure is started using this as a trigger. As shown in Fig. 23(a), the first message 56a indicates that toner replenishment to the process cartridge 20 is possible, and as one of the toner replenishment procedures, a message prompting the user to attach the toner pack 40 to the toner pack mounting portion 701 is displayed. The user attaches the toner pack 40 to the toner pack mounting portion 701 according to the first message 56a displayed on the display unit 301 (S503).

[0149] Note that in Figs. 23(a - f), as an example of showing the toner replenishment procedure displayed on the display unit 301, character information is shown as messages (56a - 56f). In addition to this, for example, the procedure for replenishing toner from the toner pack 40 to the developing container 32 may be displayed on the display unit 301 as information such as an image or a video. Also, when the image forming apparatus 1 is configured to include a sound - emitting unit such as a speaker, the procedure for replenishing toner from the toner pack 40 to the developing container 32 may be configured to notify the user as voice information.

[0150] As described above, when replenishing the toner, the toner pack 40 is mounted on the replenishment container mounting portion 701. Further, the toner receiving unit 801 is provided with a rotation lock mechanism 59 as a regulating member for regulating the position of the discharge port 42a of the toner pack 40 in a state where the toner pack 40 is mounted on the replenishment container mounting portion 701. As described above, if the position of the lock member 7014 is not the unlock position, even when the toner pack 40 is mounted on the replenishment container mounting portion 701, the supply port 8012 and the discharge port 42a will not be in communication (see FIGS. 11(a) and (b)). In this embodiment, for example, the mounting detection means 53 detects that the toner pack 40 is mounted on the replenishment container mounting portion 701 when the T memory 57 is electrically connected to the control unit 90 via the contact portion 70133 (FIG. 9) of the replenishment container mounting portion 701. With such a configuration, the mounting detection means 53 is configured to be able to detect whether or not the toner pack 40 is mounted at a position suitable for reliably discharging the toner. That is, even if the toner pack 40 is mounted on the toner receiving unit 801, if the position of the discharge port 42a relative to the supply port 8012 is not a position suitable for reliably discharging the toner, the toner is configured not to be discharged from the toner pack 40.

[0151] The control unit 90 acquires the output value of the wearing detection means 53 and determines whether the toner pack 40 is mounted on the supply container mounting portion 701 (S504). For example, when communication with the memory unit 45 of the toner pack 40 is established, the control unit 90 determines that the toner pack 40 is mounted on the supply container mounting portion 701. When the toner pack 40 is not mounted on the supply container mounting portion 701 (S504 / N), the control unit 90 does not raise the locking member 7014 and maintains the state as it is. When the toner pack 40 is mounted on the supply container mounting portion 701 (S504 / Y), the control unit 90 acquires toner information from the T memory 57 of the toner pack 40. Then, the control unit 90 determines whether the toner stored in the toner pack 40 is toner that can be supplied to the developing container 32 based on the toner information acquired from the T memory 57 (S505). Note that the control unit 90 is configured to be able to determine whether the toner stored in the toner pack 40 is toner that can be supplied to the developing container 32 based on the toner information. For example, when the toner pack 40 is new, when the toner in the toner pack 40 and the developing container 32 is the same color, and when the expiration date of the toner pack 40 has not been reached, the control unit 90 determines that the toner in the toner pack 40 can be supplied (S505 / Y).

[0152] When it is determined that the toner in the toner pack 40 can be replenished, the control unit 90 determines whether the process cartridge 20 is in a state where toner replenishment is possible based on the information stored in the P memory 58 of the process cartridge 20 (S506). As described above, the P memory 58 stores the remaining amount of toner contained in the developing container 32, the total amount of toner replenished from the replenishment container so far, information regarding the photoreceptor life, information regarding the replacement timing of the process cartridge 20, and the like. For example, even when the graduations 4002 and 4003 on the panel 400 are lit, there may be a case where the remaining amount of toner in the developing container 32 cannot be replenished by the toner pack 40. In such a case, the control unit 90 determines that the process cartridge 20 is not in a state where toner replenishment is possible (S506 / N). On the other hand, when the remaining amount of toner in the developing container 32 is an amount that can be replenished by the toner pack 40, the control unit 90 determines that the process cartridge 20 is in a state where toner replenishment is possible (S506 / Y). The case where the remaining amount of toner in the developing container 32 is an amount that can be replenished by the toner pack 40 is, for example, a case where at least the graduation 4003 on the panel 400 is turned off. Note that the control unit 90 may determine whether the process cartridge 20 is in a state where toner replenishment is possible based only on information indicating whether the remaining amount of toner in the developing container 32 is an amount that can be replenished by the toner pack 40.

[0153] In this way, the control unit 90 determines whether the toner contained in the toner pack 40 mounted on the replenishment container mounting portion 701 can be replenished to the developing container 32. If N in any of S504, S505, and S506, the control unit 90 maintains the restricted state of the toner pack 40 by the rotation lock mechanism 59 (S523) and ends the series of operations. Thereby, even when a toner pack that cannot be replenished to the developing container 32 by the user is handled or when the life of the process cartridge 20 is approaching, it is possible to prevent the toner from being accidentally discharged to the developing container 32.

[0154] When the toner contained in the toner pack 40 is the toner that can be replenished to the developing container 32 and the process cartridge 20 is in a state where toner can be replenished (S506 / Y), the control unit 90 releases the regulation state of the toner pack 40 by the locking mechanism. As a result, the locking mechanism enters a permitted state in which rotation of the toner pack 40 with respect to the replenishment port 8012 is permitted (S507). Next, the control unit 90 causes the display unit to display a second message 56b prompting the operation of rotating the toner pack 40 (S508). The second message 56b indicates a second procedure for communicating the toner pack 40 with the replenishment port 8012 among the toner replenishment procedures. The user rotates the toner pack 40 according to the displayed second message 56b (S509). When the toner pack 40 is rotated by the user, the toner pack 40 mounted on the replenishment container mounting portion 701 communicates with the replenishment port 8012. In the present embodiment, for example, when the leaf springs 70151 and 70152 of the rotation detection unit 7015 are conducted by the protrusion provided on the discharge unit 42, the rotation detection means 55 detects that the rotation angle of the toner pack 40 has reached an angle that communicates with the replenishment port 8012. Further, the rotation detection means 55 may be configured to detect that the rotation angle of the toner pack 40 has reached an angle that communicates with the replenishment port 8012 when a photoelectric sensor (not shown) is shielded by a protrusion provided on the replenishment port shutter 7013.

[0155] The control unit 90 determines the rotation angle of the toner pack 40 based on the output value of the rotation detection means 55, and determines whether or not the toner pack 40 and the replenishment port 8012 communicate with each other (S510). Here, when the rotation angle of the toner pack 40 reaches 180 degrees (S510 / Y), it is assumed that the replenishment port 8012 is exposed to the discharge unit 42 and the toner pack 40 and the replenishment port 8012 communicate with each other (see FIG. 10(b)). That is, the rotation detection means 55 is an example of the communication detection means of the present embodiment.

[0156] When it is determined that the toner pack 40 and the supply port 8012 are in communication (S510 / Y), the control unit 90 positions the locking member 7014 of the rotation lock mechanism 59 at the locked position to return the toner pack 40 to the restricted state (S511). If the toner pack 40 is removed from the supply port 8012 while the toner pack 40 and the supply port 8012 remain in communication, the toner contained in the toner pack 40 may scatter. Therefore, in this embodiment, when the toner pack 40 and the supply port 8012 are in communication, the detachment of the toner pack 40 from the supply port 8012 is restricted before discharging the toner, preventing the scattering of the toner.

[0157] After restricting the toner pack 40, the control unit 90 causes the operation unit 300 to display a third message 56c prompting the user to perform an operation to discharge toner from the toner pack 40 to the supply port 8012 (S512). The third message 56c indicates the third procedure for discharging toner from a supply container such as the toner pack 40 to the supply port 8012 in the toner replenishment procedure. When replenishing toner to the process cartridge 20 using the toner pack 40, as the third message 56c, a display prompting the user to perform an operation of squeezing the bag member 43 by hand is performed.

[0158] Also, the control unit 90 alternately displays a fourth message 56d with the third message 56c (S513). The fourth message 56d is a display indicating a procedure for canceling the toner replenishment procedure. The fifth procedure of this embodiment is a procedure for canceling the progress of the toner replenishment procedure. Here, as an example of the cancel operation, operating a button 310 capable of executing a cancel operation for canceling the toner replenishment procedure on the operation unit 300 is defined as the cancel operation (see Fig. 20(a)). Since the operation unit 300 changes the output value depending on whether the button 310 is operated, the button 30 and the operation unit 300 cooperate to function as the cancel operation detection means of this embodiment.

[0159] When a cancellation operation is performed during the period in which the third message 56c or the fourth message 56d is being displayed (S514 / Y), the control unit 90 stops the progress of the toner replenishment procedure and releases the restricted state of the toner pack 40 by the rotation lock mechanism 59 (S524). When the toner pack 40 becomes in an acceptable state, the control unit 90 causes a fifth message 56e for prompting the user to perform an operation to remove the toner pack 40 from the supply container mounting portion 701 to be displayed (S525). The user rotates the toner pack 40 according to the displayed fifth message 56e, whereby the toner pack 40 is removed from the supply container mounting portion 701.

[0160] If a cancellation operation is not performed within a predetermined time (e.g., 3 minutes) after the display of the third message 56c starts (S514 / N), it can be considered that an operation for discharging toner from the toner pack 40 is being performed. At this time, the control unit 90 discharges toner from the toner pack 40 to the supply port 8012 (S515), and determines that the discharge of toner from the toner pack 40 to the supply port 8012 is completed (S516 / Y). The control unit 90 measures the elapsed time since the display of the third message 56c started based on the clock of the CPU and the system clock. That is, the control unit 90 is an example of the discharge detection means in this embodiment. When it is determined that the discharge of toner is completed, the control unit 90 increments the scale display on the panel 400 (S517). Incrementing the scale display means that the remaining amount of toner in the process cartridge 20 has increased, or that the discharge of toner from the toner pack 40 is completed.

[0161] Next, the control unit 90 updates the toner information in the T memory 57 (S518). The toner information in the T memory 57 is updated to include a description indicating that the toner pack 40 is in a used state. Then, the control unit 90 sets the position of the locking member 7014 of the rotation lock mechanism 59 to the unlocked position and releases the restriction state of the toner pack 40 (S519). Then, the control unit 90 causes the operation unit 300 to display a sixth message 56f prompting the user to perform an operation to remove the used toner pack 40 from the supply container mounting portion 701 (S520). The fourth procedure of this embodiment is an operation for removing a supply container such as the toner pack 40 from the supply port 8012. The user rotates the toner pack 40 according to the notified sixth message 56f (S521), whereby the toner pack 40 becomes removable from the supply container mounting portion 701 (S522).

[0162] In this way, when the control unit 90 causes the operation unit 300 to display the toner replenishment procedure, it changes the procedure according to the detection results of the toner remaining amount detection means 51, the mounting detection means 53, the rotation detection means 55, and the pushing detection means 56, respectively. In this embodiment, by displaying the toner replenishment procedure while the toner is being replenished by the user, the user can recognize the progress of the replenishment operation, so that the burden on the user associated with toner replenishment can be reduced. Furthermore, since the configuration is such that toner does not scatter even when the toner pack 40 is removed after the toner pack 40 is mounted on the supply container mounting portion 701, the convenience associated with toner replenishment can be improved.

[0163] <Embodiment 2> (6-2) Guidance on the replenishment procedure by the toner bottle unit Next, the flow of the guidance operation of the replenishment procedure when using the toner bottle unit 900 will be described. FIG. 24 is a flowchart showing an example of the guidance operation of the replenishment procedure in the direct replenishment method. As described above, in the toner bottle unit 900, when the piston 902 is pushed in, the toner can be discharged. Here, the difference between the replenishment procedure using the toner bottle unit 900 and the replenishment procedure using the toner pack 40 of the first embodiment is only in the configuration for determining the completion of toner discharge based on the output value of the push detection means 56. That is, in this embodiment, the configuration is to determine the completion of toner discharge based on whether or not the pushing operation of the piston 902 has been performed. In the description of the flowchart of FIG. 24, steps that perform the same operations as the steps of the flowchart of FIG. 22 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicate descriptions are omitted.

[0164] When replenishing toner into the process cartridge 20 using the toner bottle unit 900, as the third message 56c, a display prompting the user to push in the piston 902 is performed. After starting the display of the third message 56c, the control unit 90 determines whether or not the piston 902 has been pushed in based on the output value of the push detection means 56. If a cancellation operation is performed without pushing in the piston 902 (S514 / Y), the control unit 90 cancels the progress of the guidance of the toner replenishment procedure. Then, the control unit 90 sets the position of the locking member 7014 of the rotation lock mechanism 59 to the unlocked position to release the restricted state of the toner bottle unit 900 (S524). On the other hand, when the piston 902 is pushed in, toner is discharged from the toner bottle unit 900 to the replenishment port 8012 (S515). In this embodiment, for example, the push detection means 56It detects that the piston 902 has been pushed in when the first contact plate 908 and the second contact plate 909, which were in a conductive state with each other, become disconnected. When the control unit 90 detects that the piston 902 has been pushed in based on the output value of the push-in detection means 56 (S530 / Y), it determines that toner has been discharged and increments the display of the scale on the panel 400 (S517). That is, the push-in detection means 56 is an example of the discharge detection means in this embodiment. Since the subsequent replenishment operation is the same as when using the toner pack 40, the description thereof is omitted.

[0165] (Other Embodiments) In the first and second embodiments, the first message 56a, the second message 56b, the third message 56c, the fourth message 56d, the fifth message 56e, and the sixth message 56f are displayed according to the progress of the toner replenishment operation. As another aspect, for example, the first message 56a, the second message 56b, the third message 56c, and the sixth message 56f may be collectively displayed on the display unit 301. Also, at least one of the first message 56a, the second message 56b, the third message 56c, the fourth message 56d, the fifth message 56e, and the sixth message 56f may be displayed.

[0166] Also, as a configuration for restricting the rotation of replenishment containers such as the toner pack 40 and the toner bottle unit 900, for example, horizontal pins may be provided at the discharge ports 42a, 9031 to restrict the movement of the replenishment containers. Note that the movement mode of the replenishment containers such as the toner pack 40 and the toner bottle unit 900 is not limited to rotational movement, and linear movement may be restricted by horizontal pins or the like.

[0167] Also, as a mode of discharging toner from the toner pack 40, it is not limited to the operation of squeezing by the user's hand, and the toner may be discharged from the discharge port 42a by pulling down a clip provided on the upper part of the toner pack 40.

[0168] The present invention can also be implemented by supplying a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or apparatus via a network or a storage medium, and causing one or more processors in a computer of the system or apparatus to read and execute the program. It can also be implemented by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

[0169] That is, as a cancellation operation, in addition to the operation of the button 310, a cancellation command may be transmitted from the PC 2A or the portable information processing terminal 2B capable of communicating with the image forming apparatus 1 to the image forming apparatus 1. Further, the PC 2A or the portable information processing terminal 2B may be caused to display the toner replenishment procedure. When causing the PC 2A or the portable information processing terminal 2B to execute the display of the toner replenishment procedure, the control unit 90 and the I / O interface 94 function as input / output means for exchanging various types of information for guiding the replenishment procedure for replenishing the toner with an external information processing apparatus.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0170] 1... Image forming apparatus / 2A, 2B... Information processing apparatuses (PC, portable information processing terminal) / 21... Image carrier (photosensitive drum) / 31... Developing means (developing roller) / 32... Developing container / 40, 900... Replenishment containers (toner pack, toner bottle unit) / 51... Progress detection means, toner amount detection means (toner remaining amount detection means) / 53... Progress detection means (mounting detection means) / 55... Progress detection means, communication detection means (rotation detection means) / 56... Progress detection means (pushing-in detection means) / 90... Control means (control unit) / 300, 320... Notification means (operation unit, display unit) / 300, 310... Progress detection means, cancellation operation detection means (button, operation unit) / 902... Pressing member (piston) / 7014... Regulation member (locking member) / 8012... Replenishment port

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus in which a supply container is detachable and forms a toner image on a sheet, comprising: a first sheet loading section on which the sheet is loaded; a feeding roller for feeding out the sheet from the first sheet loading section; a photosensitive drum carrying the toner image, a developing roller for supplying toner to the photosensitive drum, a toner storage section for storing toner to be carried on the developing roller, a mounting section provided with a supply port communicating with the toner storage section, and a shutter for opening and closing the supply port; a transfer roller for forming a transfer nip section for transferring the toner image carried on the photosensitive drum to the sheet while conveying the sheet; a discharge roller for discharging the sheet onto which the toner image has been transferred to the outside of the image forming apparatus; a second sheet loading section on which the sheet discharged by the discharge roller is loaded, the second sheet loading section being above the first sheet loading section; a cover provided with an opening for exposing the mounting section; an opening / closing member that moves between a closed position for closing the opening so as to cover the mounting section and an open position for opening the opening so as to expose the mounting section to the outside of the image forming apparatus and allow the supply container to be mounted on the mounting section; and comprising: the shutter is configured to open and close the supply port by operating the supply container mounted on the mounting section with the opening / closing member in the open position; further comprising a speaker that emits a sound to notify the progress of the replenishment operation using the supply container; An image forming apparatus characterized by the above.

2. The process unit is configured to be detachable from a device main body having the cover, the opening / closing member, and the speaker. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, characterized by the above.

3. When the opening is a second opening, the device main body has a first opening for attaching and detaching the process unit; the first opening is larger than the second opening. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, characterized by the above.

4. The speaker emits a sound to notify that the replenishment operation has been completed. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized by the above.

5. The toner in the supply container can be replenished in one batch from the supply container mounted on the mounting section to the toner storage section through the supply port. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that...

6. The mounting portion is configured to restrict the supply container from detaching from the mounting portion when the shutter is open by operating the supply container. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that...

7. Having a display unit for displaying the progress status. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that...

8. When viewed in the direction of the rotation axis of the photosensitive drum, the sheet is fed by the feed roller toward one side in the horizontal direction, conveyed upward in the direction of gravity through the transfer nip portion, and discharged by the discharge roller toward the other side in the horizontal direction. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that...

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