toner cartridge

Abstract

To provide a toner cartridge with which it is possible to suppress inconvenience that a lid of a vent hole for cleaning happens to be inadvertently opened.SOLUTION: A toner cartridge according to an embodiment comprises a toner storage for storing toner, a paddle, a paddle gear, and a vent hole lid. The toner storage has a charge opening for charging the toner at a longitudinal one end, has a vent hole for drawing in outside air at the longitudinal other end, and has a supply opening for supplying the toner separately from the charge opening and the vent hole. The paddle has a revolving shaft that is located in the longitudinal direction penetrating the other end of the toner storage, and is arranged so as to be capable of rotating in the inside of the toner storage, stirring the toner in the inside of the toner storage. The paddle gear is located facing the other end of the toner storage so as to overlap to an outside of the vent hole, has an open hole overlapping the vent hole in the middle of rotation and being larger than the vent hole, and is secured to the revolving shaft of the paddle. The lid has a size that enables the same to be inserted through the open hole of the paddle gear, and closes up the vent hole of the toner storage.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] An embodiment of the present invention relates to a toner cartridge to be mounted in an image forming apparatus such as a digital multifunction peripheral installed in a workplace, for example. [Background technology]

[0002] Toner cartridges are used by being installed in image forming devices such as digital multifunction peripherals. When installed in an image forming device, the toner cartridge supplies the toner contained therein to a developing device. When the toner cartridge runs out of toner, it is removed from the image forming device and reused. When the toner cartridge is reused, any remaining toner inside the toner cartridge is cleaned out.

[0003] When filling a toner cartridge with toner, the toner is filled through a filling port located at one end of the toner cartridge in the longitudinal direction. After filling with toner, the filling port is sealed with a cap. On the other hand, when cleaning the remaining toner inside the toner cartridge for reuse, for example, the cap on the filling port is removed, air is sucked through the filling port, and outside air is introduced into the toner cartridge through a vent located on the opposite end in the longitudinal direction.

[0004] After cleaning the toner cartridge, when refilling it with toner for reuse, the vent hole is sealed with a lid and toner is refilled through the filling hole. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-24958 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The cover that is opened when cleaning the toner cartridge is detachable from the ventilation hole, so there is a possibility that it may be removed from the toner cartridge that is filled with toner.

[0007] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a toner cartridge that can prevent the problem of accidentally opening the vent cover for cleaning. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The toner cartridge according to the embodiment includes a toner container for containing toner, a paddle, a paddle gear, and a vent cover. The toner container has a fill port at one longitudinal end for filling with toner, a vent at the other longitudinal end for taking in outside air, and a supply port for supplying toner, separate from the fill port and the vent. The paddle has a rotation shaft extending longitudinally through the other end of the toner container, is rotatably disposed within the toner container, and agitates the toner within the toner container. The paddle gear is disposed opposite the other end of the toner container so as to overlap the outside of the vent, has a through-hole larger than the vent that overlaps with the vent during rotation, and is fixed to the rotation shaft of the paddle. The lid is large enough to fit through the through-hole of the paddle gear and seals the vent of the toner container. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a digital multifunction peripheral, which is an example of an image forming apparatus. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an image forming unit of the digital multifunction peripheral of FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing a toner cartridge according to an embodiment to be mounted in the digital multifunction peripheral of FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a cap that seals the filling port of the toner cartridge of FIG. [Figure 5] 5 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a cover that seals the vent hole of the toner cartridge shown in FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a state in which adapters are attached to the filling port and the ventilation port of the toner cartridge of FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the two adapters of FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing the rear end of the toner cartridge shown in FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the toner cartridge of FIG. 3 as seen obliquely from behind. [Figure 10] 10 is a perspective view showing the appearance of an air supply nozzle attached to the ventilation hole of the toner cartridge shown in FIG. [Figure 11] 11 is a perspective view of the exterior of the toner cartridge shown in FIG. 3 with the air supply nozzle shown in FIG. 10 attached to the air vent of the toner cartridge shown in FIG. 3, as seen from inside the toner container. [Figure 12] 12 is a cross-sectional view of the rear wall of the toner cartridge of FIG. 3 as viewed from the front. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The digital multifunction peripheral 10 shown in FIG. 1 is an example of an image forming apparatus. The digital multifunction peripheral 10 has many functions, including a printing function, a scanning function, a copying function, and a facsimile function. The printing function is a function for forming a toner image on paper. The scanning function is a function for reading an image from an original. The copying function is a function for printing an image read from an original using the scanning function onto paper P using the printing function. The facsimile function is a function for printing an image based on data received via a communication line onto paper P using the printing function, and for transmitting image data read from an original using the scanning function via a communication line.

[0011] The digital multifunction peripheral 10 has multiple paper feed cassettes 1, a manual feed tray 2, and multiple paper feed rollers 3. The paper feed cassette 1 stores multiple sheets of paper P to be used for printing. The manual feed tray 2 is for manually feeding multiple sheets of paper P in a stacked state. The paper feed roller 3 removes the paper P stored in the paper feed cassette 1 one sheet at a time, and also removes the paper P placed on the manual feed tray 2 one sheet at a time.

[0012] The digital multifunction peripheral 10 has a plurality of toner cartridges 11, 12, 13, and 14, a plurality of image forming units 21, 22, 23, and 24, an exposure device 16, a transfer belt unit 30, and a secondary transfer roller 18. The digital multifunction peripheral 10 has the plurality of toner cartridges 11, 12, 13, and 14 above the transfer belt unit 30 as shown in the figure, and the plurality of image forming units 21, 22, 23, and 24 below the transfer belt unit 30 as shown in the figure.

[0013] Toner cartridges 11, 12, 13, and 14 contain toner of each color to be supplied to image forming units 21, 22, 23, and 24. Toner cartridge 11, which is on the far left in FIG. 1, contains yellow toner. Toner cartridge 12, which is second from the left, contains magenta toner. Toner cartridge 13, which is third from the left, contains cyan toner. Toner cartridge 14, which is on the far right, contains black toner.

[0014] Toner cartridges 11, 12, 13, and 14 are detachably attached to digital multifunction peripheral 10. Toner cartridges 11, 12, 13, and 14 have substantially the same structure except for the toner they contain. Therefore, of toner cartridges 11, 12, 13, and 14, toner cartridge 11 containing yellow toner will be described as a representative, and descriptions of toner cartridges 12, 13, and 14 of other colors will be omitted. Toner cartridge 11 will be described in detail later.

[0015] Image forming units 21, 22, 23, and 24 receive toner from toner cartridges 11, 12, 13, and 14, respectively, and form toner images of different colors. Image forming unit 21, which is on the far left in FIG. 1, forms a yellow (Y) toner image. Image forming unit 22, which is second from the left, forms a magenta (M) toner image. Image forming unit 23, which is third from the left, forms a cyan (C) toner image. Image forming unit 24, which is on the far right, forms a black (K) toner image.

[0016] The image forming units 21, 22, 23, and 24 have substantially the same structure except for the toner they use. Therefore, the image forming unit 21 for yellow will be described here as a representative, and descriptions of the image forming units 22, 23, and 24 for the other colors will be omitted. 2, image forming section 21, which forms a yellow toner image, has photosensitive drum 41, charging unit 42, developing device 43, primary transfer roller 44, cleaner 45, and discharging lamp 46. Image forming section 21 has charging unit 42, developing device 43, primary transfer roller 44, cleaner 45, and discharging lamp 46, arranged in this order facing the surface of photosensitive drum 41 and along the rotation direction of photosensitive drum 41 (the direction of the arrow in the figure).

[0017] The photosensitive drum 41 has a cylindrical surface that receives the light beam BY emitted from the exposure device 16. The light beam BY is a light beam based on yellow image data obtained by color-separating image data read from an original by a scanner 70 (described later) or image data input from outside the digital multifunction peripheral 10. The exposure device 16 exposes and scans the surface of the photosensitive drum 41 with the light beam BY as the photosensitive drum 41 rotates, and forms an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 41 based on the yellow image data.

[0018] Charging unit 42 charges the surface of photoconductor drum 41 to a predetermined potential before exposure. Developing device 43 develops the electrostatic latent image on the surface of photoconductor drum 41 with yellow toner TY supplied from toner cartridge 11. That is, developing device 43 supplies yellow toner to the surface of photoconductor drum 41 to form a yellow toner image.

[0019] The primary transfer roller 44 faces the surface of the photosensitive drum 41, with the transfer belt 31 of the transfer belt unit 30 sandwiched therebetween. The primary transfer roller 44 generates a transfer voltage between itself and the photosensitive drum 41. This transfer voltage causes the primary transfer roller 44 to transfer (primary transfer) the yellow toner image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 41 onto the surface of the transfer belt 31, which is in contact with the photosensitive drum 41.

[0020] The cleaner 45 removes the yellow toner TY remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 41. The charge removal lamp 46 removes the charge remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 41.

[0021] 1 irradiates the surfaces of the photosensitive drums 41 of the image forming units 21, 22, 23, and 24 with light beams BY, BM, BC, and BK of the respective colors in accordance with the image data of each color obtained by color separation. The light beams BY, BM, BC, and BK of the respective colors are intended to form images of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black, respectively.

[0022] For example, the exposure device 16 controls the yellow light beam BY in accordance with yellow image data to form a yellow electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 41 of the image forming unit 21. Similarly, the exposure device 16 controls the three color light beams BM, BC, and BK in accordance with the magenta, cyan, and black components of the image data to form magenta, cyan, and black electrostatic latent images on the surfaces of the photosensitive drums 41 of the image forming units 22, 23, and 24, respectively.

[0023] The transfer belt unit 30 has an endless transfer belt 31 and two rollers around which the transfer belt 31 is wound and tensioned. These two rollers are a driven roller 32 and a drive roller 33. The transfer belt unit 30 also has a tension roller for applying tension to the transfer belt 31. The transfer belt 31 rotates when the drive roller 33 rotates. The transfer belt 31 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 1, thereby transporting the toner images of each color transferred from the image forming units 21, 22, 23, and 24 to the secondary transfer roller 18.

[0024] The secondary transfer roller 18 faces the surface of the drive roller 33 with the transfer belt 31 sandwiched therebetween, and generates a transfer voltage between the drive roller 33 and the secondary transfer roller 18. By using this transfer voltage, the secondary transfer roller 18 transfers (secondarily transfers) the toner images of each color that have been transferred onto the surface of the transfer belt 31 in a superimposed manner onto the paper P that has been taken out of the paper feed cassette 1 or the manual feed tray 2 and transported between the transfer belt 31 and the secondary transfer roller 18.

[0025] The digital multifunction peripheral 10 also has a fixing device 50. The fixing device 50 heats and presses the paper onto which the toner images of each color have been transferred. As a result, the toner images of each color transferred onto the paper P are fixed to the paper P. The fixing device 50 has a heating roller 51 and a pressure roller 52 that face each other with the transport path of the paper P sandwiched between them.

[0026] The heating roller 51 includes a heat source for heating the heating roller 51. The heat source is, for example, a heater. The heating roller 51 heated by the heat source heats the paper P to the melting temperature of the toner. The pressure roller 52 pressurizes the paper P passing between the pressure roller 52 and the heating roller 51.

[0027] The digital multifunction peripheral 10 also has a paper output tray 61 , a duplex unit 62 , a scanner 70 , a document feeder 80 , and a control panel 90 .

[0028] The paper output tray 61 receives the paper P that has been printed and ejected. The duplex unit 62 prepares the paper P so that it can be printed on the back side. For example, the duplex unit 62 uses a roller or the like to switch back the paper P, thereby inverting the paper P and sending it into the secondary transfer area between the transfer belt 31 and the secondary transfer roller 18.

[0029] The scanner 70 reads an image from a document. The scanner 70 reads the image using an optical reduction method with an imaging element such as a charge-coupled device (CCD) image sensor. Alternatively, the scanner 70 reads the image using a contact image sensor (CIS) method with an imaging element such as a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor.

[0030] The document feeder 80 is also called, for example, an ADF (auto document feeder). The document feeder 80 takes out documents (not shown) placed on a tray 81 one by one and transports them one by one through a document glass 82. The scanner 70 reads the image of the document transported to the document glass 82.

[0031] The control panel 90 has buttons and a touch panel for operation by the operator of the digital multifunction peripheral 10. The touch panel is, for example, a stack of a display such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display and a pointing device that accepts touch input. Therefore, the buttons and the touch panel function as input devices that accept operations by the operator of the digital multifunction peripheral 10. In addition, the display of the touch panel functions as a display device that notifies the operator of the digital multifunction peripheral 10 of various information.

[0032] The toner cartridge 11 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 3, the toner cartridge 11 according to one embodiment includes a toner container 100, a paddle 120, an auger 130, and a scraping member 140 (sliding member). The toner cartridge 11 also includes a lid 110 that closes a vent hole 108 (FIG. 8) provided in the toner container 100. In the following description, terms indicating directions and attitudes, such as "front and rear" and "horizontal," are based on the state in which the toner cartridge 11 is installed in the digital multifunction peripheral 10.

[0033] The toner storage body 100 has a container body 102 and a lid body 101. The container body 102 has a generally U-shape in a cross section perpendicular to its longitudinal direction. The container body 102 has a front wall 1021 at its longitudinal front end that is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and a rear wall 1022 at its longitudinal rear end that is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. The container body 102 also has a generally rectangular opening 1023 on its top surface. The lid body 101 closes the opening 1023 of the container body 102. The lid body 101 has an upwardly convex roof shape. The toner storage body 100, which is formed by joining the container body 102 and the lid body 101, has a long and narrow box shape from front to back.

[0034] At the front of the bottom of the container body 102 is a supply unit 103 equipped with a supply port (not shown) for supplying toner to the developing device 43. The supply port is a substantially rectangular hole that opens downward from the supply unit 103. The supply port is sealed with a sealant 106. The sealant 106 is removed from the supply port when the toner cartridge 11 is used. The supply unit 103 is equipped with a shutter 107 that can open and close the supply port. At the front of the supply unit 103 is a bearing 1031 that rotatably receives a front end 132 of a rotation shaft 1301 of an auger 130 (described later).

[0035] The front wall 1021 of the container body 102 has a filling port 104 for filling the toner storage body 100 with toner. The filling port 104 is a circular hole. After filling the filling port 104 with toner, it is sealed with a cap 150. The rear wall 1022 of the container body 102 has an air vent 108 (not shown here). The air vent 108 is sealed with a lid 110. The cap 150 and the lid 110 have a structure that allows them to be attached to and detached from the container body 102.

[0036] The paddle 120 includes a rotating shaft 1201 and an agitating blade 1202. The agitating blade 1202 extends from the rotating shaft 1201 in a direction perpendicular to the rotating shaft 1201. The paddle 120 is disposed inside the toner container 100 with the rotating shaft 1201 oriented along the longitudinal direction of the toner container 100. The front end 121 of the rotating shaft 1201 is rotatably disposed in a bearing portion 151 provided in the front wall 1021 of the container body 102 adjacent to the filling port 104. The rear end of the rotating shaft 1201 includes a connecting portion 122. The paddle 120 rotates counterclockwise when viewed from the front. The paddle 120 agitates the toner contained inside the toner container 100 by rotating.

[0037] The auger 130 includes a rotating shaft 1301 and a screw blade 131. The screw blade 131 extends spirally around the rotating shaft 1301. The auger 130 is disposed inside the toner container 100, parallel to and adjacent to the paddle 120, with the rotating shaft 1301 oriented along the longitudinal direction of the toner container 100. The front end of the auger 130 is disposed above the supply port and within the supply unit 103 of the toner container 100. The front end 132 of the rotating shaft 1301 is rotatably disposed within a bearing portion 1031 provided in the supply unit 103. The rear end of the rotating shaft 1301 includes a connecting portion 133. The auger 130 transports the toner between the screw blades 131 to the supply unit 103 by rotating.

[0038] The scraping member 140 is attached at one end to the long side of the paddle 120 that is radially opposite the rotation axis 1201 of the agitating blade 1202. The scraping member 140 is an elastic, rectangular, sheet-like member. The scraping member 140 has approximately the same length in the axial direction as the agitating blade 1202. The scraping member 140 has multiple slits 141 perpendicular to the rotation axis 1201. When the paddle 120 rotates, the free edge of the scraping member 140 opposite the agitating blade 1202 is pressed against and slides against the inner wall of the toner storage body 100. The scraping member 140 bends with its free edge pressed against the inner wall of the toner storage body 100 (FIG. 12). As the paddle 120 rotates, the scraping member 140 moves while in contact with the bottom of the inner wall of the toner storage body 100. As a result, the scraping member 140 sends the toner toward the auger 130 .

[0039] The toner cartridge 11 includes a gear unit 160 facing the outside of the rear wall 1022 of the container body 102 of the toner container 100. The gear unit 160 includes a paddle gear 161 fixed to the rotation shaft 1201 of the paddle 120, and an auger gear 162 fixed to the rotation shaft 1301 of the auger 130. The gear on the outer periphery of the paddle gear 161 and the gear on the outer periphery of the auger gear 162 are meshed with each other. Therefore, the auger gear 162 rotates in response to the rotation of the paddle gear 161. In other words, the auger 130 is interlocked with the paddle 120.

[0040] The paddle gear 161 has a connecting shaft 163 that protrudes forward. The connecting shaft 163 is located at the rotation center of the paddle gear 161. The rear wall 1022 of the container body 102 is provided with a bearing hole 105 (FIG. 8) through which the connecting shaft 163 is rotatably inserted. The connecting shaft 163 is inserted into the bearing hole 105 with a seal ring 165 attached. The connecting shaft 163 is fixed to the connecting portion 122 of the rotating shaft 1201 of the paddle 120.

[0041] The auger gear 162 has a connecting shaft 164 that protrudes forward. The connecting shaft 164 is located at the rotation center of the auger gear 162. The rear wall 1022 of the container body 102 is provided with a bearing hole 109 (FIG. 8) through which the connecting shaft 164 is rotatably inserted. The connecting shaft 164 is inserted into the bearing hole 109 with a seal ring 166 attached. The connecting shaft 164 is fixed to the connecting portion 133 of the rotating shaft 1301 of the auger 130.

[0042] The vent 108 for cleaning is located between the two bearing holes 105, 109 (FIGS. 8 and 12). The paddle gear 161 overlaps the vent 108 (FIG. 8). Therefore, the protruding height of the lid 110 attached to the vent 108 is set to a height that does not interfere with the paddle gear 161 when the vent 108 is sealed.

[0043] Here, the procedure for assembling the above-mentioned toner cartridge 11 will be described. When assembling the toner cartridge 11, first, the supply port provided in the supply part 103 of the container body 102 is sealed with the sealing material 106, and then a shutter 107 is attached to the supply part 103. In addition, the lid 110 is attached to the ventilation hole 108 provided in the rear wall 1022 of the container body 102 to seal the ventilation hole 108.

[0044] Then, the paddle 120 and the auger 130 are housed and arranged in the container body 102. At this time, the front end 132 of the rotating shaft 1301 of the auger 130 is inserted into the bearing portion 1031 provided in the supply portion 103 of the container body 102, and the auger 130 is placed inside the container body 102. In addition, the front end 121 of the rotating shaft 1201 of the paddle 120 is inserted from the inside into the bearing portion 151 provided in the front wall 1021 of the container body 102, and the paddle 120 is placed inside the container body 102.

[0045] Next, gear unit 160 is attached to the outside of rear wall 1022 of container body 102. At this time, seal ring 165 is attached to connecting shaft 163 of paddle gear 161, and connecting shaft 163 is inserted into bearing hole 105 in rear wall 1022 of container body 102. Then, connecting shaft 163 of paddle gear 161 is inserted into connecting portion 122 provided at the rear end of rotation shaft 1201 of paddle 120 to connect and fix. Also, seal ring 166 is attached to connecting shaft 164 of auger gear 162, and auger gear 162 is meshed with paddle gear 161, and connecting shaft 164 of auger gear 162 is inserted into bearing hole 109 in rear wall 1022 of container body 102. Furthermore, the connecting portion 133 provided at the rear end of the rotary shaft 1301 of the auger 130 and the connecting shaft 164 of the auger gear 162 are connected and fixed.

[0046] Finally, the lid 101 is placed over the container body 102 to close the opening 1023, and the container body 102 and the lid 101 are heat-welded together along the entire periphery of the opening 1023. When filling the toner cartridge 11 assembled as described above with toner, the toner is filled through the filling port 104 in the front wall 1021 of the container body 102, and the cap 150 is attached to the filling port 104 to seal it.

[0047] Next, a cleaning procedure for reusing the toner cartridge 11 after the toner has been used up and a configuration for this purpose will be described. When cleaning the toner cartridge 11 , first, the cap 150 is removed from the filling port 104 of the toner container 100 , the lid 110 is removed from the ventilation port 108 , and the shutter 107 is removed from the supply unit 103 .

[0048] 4, cap 150 that seals filling port 104 has integral and coaxial press-fit portion 152, flange portion 153, and two protruding piece portions 154. Cap 150 can be made of an elastically deformable material such as a solid synthetic resin or rubber.

[0049] The press-fit portion 152 is the portion that is press-fitted into the filling port 104 when the cap 150 is attached to the filling port 104, and has a generally cylindrical shape with a diameter slightly larger than the inner diameter of the filling port 104. The flange portion 153 is the portion that engages with the outer edge of the filling port 104 when the press-fit portion 152 is press-fitted into the filling port 104, and has a ring shape with a diameter larger than that of the press-fit portion 152. The two protruding pieces 154 have an arc-shaped curved shape, are spaced apart and opposite each other in the radial direction of the flange portion 153, and protrude forward from the front surface of the flange portion 153. Each protruding piece 154 has an arc-shaped groove 1541 for hooking a tool (not shown).

[0050] To remove cap 150, a tool (not shown) is hooked onto grooves 1541 from the inside of two protruding pieces 154, and cap 150 is pulled out from filling port 104. The diameter of press-fit portion 152 and the thickness of flange portion 153 are such that cap 150 cannot be easily removed from filling port 104 without using a tool or the like.

[0051] 5, the lid 110 that seals the vent hole 108 has a press-fit portion 112, a flange portion 113, and a protruding piece portion 114 that are integrally and coaxially arranged. The lid 110 can be made of an elastically deformable material such as a solid synthetic resin or rubber.

[0052] The press-fit portion 112 is a portion that is press-fitted into the vent hole 108 when the lid 110 is attached to the vent hole 108, and has a generally cylindrical shape with a diameter slightly larger than the inner diameter of the vent hole 108. The flange portion 113 is a portion that engages with the outer edge of the vent hole 108 when the press-fit portion 112 is press-fitted into the vent hole 108, and has a ring shape with a diameter larger than that of the press-fit portion 112. The protruding piece portion 114 has a curved arc shape and protrudes forward from the front surface of the flange portion 113. The protruding piece portion 114 has an arc-shaped groove 1141 for hooking a tool (not shown).

[0053] To remove lid 110, a tool (not shown) is hooked onto groove 1141 from the inside of protruding piece portion 114, and lid 110 is pulled out from vent hole 108. The diameter of press-fit portion 112 and the thickness of flange portion 113 are such that lid 110 cannot be easily removed from vent hole 108 without using a tool or the like.

[0054] After removing cap 150, adapter 172 for suction is attached to filling port 104. After removing shutter 107, adapter 174 is attached to supply part 103. The state in which adapter 172 is attached to filling port 104 and adapter 174 is attached to supply part 103 is shown in FIG.

[0055] 7, the adapter 172 attached to the filling port 104 is substantially cylindrical, and has a fitting portion 1721 at one axial end that fits into the filling port 104. The outer diameter of the fitting portion 1721 is substantially the same as the inner diameter of the filling port 104. The adapter 174 attached to the supply unit 103 is substantially square tubular, and has a rectangular communication hole 1741 on the side near one longitudinal end that overlaps with the supply port of the supply unit 103.

[0056] Adapter 172 has a circular suction opening 1722 at the other axial end for connecting to a suction device such as a blower (not shown). Adapter 174 has a substantially rectangular suction opening 1742 at the other longitudinal end for connecting to a suction device such as a blower (not shown). Between suction openings 1722, 1742 and the suction device is a toner collection container (not shown) for collecting the sucked toner.

[0057] As described above, the lid 110 that seals the ventilation hole 108 is located at a position that overlaps with the paddle gear 161 in the axial direction. That is, the ventilation hole 108 to which the lid 110 is attached is located at a position that overlaps with the area of ​​the paddle gear 161 projected onto the rear wall 1022 of the container body 102 of the toner storage body 100, as shown in Fig. 8. For this reason, the lid 110 is usually hidden by the paddle gear 161 and cannot be seen from behind the toner storage body 100.

[0058] In this embodiment, in order to make the lid 110 accessible from the rear of the toner storage body 100, a circular through-hole 180 shown in Fig. 9 is provided in the paddle gear 161. The through-hole 180 is located at a position offset from the center of the paddle gear 161 and at a position that overlaps approximately coaxially with the vent hole 108 of the toner storage body 100 midway through the rotation of the paddle gear 161. The through-hole 180 has a diameter larger than the inner diameter of the vent hole 108 of the toner storage body 100 to which the lid 110 is attached. Naturally, the lid 110 has a size that allows it to be inserted into the through-hole 180 of the paddle gear 161.

[0059] 9, the paddle gear 161 is rotated to the position shown in FIG. 9, and the through-hole 180 is aligned with the vent hole 108. Then, a tool (not shown) is inserted through the through-hole 180 and hooked onto the groove 1141 of the protruding piece portion 114 of the lid 110, thereby pulling the lid 110 out of the vent hole 108.

[0060] 10 is inserted into the through-hole 180 of the coaxially stacked paddle gear 161 and the vent hole 108 in order to send outside air into the toner container 100 through the vent hole 108. A pump (not shown) or the like is connected to the air nozzle 182 to send compressed outside air.

[0061] 11, a tip 1821 of the air supply nozzle 182 protrudes from the rear wall 1022 of the container body 102 into the toner storage body 100. The tip 1821 of the air supply nozzle 182 is substantially cylindrical and has multiple air supply holes 1822 on its periphery. Therefore, when outside air is sent into the toner storage body 100 using the air supply nozzle 182, compressed air is ejected radially from the tip of the air supply nozzle 182 through the multiple air supply holes 1822. This allows the air to be blown toward the inner surface of the rear wall 1022 of the container body 102, thereby removing toner adhering to the inner surface of the rear wall 1022.

[0062] 12 , in this embodiment, the air vent 108 through which the tip 1821 of the air supply nozzle 182 passes is provided between the bearing hole 105 through which the connecting shaft 163 of the paddle gear 161 passes and the bearing hole 109 through which the connecting shaft 164 of the auger gear 162 passes. This allows the air ejected through the multiple air supply holes 1822 of the air supply nozzle 182 to be blown near the rear end of the paddle 120 and near the rear end of the auger 130. This makes it possible to effectively clean toner adhering near the rear end of the paddle 120 and near the rear end of the auger 130.

[0063] As shown in FIG. 11 , the tip 1821 of the air supply nozzle 182 protrudes inward from the rear wall 1022 of the container 102. Therefore, if the paddle 120 is stopped at a position where the agitating blade 1202 of the paddle 120 exactly overlaps the vent hole 108, the tip 1821 of the air supply nozzle 182 interferes with the agitating blade 1202, making it impossible to attach the air supply nozzle 182. Therefore, in this embodiment, when the through-hole 180 of the paddle gear 161 is coaxially overlapped with the vent hole 108 of the container 102 as shown in FIG. 9 , the paddle 120 and the paddle gear 161 are connected and fixed so that the rotational position of the paddle 120 and the position of the vent hole 108 have the positional relationship shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 . This allows the tip 1821 of the air supply nozzle 182 to be inserted into the vent hole 108.

[0064] In this embodiment, the paddle 120 and the paddle gear 161 are aligned and fixed so that the stirring blade 1202 of the paddle 120 stops at the position shown in Figures 11 and 12 when the through hole 180 of the paddle gear 161 is aligned with the vent hole 108. This allows the free edge of the scraping member 140 to stop in a state where it is pressed against the inner surface of the container body 102 on the side away from the auger 130. This prevents problems such as deformation of the scraping member 140 due to air being forcefully hit against the scraping member 140 when air is ejected through the multiple air supply holes 1822 of the tip 1821 of the air supply nozzle 182.

[0065] As described above, according to this embodiment, when removing the lid 110 sealing the vent hole 108 for cleaning provided in the rear wall 1022 of the container body 102 of the toner storage body 100, it is necessary to rotate the paddle gear 161 so that the through-hole 180 overlaps the vent hole 108 (lid 110). This makes it possible to prevent the lid 110 of the vent hole 108 from being accidentally opened.

[0066] The above-described embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The above-described embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. The above-described embodiments and their modifications are included within the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as within the scope of the invention and its equivalents as defined in the claims.

[0067] For example, in the above-described embodiment, one through-hole 180 is provided in the paddle gear 161, but two or more through-holes that overlap with the vent hole 108 of the container body 102 during the rotation of the paddle gear 161 may be provided in the paddle gear 161. In this case, multiple vent holes that overlap with the multiple through-holes of the paddle gear 161 may be provided in the rear wall 1022 of the container body 102, and multiple air supply nozzles 182 may be attached.

[0068] In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the cap 150 that seals the filling port 104 of the toner container 100 and the lid 110 that seals the ventilation port 108 of the toner container 100 are attached by press-fitting, but they may also be fixed by screws or engaging claws, for example. [Explanation of symbols]

[0069] 10...digital multifunction printer, 11, 12, 13, 14...toner cartridge, 100...toner container, 101...lid, 102...container, 104...filling port, 105, 109...bearing hole, 108...vent, 1021...front wall, 1022...rear wall, 110...lid, 120...paddle, 130...auger, 140...scraping member, 150...cap, 161...paddle gear, 162...auger gear, 180...through hole, 182...air supply nozzle.

Claims

1. a toner container for containing toner, the toner container having a filling port at one end in a longitudinal direction thereof for filling with toner, a vent port at the other end in the longitudinal direction thereof for taking in outside air, and a supply port for supplying toner, separate from the filling port and the vent port; a paddle having a rotation shaft passing through the other end and disposed in the longitudinal direction, the paddle being rotatably disposed inside the toner container, and configured to agitate the toner in the toner container; a paddle gear disposed opposite the other end of the toner container so as to overlap the outside of the vent hole, the paddle gear having a through hole larger than the vent hole and overlapping with the vent hole during rotation, the paddle gear being fixed to the rotation shaft of the paddle; a cover having a size that allows the through hole to be inserted therethrough and that seals the ventilation opening; A toner cartridge having

2. The lid has a protruding height that does not interfere with the paddle gear when the vent hole is sealed.

2. The toner cartridge of claim 1.

3. an auger having a rotation shaft that penetrates the other end of the toner container and is disposed in the longitudinal direction, and that is rotatably disposed inside the toner container alongside the paddle in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction, for transporting the toner in the toner container to the supply port; The vent hole is provided between a position where the rotation shaft of the paddle passes through the other end and a position where the rotation shaft of the auger passes through the other end.

2. The toner cartridge of claim 1.

4. a sliding contact member fixed to the paddle and in sliding contact with the inner surface of the toner container during rotation of the paddle; the through hole of the paddle gear overlaps with the vent hole when the paddle is stopped at a rotation position where the sliding contact member contacts the inner surface of the toner container; 2. The toner cartridge of claim 1.

5. Further, a cap is removably attached to the filling port to seal the filling port.

2. The toner cartridge of claim 1.

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