Developer supply device, developing device, and image forming apparatus

Abstract

To provide a developer supply device that makes a developer hard to drop off from a developer container.SOLUTION: A developer supply device comprises: a developer container that has a housing having a supply port, and accommodates a developer; and a developer container holding part which has a reception port receiving the developer supplied from the supply port, and to which the developer container is mounted in a first direction. The developer container has: an opening / closing member that is provided to be movable relatively between a closing position closing the supply port and an opening position opening the supply port, with respect to the housing; and a seal member that is provided between the housing the opening / closing member. The opening / closing member has: a cover part that has a cover surface that closes the supply port; and a protrusion part that protrudes in a first direction from the cover part, and that is provided in a position on a side of the developer container holding part apart from the cover surface. The developer container holding part has an engagement part that engages with the protrusion part in a state with the developer container mounted to the developer container holding part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 19

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a developer supplying device that supplies developer, and a developing device and an image forming apparatus that include the developer supplying device. [Background technology]

[0002] The image forming apparatus includes a developer container that contains developer. The developer container has a supply port for discharging the developer and an opening / closing member for opening and closing the supply port (see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-95505 (see Figure 1) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the conventional configuration, when the developer container is removed, developer may adhere to one end of the opening / closing member and spill out, which may cause the area around the developer container to become dirty.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to provide a developer supplying device in which developer is less likely to spill out of a developer container. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The developer supply device disclosed herein includes a housing having a supply port, a developer container that contains developer, and a developer container holder that has a receiving port that receives the developer supplied from the supply port and to which the developer container is attached in a first direction. The developer container has an open / close member that is movable relative to the housing between a closed position that closes the supply port and an open position that opens the supply port, and a seal member that is attached between the housing and the open / close member. The open / close member has a cover portion that has a cover surface that closes the supply port, and a protrusion that protrudes from the cover portion in the first direction and is located at a position spaced from the cover surface toward the developer container holder. The developer container holder has an engagement portion that engages with the protrusion when the developer container is attached to the developer container holder. When the developer container is attached to the developer container holding portion, the supply opening and the receiving opening face each other in a predetermined direction. After the protrusion engages with the engaging portion, a part of the engaging portion may come into contact with the supply port and the receiving port. In the specified direction It is positioned between the protrusion and the seal member. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present disclosure, because the open-close member has a protrusion, when the developer container is removed, the developer is held on the protrusion and is less likely to spill outside. Furthermore, after the protrusion of the developer container and the engaging portion of the developer container holding portion engage, a portion of the engaging portion is positioned between the protrusion and the seal member until the supply port and the receiving port face each other. This reduces the amount of developer that adheres to the protrusion when the developer container is removed. This prevents the area around the developer container from being soiled with developer. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a basic configuration of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a basic configuration of an image forming unit according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which a front cover of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment is open. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the developer container of the first embodiment as seen obliquely from above. [Figure 5] 1 is a perspective view showing a developer container according to a first embodiment with a part of an outer wall portion removed. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the developer container of the first embodiment, seen obliquely from below. [Figure 7] 1 is a perspective view showing a developer container according to a first embodiment with a shutter removed. FIG. [Figure 8] 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a supply port of the developer container of the first embodiment and its surroundings. FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the shutter of the first embodiment as viewed from above. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the shutter of the first embodiment as viewed from below. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a holding unit according to the first embodiment. [Figure 12] 12 is a perspective view of the holding unit of the first embodiment as seen from a direction different from that of FIG. 11. FIG. [Figure 13] 1A is a cross-sectional view showing a holding unit before a developer container according to a first embodiment is attached, and FIG. 1B is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the holding unit before a developer container is attached. [Figure 14] 1A is a cross-sectional view showing a first stage of the mounting operation of the developer container according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 1B is an enlarged cross-sectional view thereof. [Figure 15] 10A is a cross-sectional view showing a second stage of the mounting operation of the developer container according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 10B is an enlarged cross-sectional view thereof. [Figure 16] 10A is a cross-sectional view showing a third stage of the mounting operation of the developer container according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 10B is an enlarged cross-sectional view thereof. [Figure 17] 10A is a cross-sectional view showing a fourth stage of the mounting operation of the developer container according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 10B is an enlarged cross-sectional view thereof. [Figure 18] 10A is a cross-sectional view showing a fifth stage of the mounting operation of the developer container according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 10B is an enlarged cross-sectional view thereof. [Figure 19] 10A is a cross-sectional view showing a sixth stage of the mounting operation of the developer container according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 10B is an enlarged cross-sectional view thereof. [Figure 20]1A is a cross-sectional view showing a first stage of the operation of removing the developer container according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 1B is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the first stage of the operation of removing the developer container according to the first embodiment. [Figure 21] 10A is a cross-sectional view showing a second stage of the operation of removing the developer container according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 10B is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the second stage of the operation of removing the developer container according to the first embodiment. [Figure 22] 10A is a cross-sectional view showing a third stage of the operation of removing the developer container according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 10B is an enlarged cross-sectional view thereof. [Figure 23] 10A is a cross-sectional view showing a fourth stage of the operation of removing the developer container according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 10B is an enlarged cross-sectional view thereof. [Figure 24] 10A is a cross-sectional view showing a fifth stage of the operation of removing the developer container according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 10B is an enlarged cross-sectional view thereof. [Figure 25] 1A is a cross-sectional view showing the holding unit after the developer container has been removed according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 1B is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the holding unit after the developer container has been removed according to the first embodiment. [Figure 26] 10A is a cross-sectional view showing an operation of attaching a new developer container to the holding unit after removing the developer container in the first embodiment, and FIG. 10B is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing an operation of attaching a new developer container to the holding unit after removing the developer container in the first embodiment. [Figure 27] 10A is a cross-sectional view showing an operation of attaching a new developer container to the holding unit after removing the developer container in the first embodiment, and FIG. 10B is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing an operation of attaching a new developer container to the holding unit after removing the developer container in the first embodiment. [Figure 28] 10A to 10F are schematic diagrams showing the operation of removing a developer container of a comparative example. [Figure 29] 2 is a conceptual diagram showing a developer container and a holding unit according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 30] 4 is an enlarged schematic view showing an engagement portion between the opening / closing member and the holding unit according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 31] 10 is an enlarged schematic view showing an engagement portion between an opening / closing member and a holding unit in Modification 1. FIG. [Figure 32] 1A and 1B are schematic diagrams showing the shapes of the supply ports of the developer containers of the first embodiment and the second modified example, respectively. [Figure 33] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a basic configuration of an image forming apparatus according to a second embodiment. [Figure 34] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a basic configuration of an image forming unit according to a second embodiment. [Figure 35] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a developer container and a unit housing according to a second embodiment. [Figure 36] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a developer container according to a second embodiment. [Figure 37] FIG. 37 is a perspective view of the developer container of the second embodiment, seen from a direction different from that of FIG. 36. [Figure 38] FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a state in which a supply port of a developer container according to a second embodiment is open. [Figure 39] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a shutter according to a second embodiment. [Figure 40] FIG. 40 is a perspective view of the shutter of the second embodiment, seen from a direction different from that of FIG. 39. [Figure 41] 10A and 10B are cross-sectional views showing a first stage of the mounting operation of the developer container according to the second embodiment. [Figure 42] 10A and 10B are cross-sectional views showing a second stage of the mounting operation of the developer container according to the second embodiment. [Figure 43] 10A and 10B are cross-sectional views showing a third stage of the mounting operation of the developer container according to the second embodiment. [Figure 44] 10A and 10B are cross-sectional views showing a fourth stage of the mounting operation of the developer container according to the second embodiment. [Figure 45] 10A and 10B are cross-sectional views showing a fifth stage of the mounting operation of the developer container according to the second embodiment. [Figure 46] 10A, 10B, and 10C are cross-sectional views showing the operation of removing the developer container according to the second embodiment. [Figure 47] 10 is a schematic view showing an engaging portion between a developer container and a unit casing according to the second embodiment. FIG. [Figure 48] 10A and 10B are schematic diagrams showing an engagement portion between an opening / closing member and a unit housing in a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Embodiment 1 <Image forming device> First, a description will be given of an image forming apparatus 1 according to the embodiment 1. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the basic configuration of the image forming apparatus 1. The image forming apparatus 1 is a printer that forms an image using an electrophotographic process.

[0010] The image forming apparatus 1 has a medium supply unit 120 that supplies media such as printing paper, image forming units 10K, 10Y, 10M, and 10C that form images, a transfer unit 130 that transfers the image onto the medium, a fixing device 140 that fixes the image onto the medium, and a medium discharge unit 150 that discharges the medium. These components are housed in a housing 161. The top of the housing 161 is covered by a top cover 162.

[0011] The medium supply unit 120 includes a medium cassette 121 , a pickup roller 122 , a feed roller 123 , a separation pad 124 , a registration roller 125 , and a transport roller 127 .

[0012] A medium cassette 121 stores media such as printing paper. A pickup roller 122 pulls out media one by one from the medium cassette 121. A feed roller 123 and a separation pad 124 separate the pulled-out media one by one and send them out to a transport path 126.

[0013] Registration rollers 125 correct skew (oblique movement) of the medium sent out from medium cassette 121 and further transport the medium along transport path 126. Transport rollers 127 transport the medium sent along transport path 126 toward transfer unit 130.

[0014] The image forming units 10K, 10Y, 10M, and 10C are arranged in the direction of conveyance of the medium and form black, yellow, magenta, and cyan developer images. Each of the image forming units 10K, 10Y, 10M, and 10C corresponds to a "developing device."

[0015] Image forming sections 10K, 10Y, 10M, and 10C respectively have image forming units 100K, 100Y, 100M, and 100C, developer containers 30K, 30Y, 30M, and 30C as developer containers, and holding units 20K, 20Y, 20M, and 20C as developer container holding sections.

[0016] Image forming sections 10K, 10Y, 10M, and 10C are referred to as "image forming sections 10" unless there is a need to distinguish them. Image forming units 100K, 100Y, 100M, and 100C are referred to as "image forming units 100" unless there is a need to distinguish them. Developer containers 30K, 30Y, 30M, and 30C are referred to as "developer containers 30" unless there is a need to distinguish them. Holding units 20K, 20Y, 20M, and 20C are referred to as "holding units 20" unless there is a need to distinguish them.

[0017] Fig. 2 is a diagram showing the basic configuration of the image forming section 10. As shown in Fig. 2, the image forming section 10 as a developing device has an image forming unit 100, a developer container 30 as a developer container, and a holding unit 20 as a developer container holding section.

[0018] The image forming unit 100 has a photosensitive drum 101 as an image carrier, a charging roller 102 as a charging member, a developing roller 103 as a developer carrier, a supply roller 104 as a supply member, a developing blade 105 as a layer regulating member, and a cleaning member 106.

[0019] The photosensitive drum 101 is a cylindrical member having a photosensitive layer formed on the surface of a conductive support. The photosensitive layer is a laminate of a charge generating layer and a charge transport layer. The photosensitive drum 101 rotates clockwise in the figure.

[0020] An exposure head 108 serving as an exposure device is disposed opposite the photosensitive drum 101. The exposure head 108 has an LED array in which LEDs (light-emitting diodes) serving as light-emitting elements are arranged, and a lens array, and irradiates the surface of the photosensitive drum 101 with light to form an electrostatic latent image. The exposure head 108 is suspended and supported by a top cover 162 (FIG. 1).

[0021] The charging roller 102 is disposed so as to come into contact with the surface of the photosensitive drum 101, and rotates following the rotation of the photosensitive drum 101. A charging voltage is applied to the charging roller 102, and the surface of the photosensitive drum 101 is uniformly charged.

[0022] The developing roller 103 is disposed so as to contact the surface of the photosensitive drum 101, and rotates in the opposite direction to the photosensitive drum 101 (the direction in which the surface moves at the contact point is the forward direction). A developing voltage is applied to the developing roller 103, and the electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 101 is developed with a developer.

[0023] The supply roller 104 is disposed so as to contact the surface of the developing roller 103, and rotates in the same direction as the developing roller 103 (the direction in which the surface moves in the contact area is opposite to that of the developing roller 103). A supply voltage is applied to the supply roller 104, and the supply roller 104 supplies the developer to the developing roller 103.

[0024] The developing blade 105 is a metal blade that is disposed so as to contact the developing roller 103. The developing blade 105 is pressed against the surface of the developing roller 103, and regulates the thickness of the developer layer on the surface of the developing roller 103.

[0025] The cleaning member 106 is a roller or blade made of an elastic material, and scrapes off the developer remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 101 .

[0026] The developer container 30 is a container that contains a developer (denoted by the symbol T in FIG. 2). The developer container 30 is detachably attached to the holding unit 20, and supplies the developer T to the image forming unit 100.

[0027] The holding unit 20 is attached to a housing 161 (FIG. 1) of the image forming apparatus 1, and detachably holds the developer container 30. The developer container 30 and the holding unit 20 constitute a developer supply device 50 that supplies developer to the image forming unit 100.

[0028] 1, the transfer unit 130 has transfer rollers 131 as transfer members disposed opposite each photosensitive drum 101, a transfer belt 132 that passes between the photosensitive drum 101 and the transfer rollers 131, and a drive roller 133 and a driven roller 134 around which the transfer belt 132 is wound. The drive roller 133 rotates to move the transfer belt 132. The driven roller 134 applies tension to the transfer belt 132.

[0029] A transfer voltage is applied to the transfer roller 131, and as shown in FIG. 2, the developer image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 101 is transferred to a medium on the transfer belt 132 (indicated by the symbol P in FIG. 2).

[0030] The fixing device 140 is disposed downstream of the image forming unit 10 in the medium transport direction. The fixing device 140 has a fixing roller 141 and a pressure roller 142. The fixing roller 141 has a built-in heater, and the pressure roller 142 is pressed against the fixing roller 141. The fixing roller 141 and the pressure roller 142 apply heat and pressure to the medium to fix the developer image to the medium.

[0031] The medium discharge section 150 has a pair of discharge rollers 151 and a pair of discharge rollers 152 that transport the medium that has passed through the fixing device 140 along a transport path 153 and discharge it from a discharge port. The top cover 162 is formed with a stacker section 154 on which the discharged medium is placed.

[0032] In Figure 1, the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 101 is the X direction. The X direction is the axial direction of each roller in the image forming apparatus 1 and is also the width direction of the medium being transported. The direction of movement of the medium as it passes through the image forming unit 10 is the Y direction. The direction perpendicular to the X direction and the Y direction is the Z direction. Here, the Z direction is the up-down direction.

[0033] Regarding the Y direction, the transport direction when the medium passes through the image forming unit 10 is the +Y direction, and the opposite direction is the -Y direction. Regarding the X direction, the right-hand direction when facing the +Y direction is the +X direction, and the left-hand direction is the -X direction. Regarding the Z direction, the upward direction in Figure 1 is the +Z direction, and the downward direction is the -Z direction. Note that these directions do not limit the orientation of the image forming apparatus 1.

[0034] <Developer container 30 and holding unit 20> 3 is a perspective view showing the appearance of image forming apparatus 1. Housing 161 of image forming apparatus 1 has wall portions on both sides in the X direction and wall portions on both sides in the Y direction. An openable front cover 163 is provided on the wall portion of housing 161 on the -X direction. In FIG. 3, front cover 163 is open.

[0035] Holding units 20K, 20Y, 20M, and 20C that hold developer containers 30K, 30Y, 30M, and 30C (FIG. 1) are provided inside the housing 161. Each of the holding units 20K, 20Y, 20M, and 20C is long in the X direction, and holds the developer containers 30K, 30Y, 30M, and 30C detachably in the X direction.

[0036] The -X direction ends of each of the holding units 20K, 20Y, 20M, and 20C are covered by a front cover 163, and the developer containers 30K, 30Y, 30M, and 30C can be attached and detached by opening the front cover 163. The developer containers 30K, 30Y, 30M, and 30C are attached to the holding units 20K, 20Y, 20M, and 20C in the +X direction and detached in the -X direction.

[0037] 3, the developer container 30C is attached to the holding unit 20C, and the developer container 30M is partially attached to the holding unit 20M. The developer containers 30K and 30Y have not yet been attached to the holding units 20K and 20Y.

[0038] Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the developer container 30 as seen from above. As shown in Fig. 4, the developer container 30 has a housing 31 that forms an outer shell. The inside of the housing 31 forms a developer storage section that stores developer.

[0039] The housing 31 is long in the X direction and has an outer wall 31a and a bottom 31b. The outer wall 31a has a substantially triangular cross section perpendicular to the X direction, and the bottom 31b is flat. However, the shape of the housing 31 is not limited to this. A grip 37 is formed at the end of the outer wall 31a of the housing 31 in the -X direction, which the user can grip when removing the developer container 30.

[0040] Figure 5 is a perspective view of the developer container 30 with part of the outer wall removed. As shown in Figure 5, a supply port 32 is formed in the bottom 31b of the housing 31, which supplies the developer in the developer container to the outside. In this example, the supply port 32 is formed in the center of the housing 31 in the X direction, near the end in the +Y direction, but is not limited to this position. The supply port 32 is covered by a shutter 40, which serves as an openable / closable member that can move in the X direction.

[0041] A transport member 301 and an agitating member 302 are provided inside the housing 31. The transport member 301 transports the developer toward the supply port 32 and is configured, for example, as a spiral that rotates around a rotation axis in the X direction. The agitating member 302 agitates the developer and is configured, for example, as a stirring bar that rotates around a rotation axis in the X direction.

[0042] A gear 303 connected to the conveying member 301 and a gear 304 connected to the stirring member 302 are disposed at the end of the housing 31 in the +X direction. The gears 303 and 304 receive rotation transmitted from a drive gear (not shown) disposed inside the image forming apparatus 1.

[0043] A positioning post 305 is formed between the gears 303 and 304. The positioning post 305 is a shaft member that fits into a fitting portion formed at the shaft center of a drive gear disposed inside the image forming apparatus 1.

[0044] A positioning groove 39 is also formed at the end of the housing 31 in the +X direction. When the developer container 30 is attached to a predetermined position, the positioning groove 39 engages with the positioning protrusion 29 (FIG. 11) of the holding unit 20, thereby positioning the developer container 30.

[0045] 6 is a perspective view of the developer container 30 as seen from below (the bottom 31b side). The bottom 31b of the housing 31 of the developer container 30 is formed with peripheral ribs 33 as first insertion / removal guides. The peripheral ribs 33 are formed on both sides of the bottom 31b in the Y direction and extend in the X direction. The peripheral ribs 33 serve as guides when the developer container 30 is attached to the holding unit 20.

[0046] A shutter 40 that opens and closes the supply port 32 (FIG. 5) is provided on the bottom 31b of the housing 31. The shutter 40 is provided so as to be movable in the X direction.

[0047] Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing a state in which the shutter 40 has been removed from the developer container 30 shown in Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is a perspective view showing an enlarged view of the periphery of the supply port 32 in Fig. 7. As shown in Fig. 8, the developer container 30 has shutter rails 34 as first opening / closing guides that are long in the X direction on both sides of the supply port 32 in the Y direction. A slide portion 45 (Fig. 9) of the shutter 40, which will be described later, engages with the shutter rails 34.

[0048] The developer container 30 also has a sealing member 38 as an elastic member provided so as to surround the periphery of the supply port 32. The sealing member 38 is formed of an elastic material such as a sponge, and is fixed to the lower surface of the shutter rail 34. The sealing member 38 extends so as to surround the periphery of the supply port 32, and has a thickness in the Z direction.

[0049] The developer container 30 also has a stopper 35 at the +X-direction end of the shutter rail 34, which restricts movement of the shutter 40 in the +X-direction. The stopper 35 is, for example, a bent portion that bends from the +X-direction end of the shutter rail 34 in the +Z direction.

[0050] A latch 36 serving as a first positioning portion is provided adjacent to supply port 32 in the -X direction. Latch 36 is formed as a cantilever beam that is long in the X direction on bottom 31b of housing 31. The -X direction end of latch 36 is connected to bottom 31b, and an abutment portion 36a is formed on the +X direction end (free end).

[0051] Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the shutter 40 as seen from above. Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the shutter 40 as seen from below. As shown in Fig. 9, the shutter 40 has a cover portion 43 that covers the supply port 32 (Fig. 5), and a pair of side wall portions 44 that are formed on both sides of the cover portion 43 in the Y direction and extend in the X direction. The upper surface (the surface on the housing 31 side) of the cover portion 43, i.e., the surface facing the supply port 32 (Fig. 5), is referred to as the cover surface 43a.

[0052] A slide portion 45 is formed on each side wall portion 44 as a second opening / closing guide that engages with the shutter rail 34 (FIG. 8) of the housing 31. The engagement between the slide portion 45 and the shutter rail 34 allows the shutter 40 to be attached to the housing 31 so as to be movable in the X direction. Two slide portions 45 are provided on each side wall portion 44, and a stopper surface 45a is formed on the +X direction end of the slide portion 45 located on the +X direction side.

[0053] Furthermore, a recess 46 serving as a second positioning portion that engages with the latch 36 of the housing 31 is formed near the end in the -X direction of the side wall portion 44 located in the -Y direction of the pair of side wall portions 44. The engagement between the recess 46 of the shutter 40 and the latch 36 of the housing 31 (FIG. 8) locks the shutter 40 in a position where it closes the supply port 32.

[0054] A shutter-side contact portion 42 serving as a first contact portion (or first movement restricting portion) is formed at the tip in the +X direction of the shutter 40. The shutter-side contact portion 42 is, for example, an end surface perpendicular to the X direction.

[0055] A protrusion 41 is also formed as a protrusion at the tip of the shutter 40 in the +X direction. The protrusion 41 is formed adjacent to the shutter-side contact portion 42 in the -Z direction, and protrudes further in the +X direction than the shutter-side contact portion 42.

[0056] The protrusion 41 has a flat portion 41a, which is the upper surface, i.e., the surface facing the housing 31, and an inclined portion 41b inclined relative to the flat portion 41a. The inclined portion 41b extends in the +X direction from the flat portion 41a. The inclined portion 41b is inclined so that it moves away from the cover surface 43a in the Z direction as it progresses in the +X direction (in other words, so that it moves away from the housing 31 in the Z direction).

[0057] 10, the shutter 40 has an inclined portion 47 adjacent to the convex portion 41 in the -X direction. Similar to the inclined portion 41b of the convex portion 41, the inclined portion 47 is inclined so as to move away from the cover surface 43a in the Z direction (in other words, so as to move away from the housing 31 in the Z direction) as it moves in the +X direction.

[0058] An engagement protrusion 48 is formed on the back surface 43b of the cover portion 43 opposite the cover surface 43a (FIG. 9). The engagement protrusion 48 is formed near the end of the cover portion 43 in the -X direction. The engagement protrusion 48 has an inclined surface that inclines so as to move away from the back surface 43b in the Z direction as it progresses in the -X direction (in other words, so as to move away from the housing 31 in the Z direction), and an end surface (vertical surface) that is formed at the end of the inclined surface in the -X direction and is perpendicular to the X direction. The engagement protrusion 48 is a part that abuts against a leaf spring portion 23, which will be described later, when the developer container 30 is attached or detached.

[0059] Fig. 11 is a perspective view showing the holding unit 20. Fig. 12 is a perspective view of the holding unit 20 as seen from a different direction than that of Fig. 11. As shown in Figs. 11 and 12, the holding unit 20 has a tray 21 as a support surface on which the developer container 30 is placed. A pair of guide walls 22 as second insertion / removal guides are provided on both sides of the tray 21 in the Y direction. An outer peripheral rib 33 (Figs. 5 to 7) of the developer container 30 engages with the inner sides of the pair of guide walls 22.

[0060] 11, a receiving port 27 for receiving developer supplied from the supply port 32 of the developer container 30 is formed in approximately the center in the X direction of the tray 21 of the holding unit 20. The receiving port 27 is connected to the image forming unit 100 via a developer transport path (supply path). The developer may be supplied from the receiving port 27 to the image forming unit 100 by dropping it down or by using some kind of transport member.

[0061] The holding unit 20 also has a sealing member 28 attached to the tray 21 so as to surround the receiving opening 27. The sealing member 28 is formed of an elastic material such as sponge. The sealing member 28 extends so as to surround the periphery of the receiving opening 27, and has a thickness in the Z direction.

[0062] The holding unit 20 also has a unit-side abutment portion 25 serving as a second abutment portion (or a second movement restricting portion) adjacent to the receiving port 27 in the -X direction. The unit-side abutment portion 25 is, for example, an end surface perpendicular to the X direction. The unit-side abutment portion 25 abuts against the shutter-side abutment portion 42 of the shutter 40, and restricts movement of the shutter 40 in the +X direction.

[0063] A recess 26 serving as an engagement portion is formed below (in the −Z direction) the unit-side contact portion 25. The recess 26 is a space into which the protrusion 41 of the shutter 40 fits.

[0064] The holding unit 20 also has a leaf spring portion 23 serving as an opening / closing locking portion, located in the -X direction from the recess 26 of the tray 21. The leaf spring portion 23 is a member that is long in the X direction. The end portion of the leaf spring portion 23 in the +X direction is fixed to the tray 21. The end portion (free end) in the -X direction of the leaf spring portion 23 is formed with a protrusion (described later) that protrudes in the +Z direction.

[0065] In addition, the area 21a of the tray 21 where the leaf spring portion 23 is arranged is formed to be lower in height than other parts of the tray 21 in order to ensure a range of movement of the convex portion 41 (FIG. 10) of the shutter 40.

[0066] The holding unit 20 also has a protrusion, that is, an unlocking post 24. The unlocking post 24 is disposed adjacent to the leaf spring portion 23 in the -Y direction on the tray 21. The unlocking post 24 abuts against the abutting portion 36a (FIGS. 6 to 8) of the latch 36 of the developer container 30 to deflect the latch 36, thereby releasing the engagement between the latch 36 and the recess 46 of the shutter 40.

[0067] When the latch 36 of the developer container 30 and the recess 46 of the shutter 40 are engaged (FIG. 6), the latch 36 protrudes from the recess 46 in the -Y direction, allowing the unlocking post 24 to come into contact with it.

[0068] The holding unit 20 also has a positioning protrusion 29 that engages with a positioning groove 39 (FIG. 4) of the developer container 30 when the developer container 30 is mounted to a predetermined mounting position. In this example, the positioning protrusion 29 is formed at the end of the tray 21 in the +X direction.

[0069] Figure 13(A) is a cross-sectional view showing the holding unit 20 before the developer container 30 is attached. Figure 13(B) is an enlarged view showing the part surrounded by the dashed line B in Figure 13(A). As described above, the unit-side contact portion 25 is provided adjacent to the receiving opening 27 in the -X direction, and the recess 26 is provided below the unit-side contact portion 25 (in the -Z direction).

[0070] The upper surface (the surface on the +Z side) of recess 26 is referred to as top surface 26a. Unit-side contact portion 25 and top surface 26a are adjacent to each other with a corner in between. A portion of seal member 28, which is provided to surround receiving opening 27, is located above top surface 26a (in the +Z direction).

[0071] The above-mentioned leaf spring portion 23 is provided in the −X direction relative to the unit-side contact portion 25 and the recess 26. The leaf spring portion 23 extends in the X direction, and is fixed to the tray 21 at its end in the +X direction.

[0072] The leaf spring portion 23 has an inclined portion 23a at the end in the -X direction. The inclined portion 23a is inclined so that it is displaced more in the +Z direction as it advances in the +X direction.

[0073] The leaf spring portion 23 has a stopper portion 23b adjacent to the inclined portion 23a in the +X direction. The stopper portion 23b extends substantially in the Z direction, but is slightly inclined in the opposite direction to the inclined portion 23a.

[0074] <Printing operation of image forming device> Next, the printing operation of the image forming apparatus 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 1. When the control unit of the image forming apparatus 1 receives a print command and print data from a host device, it starts the printing operation (image forming operation).

[0075] When the printing operation starts, the pickup roller 122 and feed roller 123 of the medium supply unit 120 rotate to send the media from the medium cassette 121 one by one to the conveying path 126. In addition, the registration roller 125 and conveying roller 127 rotate to convey the media along the conveying path 126.

[0076] In each image forming unit 10, a charging voltage, a developing voltage, and a supply voltage are applied to the charging roller 102, the developing roller 103, and the supply roller 104, respectively. Furthermore, as the photosensitive drum 101 rotates, the charging roller 102, the developing roller 103, and the supply roller 104 also rotate. The charging roller 102 uniformly charges the surface of the photosensitive drum 101. The exposure head 108 exposes the surface of the photosensitive drum 101 to light to form an electrostatic latent image.

[0077] The electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 101 is developed by the developer attached to the developing roller 103, and a developer image is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 101. The developer image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 101 is transferred to a medium on a transfer belt 132 by a transfer voltage applied to a transfer roller 131.

[0078] The medium onto which the developer images have been transferred from the photosensitive drums 101 of the image forming units 10K, 10Y, 10M, and 10C is transported to a fixing device 140 by a transfer belt 132.

[0079] In the fixing device 140, a fixing roller 141 and a pressure roller 142 rotate with a fixing nip formed, and the fixing roller 141 is heated to a predetermined fixing temperature. When the medium passes through the fixing nip between the fixing roller 141 and the pressure roller 142, heat and pressure are applied to the unfixed developer on the medium, and the developer image is fixed to the medium.

[0080] The medium with the fixed developer image is transported to the medium discharge section 150. In the medium discharge section 150, the medium is transported by a pair of discharge rollers 151, 152 and discharged from a discharge opening. The discharged medium is stacked on the stacker section 154. This completes the printing operation.

[0081] <Mounting Operation of Developer Storage Container 30> Next, the operation of mounting the developer container 30 to the holding unit 20 will be described. Figure 14(A) is a cross-sectional view showing the first stage of the operation of mounting the developer container 30. Figure 14(B) is an enlarged view showing the part surrounded by the dashed line B in Figure 14(A).

[0082] As shown in Figure 14(A), the shutter 40 is locked to the housing 31 of the developer container 30 by the engagement between the latch 36 (Figure 8) and the recess 46 (Figure 9), and is in a closed position where it closes the supply port 32. The developer container 30 is attached to the holding unit 20 in the +X direction, with the outer circumferential rib 33 (Figure 6) guided by the guide wall 22 (Figure 11) of the holding unit 20. The +X direction is also referred to as the attachment direction (or first direction), and is indicated by arrow A1 in Figure 14(A) etc.

[0083] As shown in FIG. 14B, when the developer container 30 is attached, the convex portion 41 of the shutter 40 first comes into contact with the inclined portion 23a of the leaf spring portion 23 of the holding unit 20.

[0084] Figure 15(A) is a cross-sectional view showing a second stage of the installation operation of the developer container 30. Figure 15(B) is an enlarged view showing the part surrounded by the dashed line B in Figure 15(A). When the developer container 30 is further moved in the +X direction, the convex portion 41 of the shutter 40 biases the inclined portion 23a of the leaf spring portion 23, causing the leaf spring portion 23 to bend in the -Z direction.

[0085] Figure 16(A) is a cross-sectional view showing a third stage of the attachment operation of the developer container 30. Figure 16(B) is an enlarged view showing the area surrounded by the dashed line B in Figure 16(A). When the developer container 30 is further moved in the +X direction, the convex portion 41 of the shutter 40 passes over the inclined portion 23a and the stopper portion 23b of the leaf spring portion 23. This causes the leaf spring portion 23 to return to the state it was in before being deflected in the -Z direction.

[0086] Figure 17(A) is a cross-sectional view showing a fourth stage of the mounting operation of the developer container 30. Figure 17(B) is an enlarged view showing the part surrounded by the dashed line B in Figure 17(A). When the developer container 30 is further moved in the +X direction, the inclined portion 41b of the convex portion 41 of the shutter 40 abuts on the front corner of the concave portion 26, and the convex portion 41 is guided into the concave portion 26.

[0087] Furthermore, the inclined portion of the engagement projection 48 of the shutter 40 comes into contact with the inclined portion 23a of the plate spring portion 23, causing the plate spring portion 23 to bend in the −Z direction.

[0088] Figure 18(A) is a cross-sectional view showing a fifth stage of the mounting operation of the developer container 30. Figure 18(B) is an enlarged view showing the part surrounded by the dashed line B in Figure 18(A). When the developer container 30 is further moved in the +X direction, the shutter-side abutment portion 42 of the shutter 40 abuts against the unit-side abutment portion 25 of the holding unit 20. This restricts the movement of the shutter 40 in the +X direction.

[0089] Furthermore, the convex portion 41 of the shutter 40 enters the concave portion 26 of the holding unit 20, and the flat portion 41a of the convex portion 41 abuts against the top surface 26a of the concave portion 26. Furthermore, the engagement protrusion 48 of the shutter 40 passes through the inclined portion 23a and the stopper portion 23b of the leaf spring portion 23. This causes the leaf spring portion 23 to return to the state it was in before being deflected in the -Z direction.

[0090] Furthermore, the unlocking post 24 (FIG. 11) of the holding unit 20 abuts against the abutment portion 36a (FIG. 8) of the latch 36 of the developer container 30, deflecting the latch 36. This disengages the latch 36 from the recess 46 (FIG. 9) of the shutter 40, allowing the shutter 40 to move in the X direction relative to the developer container 30.

[0091] Figure 19(A) is a cross-sectional view showing a sixth stage of the attachment operation of the developer container 30. Figure 19(B) is an enlarged view showing the portion surrounded by dashed line B in Figure 19(A). At this stage, movement of the shutter 40 in the +X direction is restricted by the abutment between the shutter-side abutment portion 42 and the unit-side abutment portion 25. Therefore, when the developer container 30 is further moved in the +X direction, the housing 31 of the developer container 30 moves in the +X direction, leaving the shutter 40 behind. In other words, the shutter 40 moves in the -X direction relative to the housing 31 of the developer container 30, opening the supply port 32.

[0092] When the developer container 30 reaches its movement limit in the +X direction (i.e., the mounting position), the positioning protrusion 29 (FIG. 11) of the holding unit 20 engages with the positioning groove 39 (FIG. 5) of the developer container 30, and the developer container 30 is positioned relative to the holding unit 20. In addition, the positioning post 305 (FIG. 5) engages with a fitting hole of a drive gear (not shown) provided in the image forming apparatus 1, and the drive gear meshes with gears 303 and 304 (FIG. 5).

[0093] In this state, the shutter 40 completely opens the supply port 32, and the supply port 32 of the developer container 30 communicates with the receiving port 27 of the holding unit 20. This allows the developer in the developer container 30 to be supplied from the supply port 32 to the receiving port 27.

[0094] Furthermore, a drive gear provided in the image forming apparatus 1 rotates gears 303 and 304 (FIG. 5), which rotates the transport member 301 and the stirring member 302. As a result, the developer in the developer container 30 is stirred and transported, and is supplied from the supply port 32 to the receiving port 27. The developer transported to the receiving port 27 is supplied to the image forming unit 100 (FIG. 2). In other words, the image forming apparatus 1 becomes capable of performing a printing operation.

[0095] <Removal of the Developer Container 30> Next, the operation of removing the used developer container 30 from the holding unit 20 will be described. Figure 20(A) is a cross-sectional view showing the first stage of the operation of removing the developer container 30. Figure 20(B) is an enlarged view showing the part surrounded by the dashed line B in Figure 20(A).

[0096] When the developer container 30 is in a used state, i.e., when all the developer inside the developer container 30 has been discharged, developer adheres to the inner wall surfaces of the receiving port 27, the sealing member 28, the sealing member 38, and the supply port 32, as shown by the symbol T1 in Figure 20(B).

[0097] The developer container 30 is removed in the -X direction from the mounting position shown in Figures 20(A) and (B). Therefore, the -X direction is also called the removal direction (or second direction), and is indicated by arrow A2 in Figure 20(A) etc.

[0098] At this stage, movement of the shutter 40 in the -X direction is restricted by the engagement protrusion 48 of the shutter 40 abutting against the stopper portion 23b of the leaf spring portion 23. Therefore, when the developer container 30 is pulled out in the -X direction, the housing 31 of the developer container 30 moves in the -X direction, leaving the shutter 40 behind. In other words, the shutter 40 moves in the +X direction relative to the housing 31 of the developer container 30.

[0099] Figure 21(A) is a cross-sectional view showing a second stage of the removal operation of the developer container 30. Figure 21(B) is an enlarged view showing the area surrounded by dashed line B in Figure 21(A). When the developer container 30 is moved in the -X direction, the inner wall surface on the -X side of the supply port 32 of the developer container 30 passes over the shutter-side abutment portion 42. At this time, the developer adhering to the inner wall surface of the supply port 32 is scraped off by the shutter-side abutment portion 42 and adheres to the shutter-side abutment portion 42 as indicated by reference symbol T2.

[0100] Figure 22(A) is a cross-sectional view showing a third stage of the removal operation of the developer container 30. Figure 22(B) is an enlarged view showing the area surrounded by dashed line B in Figure 22(A). When the developer container 30 is further moved in the -X direction, the shutter 40 reaches a closed position where it closes the supply port 32. At this point, as indicated by symbol T2, developer scraped off from the inner wall surfaces on the -X side and +X side of the supply port 32 adheres to the shutter-side abutment portion 42.

[0101] When the shutter 40 reaches the closed position, the latch 36 (FIG. 8) of the developer container 30 engages with the recess 46 (FIG. 9) of the shutter 40, and the stopper 35 (FIG. 8) of the developer container 30 comes into contact with the stopper surface 45a (FIG. 9) of the shutter 40. This restricts the relative movement of the shutter 40 with respect to the housing 31 of the developer container 30. In other words, the shutter 40 moves integrally with the housing 31 of the developer container 30.

[0102] Furthermore, although the engagement protrusion 48 of the shutter 40 abuts against the stopper portion 23b of the leaf spring portion 23, the force F1 with which the user pulls the developer container 30 exceeds the maximum value of the resistance force F2 that the engagement protrusion 48 receives from the leaf spring portion 23 (F1>F2), so the leaf spring portion 23 bends in the -Z direction as described below.

[0103] Figure 23(A) is a cross-sectional view showing a fourth stage of the removal operation of the developer container 30. Figure 23(B) is an enlarged view showing the part surrounded by dashed line B in Figure 23(A). When the developer container 30 is further moved in the -X direction, the shutter 40 also moves in the -X direction together with the housing 31 of the developer container 30, and the leaf spring portion 23 of the holding unit 20 is biased by the engaging protrusion 48 of the shutter 40 and bends in the -Z direction. This allows the developer container 30 to move further in the -X direction.

[0104] When the developer container 30 moves further in the -X direction, the shutter-side contact portion 42 of the shutter 40 moves away from the unit-side contact portion 25 of the holding unit 20 in the -X direction, and the convex portion 41 of the shutter 40 moves out of the concave portion 26 of the holding unit 20 in the -X direction. At this time, part of the developer T2 adhering to the shutter-side contact portion 42 falls and adheres to the flat portion 41a of the convex portion 41, as indicated by the symbol T3.

[0105] Figure 24(A) is a cross-sectional view showing a fifth stage of the removal operation of the developer container 30. Figure 24(B) is an enlarged view showing the part surrounded by the dashed line B in Figure 24(A). When the developer container 30 is further moved in the -X direction, the developer container 30 is removed from the holding unit 20 in a state in which developer T2 adheres to the shutter-side contact portion 42 and developer T3 adheres to the flat portion 41a of the protrusion 41.

[0106] Furthermore, if the developer container 30 is further moved in the -X direction from the state shown in Figures 24(A) and (B), the inclined portion 47 of the shutter 40 abuts against the stopper portion 23b of the leaf spring portion 23, causing the leaf spring portion 23 to bend in the -Z direction, and thereby the developer container 30 is removed from the holding unit 20 in the -X direction.

[0107] When the developer container 30 is removed from the holding unit 20, the developer T2 adheres to the shutter-side contact portion 42, and the developer T3 adheres to the flat portion 41a of the protrusion 41. This prevents the periphery of the developer container 30 from being soiled with the developer.

[0108] <Mounting Operation of a New Developer Storage Container 30> Next, the operation of mounting a new developer container 30 onto the holding unit 20 from which a used developer container 30 has been removed at least once will be described.

[0109] Figure 25(A) is a cross-sectional view showing the holding unit 20 after the used developer container 30 has been removed. Figure 25(B) is an enlarged view showing the part surrounded by the dashed line B in Figure 25(A).

[0110] After the used developer container 30 is removed, developer T4 remains attached to the periphery of the receiving port 27 of the holding unit 20 (for example, on the seal member 28). This developer T4 is the developer that has fallen from the inner wall surface of the supply port 32 of the developer container 30 when the developer container 30 is removed.

[0111] Figure 26(A) is a cross-sectional view showing the mounting operation of the developer container 30 to the holding unit 20. Figure 26(B) is an enlarged view showing the part surrounded by the dashed line B in Figure 26(A). The mounting operation of the developer container 30 is performed as described with reference to Figures 14(A) to 18(B).

[0112] As the developer container 30 moves in the +X direction, the convex portion 41 of the shutter 40 enters the concave portion 26 of the holding unit 20 , and the shutter-side contact portion 42 of the shutter 40 contacts the unit-side contact portion 25 of the holding unit 20 .

[0113] At this time, the flat surface 41a of the convex portion 41 abuts against the top surface 26a of the concave portion 26, and therefore the seal member 38 passes over the holding unit 20 (for example, over the seal member 28) in a state where it is pressed between the developer container 30 and the holding unit 20. Therefore, the developer T4 remaining on the holding unit 20 is pushed by the seal member 38 of the developer container 30 and moves in the +X direction.

[0114] Figure 27(A) is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the developer container 30 has been further moved in the +X direction. Figure 27(B) is an enlarged view showing the portion surrounded by dashed line B in Figure 27(A). As described above, the seal member 38 of the developer container 30 passes over the holding unit 20 while being pressed, so that the developer T4 remaining on the holding unit 20 is pushed by the seal member 38 and falls into the receiving opening 27 as shown by arrow G. In other words, the periphery of the receiving opening 27 of the holding unit 20 is cleaned by the seal member 38 of the developer container 30.

[0115] <effect> Next, the operation of the first embodiment will be described. First, a comparative example to be contrasted with the first embodiment will be described. Figures 28(A) to 28(F) are schematic diagrams showing the operation of removing the developer container 30 of the comparative example. As shown in Figure 28(A), the developer container 30 of the comparative example differs from the developer container 30 of the first embodiment in that it does not have a protrusion 41 on the tip 40a of the shutter 40 in the +X direction.

[0116] As shown in Figure 28(B), when the developer T has been supplied from the developer container 30 to the holding unit 20, developer (indicated by symbol T1) adheres to the inner wall surfaces of the supply port 32 of the developer container 30 and the receiving port 27 of the holding unit 20.

[0117] As shown in Figure 28(C), when the developer container 30 is moved in the -X direction, the inner wall surface on the -X side of the supply port 32 of the developer container 30 passes through the tip portion 40a of the shutter 40, and some of the developer T1 adhering to the inner wall surface is scraped off.

[0118] As shown in Figure 28(D), when the developer container 30 is further moved in the -X direction, the inner wall surface on the +X side of the supply port 32 of the developer container 30 passes through the tip portion 40a of the shutter 40, and some of the developer T1 adhering to the inner wall surface is scraped off.

[0119] As shown in Figure 28(E), the developer container 30 is removed in the -X direction with developer (indicated by symbol T5) that has fallen from the inner wall surface of the supply port 32 adhering to the +X direction tip 40a of the shutter 40.

[0120] 28(F), in the developer container 30 removed from the holding unit 20, the developer T5 is attached to the tip portion 40a of the shutter 40. Therefore, the developer T5 may spill out from the tip portion 40a of the shutter 40, and the surrounding area of ​​the developer container 30 (for example, the top of a desk on which the developer container 30 is placed) may become dirty.

[0121] 29 is a conceptual diagram schematically illustrating the developer container 30 and the holding unit 20 according to the first embodiment. In the first embodiment, the shutter 40 of the developer container 30 has a shutter-side contact portion 42 at its tip in the +X direction (i.e., the mounting direction of the developer container 30), and has a protrusion 41 below it (i.e., the side opposite the housing 31 across the shutter-side contact portion 42). When the developer container 30 is mounted to the holding unit 20, the protrusion 41 of the shutter 40 fits into the recess 26 of the holding unit 20.

[0122] Therefore, during the removal operation of the developer container 30 described with reference to Figures 20(A) to 24(B), the developers T2 and T3 scraped off from the inner wall surfaces of the supply port 32 of the developer container 30 are held on the convex portion 41 of the shutter 40 as shown in Figure 24(B).

[0123] Therefore, even after the developer container 30 is removed from the holding unit 20, the developer is held on the convex portion 41 of the shutter 40 and is less likely to spill out. This prevents the area around the removed developer container 30 from being soiled with developer.

[0124] 19(B), when the developer container 30 is attached to the holding unit 20, the convex portion 41 of the shutter 40 fits into the concave portion 26 of the holding unit 20, so no gap is created above the convex portion 41. This makes it possible to reduce the amount of developer that adheres to the convex portion 41 when the developer container 30 is removed.

[0125] 29, it is desirable that the distance L in the Z direction between the cover surface 43a of the cover portion 43 of the shutter 40 and the flat portion 41a of the convex portion 41 is 5 mm or less. If the distance L is 5 mm or less, it is difficult for the user's fingers to get into the gap between the developer container 30 and the convex portion 41 of the shutter 40.

[0126] 30 is a schematic diagram showing the convex portion 41 and shutter-side contact portion 42 of the shutter 40, and the unit-side contact portion 25 and recessed portion 26 of the holding unit 20. As shown in FIG. 30, when the convex portion 41 of the shutter 40 engages with the recessed portion 26 of the holding unit 20, the flat portion 41a of the convex portion 41 comes into contact with the top surface 26a of the recessed portion 26.

[0127] Therefore, the gap between the housing 31 of the developer container 30 and the holding unit 20 is kept constant. As a result, as shown in Figures 26(B) to 27(B) above, the seal member 38 passes over the holding unit 20 while being pressed between the housing 31 and the holding unit 20. Therefore, the developer T4 (Figure 27(B)) remaining on the holding unit 20 can be efficiently removed.

[0128] Furthermore, the distance L1 that the recess 26 is recessed in the +X direction from the unit-side contact portion 25 is longer than the distance L2 that the protrusion 41 protrudes in the +X direction from the shutter-side contact portion 42. Therefore, the protrusion 41 and the recess 26 can be engaged with each other in a state where the shutter-side contact portion 42 and the unit-side contact portion 25 are in contact with each other without any gap.

[0129] It is desirable that an inclined portion 26b (second inclined portion) corresponding to the inclined portion 41b (first inclined portion) of the convex portion 41 is formed between the unit-side abutment portion 25 of the holding unit 20 and the top surface 26a of the recessed portion 26. When the convex portion 41 of the shutter 40 enters the recessed portion 26 of the holding unit 20, the inclined portion 41b of the convex portion 41 abuts against the inclined portion 26b of the holding unit 20.

[0130] The housing 31 of the developer container 30 is biased in the +Z direction by the pressing force of the seal member (elastic member) 38, and the shutter 40 is also biased in the +Z direction via the engagement between the shutter rail 34 and the slide portion 45. The inclined portion 41b of the convex portion 41 abuts against the inclined portion 26b of the holding unit 20, thereby guiding the shutter 40 in the -Z direction as the container is attached. That is, the developer container 30 is guided in the -Z direction so that the gap between the housing 31 of the developer container 30, which is biased in the +Z direction by the pressing force of the seal member 38, and the holding unit 20 becomes a predetermined gap.

[0131] This compresses the seal member 38 between the portion 201 of the holding unit 20 and the housing 31, reducing the thickness D1 in the Z direction. As a result, the cleaning effect of the seal member 38 around the receiving opening 27 of the holding unit 20 can be improved.

[0132] <Advantages of First Embodiment> As described above, the developer supply device 50 of the first embodiment includes the developer container 30 and the holding unit 20 (developer container holding portion). The developer container 30 has a shutter 40 (opening / closing member) that opens and closes the supply port 32 of the housing 31, and a seal member 38 provided between the housing 31 and the shutter 40. The shutter 40 has a cover portion 43 having a cover surface 43a that closes the supply port 32 of the developer container 30, and a protrusion 41 (protrusion) that protrudes from the cover portion 43 in the +X direction (the direction in which the developer container 30 is attached). The protrusion 41 is provided at a position spaced from the cover surface 43a toward the holding unit 20. The holding unit 20 has a recess 26 (engagement portion) that engages with the protrusion 41 when the developer container 30 is attached to the holding unit 20.

[0133] Since the shutter 40 has the protrusion 41, when the developer container 30 is removed from the holding unit 20, the developer that falls from the inner wall surface of the supply port 32 during removal is held by the protrusion 41 of the shutter 40. This prevents the developer from spilling out of the developer container 30 after removal. As a result, the area around the developer container 30 can be prevented from being soiled with developer.

[0134] Furthermore, since a part of the recess 26 (top surface 26a) is positioned between the protrusion 41 and the sealing member 38 between the engagement between the protrusion 41 and the recess 26 and the position where the supply port 32 and the receiving port 27 face each other, the amount of developer adhering to the protrusion 41 when the developer container 30 is removed can be reduced.

[0135] Furthermore, when the developer container 30 moves to the mounting position (i.e., the position where the supply port 32 and the receiving port 27 communicate) with the convex portion 41 of the shutter 40 engaged with the concave portion 26 of the holding unit 20, the shutter 40 opens the supply port 32. Therefore, the shutter 40 opens only when the supply port 32 and the receiving port 27 face each other, which reliably prevents leakage of the developer.

[0136] Variation 1. Next, a first modification of the first embodiment will be described. Figure 31 is an enlarged view showing an engagement portion between the shutter 40 and the holding unit 20 in the first modification. In Figure 31, the +X direction (first direction) is indicated by arrow A1, the -X direction (second direction) is indicated by arrow A2, the developer container 30 side is indicated by arrow B1, and the holding unit 20 side is indicated by arrow B2.

[0137] In the shutter 40 of the first embodiment, the entire upper surface of the convex portion 41 is the flat portion 41a, and this flat portion 41a contacts the top surface 26a of the concave portion 26 of the holding unit 20, as shown in FIG.

[0138] 31, a hole 41c is formed in the −X direction (second direction) with respect to the flat surface 41a of the protrusion 41. That is, the protrusion 41 protrudes in the +X direction (first direction: arrow A1) from the shutter-side contact portion 42, and the hole 41c is formed on the developer container 30 side (arrow B1 side) and on the −X direction side (second direction side: arrow A2 side) of the protrusion 41. In other words, the hole 41c is formed between the flat surface 41a of the protrusion 41 (the contact portion that contacts the top surface 26a of the recess 26) and the shutter-side contact portion 42.

[0139] 22(B) to 23(B), when the convex portion 41 comes out of the concave portion 26, the developer that has fallen onto the convex portion 41 is held in the hole portion 41c. Furthermore, since the developer is held in the hole portion 41c even after the developer container 30 is removed from the holding unit 20, the developer is less likely to scatter even if an impact is applied to the developer container 30. As a result, it is possible to improve the effect of preventing the surroundings of the developer container 30 from being soiled with developer.

[0140] Here, the hole 41c is provided in the -X direction with respect to the flat surface 41a of the convex portion 41, but the flat surface 41a may be inclined so that it is displaced in the -Z direction as it advances in the -X direction. In that case, the portion including the lowest point of the flat surface 41a corresponds to the hole.

[0141] Variation 2. Next, a second modification of the first embodiment will be described. Fig. 32(A) is an enlarged view showing the supply port 32 and its surroundings of the developer container 30 in the first embodiment. Fig. 32(B) is an enlarged view showing the supply port 32 and its surroundings of the developer container 30 in the second modification.

[0142] In embodiment 1, as shown in Figure 32(A), the inner wall surface 32a of the supply port 32 is parallel to the Z direction, and the internal dimension W1 of the upper end (+Z direction end) of the supply port 32 is equal to the internal dimension W2 of the lower end (-Z direction end) of the supply port 32 (W1 = W2).

[0143] In contrast, in the second modification, as shown in FIG. 32(B), the inner wall surface 32a of the supply port 32 is inclined with respect to the Z direction, and the inner dimension W4 of the lower end of the supply port 32 is larger than the inner dimension W3 of the upper end of the supply port 32 (W3 <W4)。

[0144] With this configuration, when the developer is discharged from the developer container 30, it is less likely to adhere to the inner wall surface 32a of the supply port 32 (particularly the lower region of the inner wall surface 32a). Therefore, when the used developer container 30 is removed, the amount of developer adhering to the shutter-side abutment portion 42 is reduced. As a result, the effect of preventing the periphery of the developer container 30 from being soiled with developer can be further improved.

[0145] Embodiment 2 Next, a description will be given of embodiment 2. Fig. 33 is a diagram showing the basic configuration of an image forming apparatus 1A according to embodiment 2. Image forming apparatus 1A has the same configuration as image forming apparatus 1 (Fig. 1) according to embodiment 1, except for image forming units 11K, 11Y, 11M, and 11C.

[0146] The image forming sections 11K, 11Y, 11M, and 11C have image forming units 110K, 110Y, 110M, and 110C, and developer containers 80K, 80Y, 80M, and 80C, respectively, as developer containers.

[0147] Image forming sections 11K, 11Y, 11M, and 11C are referred to as "image forming sections 11" unless there is a need to distinguish them. Image forming units 110K, 110Y, 110M, and 110C are referred to as "image forming units 110" unless there is a need to distinguish them. Developer containers 80K, 80Y, 80M, and 80C are referred to as "developer container 80" unless there is a need to distinguish them.

[0148] Fig. 34 is a diagram showing the basic configuration of the image forming section 11. As shown in Fig. 34, the image forming section 11 has an image forming unit 110 and a developer container 80 as a developer container. The developer container 80 is detachably attached to the image forming unit 110. In the second embodiment, the holding unit 20 (Fig. 2) described in the first embodiment is not provided.

[0149] Similar to the image forming unit 100 of the first embodiment, the image forming unit 110 includes a photosensitive drum 101, a charging roller 102, a developing roller 103, a supply roller 104, a developing blade 105, and a cleaning member 106. These components are configured as described in the first embodiment.

[0150] The image forming unit 110 has a unit housing 70 as a developer container holder. The developer container 80 is detachably attached to the unit housing 70. The developer container 80 and the unit housing 70 constitute a developer supply device 60 that supplies developer to the image forming unit 110.

[0151] Figure 35 is a perspective view showing the developer container 80 and the unit housing 70. Figure 36 is a perspective view showing the developer container 80. Figure 37 is a perspective view of the developer container 80 as seen from an angle different from that of Figure 36. Figure 38 is a perspective view showing a state in which a supply port 82 (described later) of the developer container 80 is open.

[0152] In the following, when the line of sight is the +X direction, the clockwise direction is defined as the R1 direction, and the counterclockwise direction is defined as the R2 direction. As will be described later, the developer container 80 is rotated in the R1 direction to be mounted to the mounting position on the unit housing 70, and rotated in the R2 direction to be removed from the mounting position (FIGS. 44(A) to 45(B)).

[0153] Therefore, the R1 direction is also referred to as the mounting direction (or first direction), and the R2 direction is also referred to as the removal direction (or second direction). When opening and closing the supply port 82, the housing 81 of the developer container 80 rotates while the shutter 90 remains stationary.

[0154] As shown in Figures 35 and 36, the developer container 80 has a housing 81 that forms its outer shell. The housing 81 is long in the X direction and has an outer wall 81a and a bottom 81b. The outer wall 81a has a rectangular cross section perpendicular to the X direction, and the bottom 81b has a substantially semi-cylindrical cross section perpendicular to the X direction. However, the shape of the housing 81 is not limited to this.

[0155] The inside of the housing 81 is a developer storage section that stores developer. An agitator 801 (FIG. 41(B)) that agitates the developer is provided inside the housing 81. A gear 802 connected to the agitator 801 is disposed at the end of the housing 81 in the -X direction.

[0156] A lock groove 83 serving as a first insertion / removal guide is also provided at the −X direction end of the outer wall 81a of the housing 81. When the developer container 80 is attached to the unit housing 70, a guide rib 72a (described later) of the unit housing 70 is inserted into the lock groove 83.

[0157] The lock groove 83 has an opening 83a into which the guide rib 72a is inserted in the Z direction. The lock groove 83 also has an arc-shaped lock portion 83b that engages with the guide rib 72a (inserted through the opening 83a) when the lock groove 83 rotates, and a stopper portion 83c that abuts against the guide rib 72a in the direction of rotation.

[0158] A supply port 82 (FIG. 38) is formed in the bottom 81b of the housing 81. A seal member 88 (FIG. 38) as an elastic member made of an elastic body such as sponge is attached to the bottom 81b of the housing 81 so as to surround the supply port 82.

[0159] The developer container 80 has a shutter 90 as an opening / closing member that opens and closes a supply port 82 of a housing 81. A pair of shutter rails 84 that guide the shutter 90 in a rotation direction about an imaginary axis in the X direction are formed on a bottom 81b of the housing 81. The shutter 90 rotates while being guided by the shutter rails 84, and opens the supply port 82 at the open position shown in FIG. 38 and closes the supply port 82 at the closed position shown in FIG.

[0160] A stopper 85 (FIG. 38) that restricts relative movement in the R1 direction of the shutter 90 is formed at the R1-direction end of the shutter rail 84. The stopper 85 is, for example, a bent portion that bends radially inward from the R1-direction end of the shutter rail 84.

[0161] In the housing 81 of the developer container 80, a latch 86 is formed as a first positioning portion adjacent to the shutter rail 84 arranged in the -X direction out of the two shutter rails 84. The latch 86 is formed in an area 81c formed one step lower than the surface of the bottom 81b of the housing 81.

[0162] The latch 86 is formed as a cantilever that is long in the rotation direction of the shutter 90. The end of the latch 86 in the R2 direction is connected to the housing 81, and the end (free end) of the latch 86 in the R1 direction has an abutment portion 86a (FIG. 38).

[0163] Figure 39 is a perspective view showing the shutter 90. Figure 40 is a perspective view of the shutter 90 viewed from a different direction than that shown in Figure 39. As shown in Figure 39, the shutter 90 has a cover portion 93 that covers the supply port 82. The cover portion 93 has a cover surface 93a that faces the supply port 82. The cover surface 93a forms part of a cylindrical surface.

[0164] 40, slide portions 95 (FIG. 40) are formed on both ends of the cover portion 93 in the X direction as second opening / closing guides that engage with the shutter rails 84 of the housing 81. Two slide portions 95 are provided on each end of the cover portion 93 in the X direction, and a stopper surface 95a is formed on the R1-direction end of the slide portion 95 located on the R1-direction side.

[0165] Furthermore, a protrusion 96 is formed on the end of the shutter 90 in the -X direction as a second positioning portion that engages with the latch 86 (FIG. 35) of the housing 81. By the engagement between the protrusion 96 of the shutter 90 and the latch 86 of the housing 81, the shutter 90 is locked in the closed position where it closes the supply port 82.

[0166] A shutter-side contact portion 92 serving as a first contact portion (or a first movement restricting portion) is formed at the tip in the R1 direction of the shutter 90. The shutter-side contact portion 92 is, for example, an end surface perpendicular to the R1 direction.

[0167] A protrusion 91 is also formed at the tip of the shutter 90 in the R1 direction. The protrusion 91 is formed on the opposite side of the shutter-side contact portion 92 from the housing 81, and protrudes further in the R1 direction than the shutter-side contact portion 92. The protrusion 91 has a flat portion 91a, which is the surface facing the housing 81, and an inclined portion 91b inclined relative to the flat portion 91a. The inclined portion 91b is positioned in the R1 direction relative to the flat portion 91a. The inclined portion 91b is inclined in a direction that moves away from the imaginary cylindrical surface including the cover surface 93a as it progresses in the R1 direction.

[0168] 39, an inclined portion 98 is formed on the back surface 93b opposite the cover surface 93a of the shutter 90, adjacent to the protrusion 91 in the R2 direction. The inclined portion 98 is inclined so as to approach an imaginary cylindrical surface including the back surface 93b as it progresses in the R2 direction. The inclined portion 98 is a portion that abuts against the elastic locking portion 73, which will be described later, when the developer container 80 is attached to the unit housing 70.

[0169] 35, the unit housing 70 has a tray 71, which is a support surface on which the developer container 80 is placed. The tray 71 forms part of a cylindrical surface with a virtual axis in the X direction as its center. The developer container 80 is rotatably supported on the tray 71.

[0170] A pair of wall portions 72 are provided on both sides of the tray 71 in the X direction. Each wall portion 72 is formed with a guide rib 72a as a second insertion / removal guide that engages with the lock groove portion 83 of the developer container 80.

[0171] An inlet 77 for receiving developer supplied from the developer container 80 is formed in approximately the center in the X direction of the tray 71 of the unit housing 70. The developer received by the inlet 77 is supplied to the image forming unit 110. A seal member may be arranged to surround the periphery of the inlet 77.

[0172] The unit housing 70 also has a unit-side abutment portion 75 serving as a second abutment portion (or a second movement restricting portion) adjacent to the receiving port 77 in the R2 direction. The unit-side abutment portion 75 abuts against a shutter-side abutment portion 92 (described later) of the shutter 90 to restrict rotation of the shutter 90. The unit-side abutment portion 75 is, for example, an end surface perpendicular to the rotation direction of the developer container 80.

[0173] A recess 76 serving as an engagement portion is formed below (in the -Z direction) the unit-side contact portion 75. The recess 76 is a space into which a protrusion 91 (described later) of the shutter 90 fits. Adjacent to the recess 76 of the tray 71 in the R2 direction is an elastic locking portion 73 (FIG. 41(B)) serving as an opening / closing locking portion. The elastic locking portion 73 will be described later.

[0174] The unit housing 70 also has an unlocking post 74. The unlocking post 74 abuts against an abutting portion 86a of the latch 86 of the developer container 80 to deflect the latch 86, thereby releasing the engagement between the latch 86 and the protrusion 96 of the shutter 90.

[0175] <Mounting Operation of Developer Container 80> Next, the operation of mounting the developer container 80 into the unit housing 70 will be described. Figures 41(A) and (B) are views showing the first stage of the operation of mounting the developer container 80. Figure 41(A) shows the end portion of the developer container 80 in the X direction, and Figure 41(B) shows the center portion of the developer container 80 in the X direction, i.e., the portion including the supply port 82.

[0176] As shown in Figure 41(A), the developer container 80 is first placed in the -Z direction on the unit housing 70. At this stage, as shown in Figure 41(B), the shutter 90 is locked to the housing 81 of the developer container 80 by the engagement between the latch 86 (Figure 35) and the protrusion 96, and is in the closed position where it closes the supply port 82.

[0177] Furthermore, in the unit housing 70, an elastic locking portion 73 is arranged in the R2 direction of the recess 76. The elastic locking portion 73 has a contact portion 73a that contacts the protrusion 91 of the shutter 90 and a biasing portion 73b formed on the tray 71. The contact portion 73a and the biasing portion 73b may be formed integrally with each other using an elastic body, or the contact portion 73a may be fixed to the biasing portion 73b formed with an elastic body. Note that the elastic locking portion 73 is omitted from the above-mentioned FIG. 35.

[0178] 42(A) and (B) are diagrams showing the second stage of the mounting operation of the developer container 80. Fig. 42(A) shows the end portion of the developer container 80 in the X direction, and Fig. 42(B) shows the central portion of the developer container 80 in the X direction, i.e., the portion including the supply port 82.

[0179] As shown in Figure 42(A), the developer container 80 is placed in the unit housing 70 in the -Z direction while the lock groove 83 is engaged with the guide rib 72a. The guide rib 72a enters the inside of the lock groove 83 through the opening 83a of the lock groove 83. At this stage, the shutter 90 is still in the closed position closing the supply port 82, as shown in Figure 42(B).

[0180] 43(A) and (B) are diagrams showing a third stage of the mounting operation of the developer container 80. Fig. 43(A) shows the end portion of the developer container 80 in the X direction, and Fig. 43(B) shows the central portion of the developer container 80 in the X direction, i.e., the portion including the supply port 82.

[0181] As shown in Figure 43(A), when the developer container 80 is further moved in the -Z direction, the guide rib 72a of the unit housing 70 fits completely into the lock groove portion 83. Also, as shown in Figure 43(B), the bottom portion 81b of the developer container 80 abuts against the tray 71 of the unit housing 70. This causes the developer container 80 to be rotatably held on the tray 71 of the unit housing 70.

[0182] Furthermore, the protrusion 91 of the shutter 90 comes into contact with the contact portion 73a of the elastic locking portion 73 of the unit housing 70 and presses it down in the -Z direction, compressing the biasing portion 73b.

[0183] 44(A) and (B) are diagrams showing a fourth stage of the mounting operation of the developer container 80. Fig. 44(A) shows the end portion of the developer container 80 in the X direction, and Fig. 44(B) shows the central portion of the developer container 80 in the X direction, i.e., the portion including the supply port 82.

[0184] 44(A), when the developer container 80 is rotated in the R1 direction, the arc-shaped locking portion 83b of the locking groove portion 83 of the developer container 80 comes into contact with the −Z direction end of the guide rib 72a of the unit housing 70. This locks the developer container 80 so that it does not come off from the unit housing 70.

[0185] 44(B), the shutter-side contact portion 92 of the shutter 90 contacts the unit-side contact portion 75 of the unit housing 70, and the convex portion 91 of the shutter 90 fits into the concave portion 76 of the unit housing 70. This restricts the rotation of the shutter 90 in the R1 direction.

[0186] Furthermore, the unlocking post 74 (FIG. 35) of the unit housing 70 comes into contact with the contact portion 86a (FIG. 38) of the latch 86 of the developer container 80, deflecting the latch 86. This disengages the latch 86 from the protrusion 96 (FIG. 35) of the shutter 90, allowing the shutter 90 to rotate relatively to the housing 81 of the developer container 80.

[0187] 45(A) and (B) are diagrams showing a fifth stage of the mounting operation of the developer container 80. Fig. 45(A) shows the end portion of the developer container 80 in the X direction, and Fig. 45(B) shows the central portion of the developer container 80 in the X direction, i.e., the portion including the supply port 82.

[0188] 45(A), when the developer container 80 is further rotated in the R1 direction, the stopper portion 83c of the lock groove portion 83 comes into circumferential contact with the side surface of the guide rib 72a. This restricts the rotation of the developer container 80 in the R1 direction. In other words, the developer container 80 reaches the mounting position.

[0189] As shown in Figure 45(B), because movement of the shutter 90 in the R1 direction is restricted, the housing 81 of the developer container 80 rotates in the R1 direction, leaving the shutter 90 behind, and the supply port 82 is opened. In other words, the shutter 90 rotates in the R2 direction relative to the housing 81 of the developer container 80, opening the supply port 82. This allows the supply port 82 of the developer container 80 to communicate with the receiving port 77 of the unit housing 70. That is, the developer in the developer container 80 can be supplied from the supply port 82 to the receiving port 77.

[0190] Furthermore, a drive gear provided in the image forming apparatus 1A rotates a gear 802 (FIG. 35), which rotates an agitating member 801. This causes the developer in the developer container 80 to be agitated and supplied from the supply port 82 to the receiving port 77. The developer transported to the receiving port 77 is supplied to the image forming unit 110 (FIG. 33). In other words, the image forming apparatus 1A becomes capable of performing a printing operation.

[0191] <Removal of the Developer Container 80> Next, an operation for removing a used developer container 80 from the unit housing 70 will be described. Figures 46(A) to (C) are cross-sectional views showing the first, second, and third stages of the operation for removing the developer container 80. Figures 46(A) to (C) are all cross-sectional views of a portion including the supply port 82 of the developer container 80.

[0192] When the developer container 80 is in a used state, i.e., when all the developer inside the developer container 80 has been discharged, developer adheres to the inner wall surfaces of the supply port 82, the sealing member 88, and the receiving port 77, as shown by symbol T1 in Figure 46(A).

[0193] When the developer container 80 is in the mounted position, the inclined portion 98 of the shutter 90 abuts against the elastic locking portion 73, restricting the movement of the shutter 90 in the -X direction.

[0194] 46(B), when the developer container 80 is rotated in the R2 direction, the housing 81 of the developer container 80 rotates in the R2 direction, leaving behind the shutter 90. In other words, the shutter 90 moves in the R1 direction relative to the housing 81 of the developer container 80, closing the supply port 82.

[0195] As the developer container 80 rotates in the R2 direction, the inner wall surfaces of the supply port 82 of the developer container 80 on the upstream and downstream sides in the R2 direction pass over the shutter-side contact portion 92. At this time, the developer adhering to the inner wall surfaces of the supply port 82 is scraped off by the shutter-side contact portion 92 and adheres to the shutter-side contact portion 92 as shown by the symbol T2.

[0196] When the shutter 90 reaches the closed position where it closes the supply port 82, the latch 86 (FIG. 35) of the developer container 80 engages with the protrusion 96 of the shutter 90, and the stopper 85 of the developer container 80 comes into contact with the stopper surface 95a (FIG. 40) of the shutter 90. This restricts the relative movement of the shutter 90 with respect to the housing 81 of the developer container 80. In other words, the shutter 90 moves integrally with the housing 81 of the developer container 80.

[0197] The inclined portion 98 of the shutter 90 abuts against the elastic locking portion 73 of the unit housing 70, but the force F3 with which the user pulls the developer container 80 is greater than the maximum value of the resistance force F4 that the inclined portion 98 receives from the elastic locking portion 73 (F3>F4), so the biasing portion 73b of the elastic locking portion 73 is compressed, and the restriction on rotation of the shutter 90 is released. This allows the developer container 80 (including the shutter 90) to rotate in the R2 direction.

[0198] As shown in Figure 46(C), when the developer container 80 is further rotated in the R2 direction, the shutter side abutment portion 92 of the shutter 90 moves away from the unit side abutment portion 75 of the unit housing 70 in the R2 direction, and the convex portion 91 of the shutter 90 moves out of the concave portion 76 of the unit housing 70 in the R2 direction.

[0199] At this time, part of the developer T2 adhering to the shutter-side contact portion 92 falls and adheres to the flat portion 91a of the protrusion 91 as indicated by the reference symbol T3.

[0200] 42(A) described above, the guide rib 72a of the unit housing 70 is disengaged from the locking portion 83b of the locking groove portion 83 and reaches the opening 83a. Therefore, by lifting the developer container 80 in the +Z direction, the developer container 80 can be removed from the unit housing 70.

[0201] That is, the developer container 80 is removed from the unit housing 70 in a state in which the developer T2 adheres to the shutter-side contact portion 92 and the developer T3 adheres to the flat surface portion 91a of the protrusion 91.

[0202] When the developer container 80 is removed, developer T2 adheres to the shutter-side abutment portion 92, and developer T3 adheres to the flat portion 91a of the convex portion 91, so that the periphery of the developer container 80 is prevented from being soiled with developer.

[0203] Figure 47 is a diagram showing the periphery of the supply port 82 of the developer container 80 when the developer container 80 is in the above-mentioned mounting position (Figure 45(B)). When the convex portion 91 of the shutter 90 engages with the concave portion 76 of the unit housing 70, the flat portion 91a of the convex portion 91 abuts against the top surface 76a of the concave portion 76. Therefore, the distance between the housing 81 of the developer container 80 and the unit housing 70 is kept constant.

[0204] 44(B) to 45(B) described above, the seal member 88 passes over the unit housing 70 while being pressed between the housing 81 and the unit housing 70. This makes it possible to reduce the amount of developer that adheres to the protrusion 91 when the developer container 80 is removed. Furthermore, as described in the first embodiment with reference to FIGS. 26(A) to 27(B), when a new developer container 80 is attached to a unit housing 70 from which the developer container 80 has been removed at least once, the developer remaining around the receiving opening 77 of the unit housing 70 can be efficiently removed.

[0205] Furthermore, the distance L1 that the recess 76 is recessed in the R1 direction from the unit-side contact portion 75 is greater than the distance L2 that the protrusion 91 protrudes in the R1 direction from the shutter-side contact portion 92. Therefore, the protrusion 91 can be engaged with the recess 76 in a state where the shutter-side contact portion 92 and the unit-side contact portion 75 are in contact with each other without any gap.

[0206] <Advantages of the Second Embodiment> As described above, in the second embodiment, the developer container 80 has a shutter 90 (opening / closing member) that opens and closes the supply port 82 of the housing 81, and a seal member 88 that is provided between the housing 81 and the shutter 90. The shutter 90 has a cover portion 93 having a cover surface 93a that closes the supply port 82 of the developer container 80, and a protrusion 91 (protrusion) that protrudes from the cover portion 93 in the R1 direction (the direction in which the developer container 80 is attached). The protrusion 91 is provided at a position spaced from the cover surface 93a toward the unit housing 70. The unit housing 70 has a recess 76 (engagement portion) that engages with the protrusion 91 when the developer container 80 is attached to the unit housing 70.

[0207] Since the shutter 90 has the protrusion 91, when the developer container 80 is removed from the unit housing 70, the developer that falls from the inner wall surface of the supply port 82 during removal is held on the protrusion 91 of the shutter 90. This prevents the developer from spilling out of the developer container 80. In other words, it prevents the periphery of the developer container 80 from being soiled with developer.

[0208] Furthermore, since a part of the recess 76 (top surface 76a) is positioned between the protrusion 91 and the sealing member 88 between the engagement between the protrusion 91 and the recess 76 and the position where the supply port 82 and the receiving port 77 face each other, the amount of developer adhering to the protrusion 91 when the developer container 80 is removed can be reduced.

[0209] Furthermore, when the developer container 80 moves to the mounting position (the position where the supply port 82 and the receiving port 78 face each other) with the convex portion 91 of the shutter 90 engaged with the concave portion 76 of the unit housing 70, the shutter 90 opens the supply port 82. As a result, the shutter 90 opens only when the supply port 82 and the receiving port 78 face each other, which reliably prevents leakage of developer.

[0210] Variant. Next, a description will be given of a modified example of Embodiment 2. Figure 48 shows the engagement portion between the developer container 80 and the unit casing 70 in the modified example.

[0211] In the second embodiment (FIG. 47), when the convex portion 91 is engaged with the concave portion 76, the flat portion 91a of the convex portion 91 is horizontal, i.e., parallel to the XY plane. In contrast, in the modified example shown in FIG. 48, when the convex portion 91 is engaged with the concave portion 76, the flat portion 91a of the convex portion 91 is inclined so as to be displaced in the -Z direction as it advances in the R2 direction (i.e., as it approaches the shutter-side abutment portion 92).

[0212] 48, when the convex portion 91 and the concave portion 76 are engaged with each other, if the lowest point in the vertical direction on the developer container 30 side of the convex portion 91 is defined as the lowest point B, a predetermined point C located in the R1 direction (first direction) from the lowest point B on the developer container 30 side of the convex portion 91 is located vertically above the lowest point B. Point C of the convex portion 91 is, for example, a contact portion that comes into contact with the top surface 76a of the concave portion 76.

[0213] Because of this configuration, when the developer container 80 is removed, the developer that is scraped off by the unit side abutment portion 75 and falls onto the flat portion 91a is guided on the flat portion 91a to the side closer to the unit side abutment portion 75 (i.e., the back side).

[0214] Therefore, even after the developer container 80 is removed from the unit housing 70, the developer is held at the back side of the flat portion 91a of the convex portion 91 and is unlikely to spill out. As a result, it is possible to improve the effect of preventing the periphery of the developer container 80 from being soiled with developer.

[0215] In this modified example, the flat surface 91a of the convex portion 91 is inclined, but a hole such as the hole 41c shown in Figure 31 may be provided between the flat surface 91a of the convex portion 91 and the shutter side abutment portion 92 (i.e., in the R2 direction).

[0216] 30. In addition, an inclined portion like the inclined portion 26b shown in FIG. 30 may be provided between the unit-side contact portion 75 of the unit housing 70 and the top surface 76a of the recessed portion 76.

[0217] Furthermore, the supply port 82 of the developer container 80 may be provided with an inclination like the inner wall surface 32a of the supply port 32 shown in FIG. 32(B).

[0218] While the preferred embodiments have been specifically described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various improvements and modifications can be made. The above-described embodiments can be combined as appropriate.

[0219] Although a printer has been described as an example of an image forming apparatus here, the image forming apparatus of each of the above embodiments can also be applied to copying machines, facsimiles, MFPs (Multifunction Peripherals), and the like. [Explanation of symbols]

[0220] 1, 1A Image forming apparatus, 10, 10K, 10Y, 10M, 10C Image forming section (developing device), 11, 11K, 11Y, 11M, 11C Image forming section (developing device), 20, 20K, 20Y, 20M, 20C Holding unit (developer container holding section), 21 Tray (support surface), 22 Guide wall (second insertion / removal guide), 23 Leaf spring portion, 24 Lock release post, 25 Unit side abutment portion (second abutment portion), 26 Recess (engagement portion), 26a Top surface, 26b Inclined portion, 27 Receiving port, 28 Sealing member (elastic member), 30, 30K, 30Y, 30M, 30C Developer container, 31 Housing, 32 Supply port, 32a Inner wall surface, 33 guide rib (first insertion / removal guide), 34 shutter rail (first opening / closing guide), 35 stopper, 36 latch (first positioning portion), 37 gripping portion, 38 sealing member (elastic member), 40 shutter (opening / closing member), 41 convex portion (protruding portion), 41a flat portion, 41b inclined portion, 41c hole portion, 42 shutter side contact portion (first contact portion), 43 cover portion, 43a cover surface, 45 slide portion (second opening / closing guide), 46 recess (second positioning portion), 47 inclined portion, 48 engaging protrusion, 70 unit housing (developer container holding portion), 71 tray, 72 wall portion, 72a guide rib (first insertion / removal guide), 73 Elastic locking portion, 75 unit side contact portion (second contact portion), 76 recess (engagement portion), 76a top surface, 77 receiving port, 80, 80K, 80Y, 80M, 80C developer container, 81 housing, 82 supply port, 83 lock groove portion (second insertion / removal guide), 84 shutter rail (first opening / closing guide), 86 latch (first positioning portion), 88 seal member (elastic member), 90 shutter (opening / closing member), 91 convex portion (protruding portion), 91a flat portion, 91b inclined portion, 92 shutter side contact portion (first contact portion), 93 cover portion, 93a cover surface, 95 slide portion (second opening / closing guide), 96 protrusion portion (second positioning portion), 98 Slope, 100,100K,100Y,100M,100C image forming unit, 101 photosensitive drum (image carrier), 102 charging roller (charging member), 103 developing roller (developer carrier), 104 supply roller (supply member), 106 housing, 108 transfer roller (transfer member), 110, 110K, 110Y, 110M, 110C image forming unit, 120 medium supply section, 130 transfer unit, 140 fixing device, 150 medium discharge section, 301 conveying member, 302 stirring member, 801 stirring member.

Claims

1. a developer container having a housing with a supply port and configured to contain a developer; a developer container holding portion having a receiving port for receiving the developer supplied from the supply port, the developer container being attached in a first direction; Equipped with The developer container comprises: an opening / closing member provided to be movable relative to the housing between a closed position at which the supply port is closed and an open position at which the supply port is opened; a seal member provided between the housing and the opening / closing member, The opening and closing member is a cover portion having a cover surface that closes the supply port; a protruding portion protruding from the cover portion in the first direction and provided at a position spaced from the cover surface toward the developer container holding portion; and the developer container holding portion has an engaging portion that engages with the protruding portion when the developer container is attached to the developer container holding portion, When the developer container is attached to the developer container holding part, the supply port and the receiving port face each other in a predetermined direction, After the protruding portion engages with the engaging portion, a part of the engaging portion is positioned between the protruding portion and the sealing member in the predetermined direction until the supply port and the receiving port face each other. A developer supplying device characterized by:

2. With the protruding portion engaged with the engaging portion, the developer container is moved to a position where the supply opening and the receiving opening face each other, whereby the open / close member opens the supply opening.

2. The developer supply device according to claim 1, wherein the developer supply device comprises: a developer supplying unit;

3. the opening / closing member has a first contact portion, the developer container holding portion has a second contact portion, After the protruding portion engages with the engaging portion, the first contact portion contacts the second contact portion in the first direction until the supply port and the receiving port face each other.

3. The developer supply device according to claim 1, wherein the developer supply device is a developer supplying device.

4. the engaging portion has a recessed portion on a side opposite to the housing with respect to the second contact portion, the recessed portion being recessed in the first direction more than the second contact portion; When the protrusion and the engagement portion are engaged with each other, the protrusion fits into the recess.

4. The developer supply device according to claim 3, wherein the developer supply device comprises: a developer supplying unit;

5. The distance that the recess is recessed in the first direction from the second contact portion is the distance by which the protruding portion protrudes in the first direction beyond the first abutting portion is longer than the distance by which the protruding portion protrudes in the first direction beyond the first abutting portion 5. The developer supply device according to claim 4.

6. the protrusion has a first inclined portion that is inclined so as to move away from the housing as it progresses in the first direction, a second inclined portion facing the first inclined portion is formed between the second abutment portion and the recess; When the protruding portion engages with the engaging portion, the first inclined portion and the second inclined portion come into contact with each other, thereby bringing the developer container and the developer container holding portion closer to each other.

6. The developer supply device according to claim 4, wherein the developer supply device is a developer supplying device.

7. the protruding portion protrudes in the first direction from the developer container holding portion side of the first contact portion, The protrusion has a hole located on a second direction side opposite to the first direction on the developer container side.

7. The developer supply device according to claim 3, wherein the developer supply device is a developer supplying device.

8. the developer container is elongated in one direction, and is attached to the attachment position of the developer container holder by being moved in the longitudinal direction of the developer container; The first direction is the longitudinal direction of the developer container.

8. The developer supply device according to claim 1, wherein the developer supply device is a developer supplying device.

9. the developer container is elongated in one direction, and is mounted at the mounting position of the developer container holder by being rotated around a rotation axis in the longitudinal direction of the developer container; The first direction is a rotation direction about the rotation axis.

8. The developer supply device according to claim 1, wherein the developer supply device is a developer supplying device.

10. With the protruding portion engaged with the engaging portion, If the lowest point of the protrusion on the developer container side in the vertical direction is defined as the lowest point, a predetermined location of the protrusion on the developer container side that is located in the first direction from the lowest point of the protrusion is located above the lowest point in the vertical direction; 10. The developer supply device according to claim 9, wherein the developer supply device is a developer supplying device.

11. A developing device comprising the developer supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

12. An image forming apparatus comprising the developer supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

Images