Toner container

Abstract

To provide a toner container having good toner discharge properties.SOLUTION: A toner container has: a bag that can store toner and has an opening; a discharge member that is arranged side by side with the bag in a first direction, and is provided with a receiving port configured to receive the toner in the bag through the opening, and a discharge port configured to discharge the toner received from the receiving port to the outside of the toner container; and a shield member that closes the discharge port. The receiving port is provided on the inside of the opening in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, opens in the first direction, and has an area of 25 mm2 or more. The discharge member has a fixation part to which the opening of the bag is fixed, and a surface that extends in a direction intersecting the first direction between the fixation part and the receiving port. The amount of toner filling the toner container [g] to the total volume of toner that can be stored in the toner container [cm3] is 0.547 [g / cm3] or less.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 15

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a toner container for storing toner. [Background technology]

[0002] Electrophotographic image forming apparatuses form images by transferring a toner image formed on the surface of a photosensitive drum using toner as a developer onto a transfer material (recording material) as a recording medium. A toner replenishment method is known as a method for replenishing toner to an image forming apparatus (see Patent Document 1). The toner replenishment method is a method in which, when the toner in the toner storage unit of the image forming apparatus runs out, toner is replenished to the toner storage unit of the image forming apparatus using a toner container containing toner, without replacing process components such as the photosensitive drum or developing roller. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-86450 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art Toner containers used in toner supply type image forming apparatuses are required to have good toner discharge properties.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a toner container that has good toner discharge properties. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One aspect of the present invention is a toner container comprising: a bag configured to store toner and having an opening; a discharge member arranged to be aligned with the bag in a first direction, the discharge member having a receiving port configured to receive toner from the bag through the opening; and a discharge port configured to discharge toner received from the receiving port to the outside of the toner container; and a shielding member that shields the discharge port, wherein the receiving port is arranged inside the opening in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, opens toward the first direction, and has an area of ​​25 mm2 or more; and the discharge member is a fixed member to which the opening of the bag is fixed. surface and the fixing surface and the receiving port, and a surface extending in a direction intersecting the first direction; a passage through which the toner passes from the receiving opening to the discharge opening; and When the toner container is oriented in a predetermined direction in which the first direction is the direction of gravity and the discharge member is below the bag, the discharge outlet is below the receiving opening and opens in the second direction, the length of the passage in the first direction from the receiving opening to the lower end of the discharge outlet is 30 mm or more and 50 mm or less, the minimum cross-sectional area of ​​the passage is 75 mm2 or more, and the areas of the receiving opening and the discharge outlet are both 75 mm2 or more, The toner container is characterized in that the toner filling amount [g] relative to the total toner-storable volume [cm 3 ] of the toner container is 0.547 [g / cm 3 ] or less. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, a toner container with good toner discharge properties can be provided. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1A and 1B are a schematic cross-sectional view and a perspective view of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] 1A and 1B are a schematic perspective view of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment and a perspective view of a mounting portion thereof; [Figure 3] 3A and 3B are a perspective view and a top view of the device-side shutter according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a front view of the toner pack according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the toner pack according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] 1A and 1B are a front view and a cross-sectional view of a toner pack according to a first embodiment, and a cross-sectional view and a top view of a nozzle. [Figure 7] 1A and 1B are a perspective view and a bottom view of a nozzle according to a first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing how a toner pack is attached to a mounting portion according to the first embodiment. [Figure 9] 10 is a perspective view showing a state in which a lever is rotated in a state in which a toner pack is attached to an attachment portion according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 10] 3 is a cross-sectional view of a mounting portion and a toner pack according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 11] 1A and 1B are a front view and a cross-sectional view of a toner pack used in a toner discharge experiment according to Example 1, and a cross-sectional view and a top view of a nozzle. [Figure 12] 1A and 1B are a front view and a cross-sectional view of a toner pack used in a toner discharge experiment according to Example 1, and a cross-sectional view and a top view of a nozzle. [Figure 13] 1A and 1B are a front view and a cross-sectional view of a toner pack used in a toner discharge experiment according to Example 1, and a cross-sectional view and a top view of a nozzle. [Figure 14] 10 is a graph showing the results of a toner discharge experiment according to Example 1. [Figure 15] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a mechanism relating to toner discharging performance. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. [Example]

[0010] [Image forming equipment] An image forming apparatus 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 3. Figure 1(a) is a schematic cross-sectional view of the image forming apparatus 1 with a toner pack 100 attached. Figure 1(b) is a perspective view of the image forming apparatus 1 with a toner pack 100 attached. Figure 2(a) is a perspective view of the image forming apparatus 1 with the toner pack 100 not attached. Figures 2(b) and 2(c) are enlarged perspective views of the toner pack mounting section 106. Figures 3(a) and 3(b) are perspective views of the device-side shutter 109 provided in the mounting section 106. Figure 3(c) is a top view of the device-side shutter 109.

[0011] The image forming apparatus 1 is a monochrome printer that forms an image on a recording material P based on image information input from an external device. The recording material P includes a variety of sheet materials made of different materials, such as paper such as plain paper and cardboard, plastic film such as sheets for overhead projectors, specially shaped sheets such as envelopes and index paper, and cloth.

[0012] 1(a), the image forming apparatus 1 has an image forming unit 10 that forms a toner image on a recording material P, a tray 64 that supports the recording material P, and a pickup roller 65 as a feeding means that feeds the recording material P to the image forming unit 10. The image forming apparatus 1 also has a fixing unit 70 that fixes the toner image formed by the image forming unit 10 to the recording material P, and a pair of discharge rollers 80 that discharges the recording material P that has undergone the toner image fixing process to the outside of the image forming apparatus 1.

[0013] The image forming section 10 has a scanner unit 11, a process unit 20, and a transfer roller 12 that transfers a toner image, which serves as a developer image, formed on a photosensitive drum 21 of the process unit 20 onto a recording material P.

[0014] The process unit 20 includes a photosensitive drum 21, a charging roller 22 arranged around the photosensitive drum 21, a pre-exposure device 23, and a developing device 30. Although the process unit 20 in this embodiment is attached to the image forming apparatus 1, it may be configured to be detachable from the image forming apparatus 1.

[0015] The photosensitive drum 21 is a cylindrically shaped image carrier (electrophotographic photosensitive member). The photosensitive drum 21 of this embodiment has a photosensitive layer formed of a negatively chargeable organic photosensitive member on a drum-shaped substrate made of aluminum. The photosensitive drum 21 is rotated by a motor in a predetermined direction (clockwise in the drawing) at a predetermined process speed.

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

[0017] The pre-exposure device 23 neutralizes surface charges on the photosensitive drum 21 before it reaches the charging section in order to generate stable discharge at the charging section. The scanner unit 11, which serves as an exposure means, scans and exposes the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 by irradiating the photosensitive drum 21 with laser light corresponding to image information input from an external device using a polygon mirror. This exposure forms an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the image information on the surface of the photosensitive drum 21. Note that the scanner unit 11 is not limited to a laser scanner device, and may, for example, be an LED exposure device having an LED array in which multiple LEDs are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the photosensitive drum 21.

[0018] The developing device 30 includes a developing roller 31 as a developer carrier that carries the developer, a developing container 32 that contains toner as the developer, and a supply roller 33 that supplies the developer to the developing roller 31.

[0019] The developing roller 31 and the supply roller 33 are rotatably supported by a developing container 32, which also serves as the frame of the developing device 30. The developing roller 31 is disposed at the opening of the developing container 32 so as to face the photosensitive drum 21. The supply roller 33 is in rotatable contact with the developing roller 31, and the current toner contained in the developing container 32 is applied to the surface of the developing roller 31 by the supply roller 33. Note that the supply roller 33 is not necessarily required as long as the developing roller 31 is configured to be sufficiently supplied with toner.

[0020] The developing device 30 of this embodiment uses a contact development method. That is, a toner layer carried on the developing roller 31 comes into contact with the photosensitive drum 21 in a development section (development area) where the photosensitive drum 21 and the developing roller 31 face each other. A development voltage is applied to the developing roller 31 by a high-voltage development power supply. Under the development voltage, the toner carried on the developing roller 31 is transferred from the developing roller 31 to the drum surface in accordance with the potential distribution on the surface of the photosensitive drum 21, thereby developing the electrostatic latent image into a toner image. Note that this embodiment employs a reversal development method. That is, a toner image is formed by the toner adhering to the surface area of ​​the photosensitive drum 21, which has been charged in a charging process and then exposed in an exposure process, where the charge amount has attenuated.

[0021] The developing container 32 is provided with a toner storage chamber 36 (toner storage section) that stores toner, and an agitating member 34 as agitating means that is disposed inside the toner storage chamber 36. The agitating member 34 is driven to rotate by a motor (not shown), thereby agitating the toner in the developing container 32 and sending the toner toward the developing roller 31 and the supply roller 33. The agitating member 34 also agitates toner that has not been used for development and has been scraped off from the developing roller 31, and toner that is replenished from the outside by a toner pack 100 (described later), within the developing container 32, thereby serving to homogenize the toner in the developing container 32.

[0022] A developing blade 35 is disposed at the opening of the developing container 32 in which the developing roller 31 is disposed, to regulate the amount of toner carried by the developing roller 31. As the developing roller 31 rotates, the toner supplied to the surface of the developing roller 31 passes through the area facing the developing blade 35, whereby the toner is thinned to a uniform thickness and is negatively charged by frictional charging.

[0023] (Image formation operation) We will now explain the image forming operation of the image forming apparatus 1. When an image formation command is input to the image forming apparatus 1, the image forming process by the image forming unit 10 is started based on image information input from an external computer connected to the image forming apparatus 1.

[0024] The scanner unit 11 irradiates the photosensitive drum 21 with laser light based on input image information. At this time, the photosensitive drum 21 is pre-charged by the charging roller 22, and an electrostatic latent image is formed on the photosensitive drum 21 by irradiating it with laser light. Thereafter, the electrostatic latent image is developed by the developing roller 31, and a toner image is formed on the photosensitive drum 21.

[0025] In parallel with the image forming process described above, the recording material P on the tray 64 is sent out one by one by a pickup roller 65 and conveyed toward a transfer nip, which serves as a transfer section formed by a transfer roller 12 and a photosensitive drum 21. A transfer voltage of a polarity opposite to the normal charging polarity of the toner is applied to the transfer roller 12 from a transfer high-voltage power supply. As a result, the toner image carried on the photosensitive drum 21 is transferred to the recording material P passing through the transfer nip. The toner image transferred to the recording material P is heated and pressurized as it passes through a fixing section 70. As a result, the toner particles melt and then solidify, and the toner image is fixed to the recording material P. The recording material P that has passed through the fixing section 70 is discharged to the outside of the printer main body 2 by a pair of discharge rollers 80 as a discharge means, and is stacked on a discharge tray 81 as a stacking section formed on the top of the printer main body 2.

[0026] A top cover 82 constituting the top surface of the housing of the image forming apparatus 1 is provided above the process unit 20, and a discharge tray 81 serving as a stacking portion is formed on the top surface of the top cover 82. As shown in FIGS. 1(b) and 2(a), an opening / closing member 83 is supported on the top cover 82 so as to be openable and closable around a pivot shaft 83a extending in the front-to-rear direction. However, the front side (front face) of the image forming apparatus 1 is the right side in FIG. 1(a), and in this embodiment, a front discharge system is adopted in which recording material P is loaded on the discharge tray 81 extending forward of the pair of discharge rollers 80. An opening 82a opening upward is formed in the discharge tray 81 of the top cover 82. A mounting portion 106 into which a toner pack 100 (described later) is mounted is provided in the opening 82a.

[0027] (Attachment part) The mounting section 106 will now be described. The mounting section 106 includes an apparatus-side shutter 109, an operating lever 108, and a nozzle positioning section 119, as shown in Figures 2(b) and 2(c).

[0028] As shown in FIG. 3, the apparatus-side shutter 109 has a bottom surface 109b and is a cylindrical member that is open upward and is rotatable around the rotation axis B relative to the nozzle positioning portion 119. The apparatus-side shutter 109 is provided with an apparatus-side shutter opening 109a, an engaged portion 109e, a positioning shaft portion 109d, and a positioning surface 109g. The apparatus-side shutter opening 109a is provided on a side portion that extends in the direction of the rotation axis B. The engaged portion 109e is a convex portion that protrudes inward in the radial direction r of an imaginary circle VC that is centered on the rotation axis B. The positioning shaft portion 109d extends upward with the rotation axis B as its center. The positioning surface 109g is a surface that is perpendicular to the rotation axis B and faces upward.

[0029] As shown in FIGS. 2(b) and 2(c), the nozzle positioning portion 119 of the mounting portion 106 is a convex portion that protrudes inward in the radial direction r of the imaginary circle VC.

[0030] The operating lever 108 is rotatable about a rotation axis B and is a member that the user operates with the toner pack 100 attached. The operating lever 108 has a central hole 108a, an operating portion 108b, and a lever engagement portion 108c. The central hole 108a is a hole into which the tip portion of the toner pack 100 (nozzle 102 and pack-side shutter 103) is attached. The operating portion 108b is a portion that the user grasps to rotate the operating lever 108, and extends outward in the radial direction r. The lever engagement portion 108c is a convex portion that protrudes inward in the radial direction r from the inner circumferential surface that constitutes the central hole 108a.

[0031] When the toner pack 100 is attached to the attachment portion 106, the operating lever 108 is rotated in the rotation direction D shown in Fig. 2(b), whereby the apparatus-side shutter 109 is moved (rotated) from the closed position shown in Fig. 2(b) to the open position shown in Fig. 2(c). Note that when the toner pack 100 is not attached to the attachment portion 106, the operating lever 108 and the apparatus-side shutter 109 are not linked together. This will be described later.

[0032] The opening / closing member 83 shown in Figures 1(b) and 2(a) is configured to be movable between a closed position in which it covers the mounting portion 106 so that the toner pack 100 cannot be mounted in the mounting portion 106, and an open position in which it exposes the mounting portion 106 so that the toner pack 100 can be mounted in the mounting portion 106. 1(b) and 2(a) show a state in which the opening / closing member 83 is in the open position. Note that, when the opening / closing member 83 is in the closed position, the image forming operation described above can be performed.

[0033] In the closed position, the opening / closing member 83 functions as part of the discharge tray 81. The opening / closing member 83 and the opening 82a are formed on the left side of the discharge tray 81 when viewed from the front of the image forming apparatus 1. The opening / closing member 83 is opened leftward when viewed from the front by placing a finger in a groove 82b provided in the top cover 82. The opening / closing member 83 is formed in a substantially L-shape to match the shape of the top cover 82. That is, when viewed in the direction in which the recording material P is discharged by the discharge roller pair 80, the opening / closing member 83 includes a portion that extends substantially horizontally to form a stacking surface that is substantially flush with the discharge tray 81, and a portion that rises substantially vertically upward from the end of the stacking surface in the horizontal direction to form a side wall of the discharge tray 81. The opening 82a of the discharge tray 81 is open so that the mounting portion 106 is exposed when viewed from above, and a user can access the mounting portion 106 by opening the opening / closing member 83. In this embodiment, a reading device 90 is provided above the top cover 82 as an openable (rotatable) upper unit. The reading device 90 has a document table on which a document is placed, and an image sensor that reads image information from the document placed on the document table. However, a configuration may also be adopted in which no upper unit is provided, and the discharge tray 81 is always exposed when viewed from above in the vertical direction.

[0034] 1(a), this embodiment employs a system (direct replenishment system) in which a user replenishes toner from a toner pack 100 filled with replenishment toner to the toner storage chamber 36 of the developing device 30 inside the image forming apparatus 1. In other words, the image forming apparatus 1 and the toner pack 100 constitute an image forming system 1S of the direct replenishment system.

[0035] When the toner pack 100 is attached to the attachment portion 106 of the image forming apparatus 1, at least a portion of the toner pack 100 is exposed to the outside of the image forming apparatus 1. When the amount of toner remaining in the process unit 20 becomes low, it is not necessary to remove the process unit 20 from the image forming apparatus 1 and replace it with a new process unit, thereby improving usability. Furthermore, toner can be replenished to the developing device 30 more cheaply than by replacing the process unit 20. Furthermore, the direct replenishment method reduces costs compared to replacing only the developing device 30 of the process unit 20 because it does not require replacing various rollers such as the developing roller 31 and gears.

[0036] [Toner pack composition] Next, the configuration of a toner pack 100 as a toner container (toner cartridge) according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 7. FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b) are front views of the toner pack 100 when the pack-side shutter 103 is in the closed position and the open position, respectively. FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the toner pack 100. FIG. 6(a) is a front view of the toner pack 100 with the pack-side shutter 103 hidden. FIG. 6(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line 5A-5A of FIG. 6(a). FIG. 6(c) is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the nozzle 102 in FIG. 6(b). FIG. 6(d) is a view of the vicinity of the receiving opening of the nozzle 102 in FIG. 5(b) viewed from above, from the storage unit 101 side. FIG. 7(a) is an enlarged perspective view of the vicinity of the nozzle 102 of the toner pack 100. FIG. 7(b) is a bottom view of the toner pack 100.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 5, the toner pack 100 has a storage section 101 (bag, pouch) for storing toner, a nozzle 102 (nozzle section, discharge section), a connecting member 107 (connecting section) that connects the storage section 101 and the nozzle 102, and a pack-side shutter 103 (shielding member, rotating member).

[0038] As shown in Fig. 3, the storage section 101 is provided on the side of a first end in the first direction X, and the nozzle 102, the connecting member 107, and the pack-side shutter 103 are provided on the side of a second end opposite the first end in the first direction X. The storage section 101 and the nozzle 102 are arranged side by side in the first direction X. The first direction X is also the direction in which the central axis A extends as the axis of rotation of the pack-side shutter 103 that rotates relative to the nozzle 102 (hereinafter referred to as the direction of the central axis A). Hereinafter, the direction perpendicular to the first direction X will be referred to as the second direction Y, and the direction perpendicular to both the first direction X and the second direction Y will be referred to as the third direction Z.

[0039] The storage unit 101 is a bag that forms a space (storage space) for storing toner. The storage unit 101 has a side surface 101a extending in the first direction X, an opening 101c provided on a first end side in the first direction X, and a bottom surface 101b (closed portion) provided on a second end side in the first direction X. The opening 101c is a portion surrounded by an inner circumferential surface 101d of the storage unit 101 on the first end side.

[0040] The storage section 101 is made of a flexible material that can be easily deformed by the user's hand (fingers). In this embodiment, the storage section 101 is a bag formed by pouch processing (thermocompression sealing) a sheet with a thickness of approximately 115 μm. The material of the sheet in this embodiment is a polypropylene sheet, but is not limited to this.

[0041] 5 and 6, the storage section 101 has a flattened shape in which the width in the second direction Y is narrower than the width in the third direction Z on the side closer to the bottom surface 101b. The side surface 101a of the storage section 101 has a portion (tapered portion, inclined portion) in which the width in the third direction Z narrows from the bottom surface 101b in the first direction X toward the opening 101c. In other words, the storage section 101 has a portion in which the ratio of the width in the third direction Z to the width in the second direction Y decreases as it approaches the opening 101c. The storage section 101 may be a container made of paper or vinyl.

[0042] As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6(c), the connecting member 107 is a member for connecting the nozzle 102 and the storage unit 101, and is an annular member having an engagement hole 107a centered on the central axis A. The connecting member 107 has an engagement surface 107b for engaging with the nozzle 102, a fixing surface 107c (welded surface, adhesive surface) fixed to the inner circumferential surface 101d of the storage unit 101, and an upper surface 107p (top surface). The inner circumferential surface 101d of the storage unit 101 and the fixing surface 107c of the connecting member 107 are fixed to each other by welding or adhesive. The engagement surface 107b constitutes the engagement hole 107a and is a surface that faces inward in the radial direction r of an imaginary circle VC centered on the central axis A and extends in the first direction X. The fixing surface 107c is a surface that faces outward in the radial direction r and extends in the first direction X. The upper surface 107p connects the fixing surface 107c and the engagement surface 107b and faces the bottom surface 101b of the accommodation section 101 in the first direction X. The upper surface 107p is connected to the fixing surface 107c and the engagement surface 107b and extends in directions (second direction Y and third direction Z) intersecting (orthogonal to) the central axis A (first direction X) as shown in Figures 6(c) and 6(d). When the toner pack 100 is oriented in a predetermined direction in which the first direction faces the direction of gravity and the nozzle 102 is below the containing portion 101, the upper surface 107p faces upward and partially blocks the opening 101c of the containing portion 101.

[0043] As shown in FIG. 6(b), the nozzle 102 functions as a communication member (communication portion) that communicates between the inside and outside of the toner pack 100. As shown in FIGS. 6(b) and 6(c), the nozzle 102 has an inlet 102e that receives toner from the storage portion 101, an outlet 102a that discharges the toner to the outside of the toner pack 100, and a flow path 102k (passage) configured to allow the toner to pass from the inlet 102e to the outlet 102a. The inlet 102e opens in the first direction X. The outlet 102a is provided on a side surface 102c extending in the first direction X and opens in the second direction Y. In other words, the outlet 102a opens to face outward in the radial direction r of the imaginary circle VC.

[0044] The nozzle 102 further has an engaged surface 102m that engages with the engaging surface 107b of the connecting member 107, and an upper surface 102p (top surface). The engaged surface 102m of the nozzle 102 and the engaging surface 107b of the connecting member 107 are fixed by press-fitting, clearance fit, welding, adhesive, or the like. In this embodiment, the nozzle 102 and the connecting member 107 are separate bodies, but they may also be an integrated member. The nozzle 102 and the connecting member 107 together constitute the discharge member. The upper surface 102p is a surface located between the engaged surface 102m and the receiving opening 102e, and when the toner pack 100 is oriented in the predetermined direction described above, the upper surface 102p faces upward and partially blocks the opening 101c of the storage section 101. The upper surface 102p of the nozzle 102 and the upper surface 107p of the connecting member 107 are at the same position (height) or approximately the same position (height).

[0045] 6(a), 6(b), and 6(c), the nozzle 102 has a protrusion 102b protruding from the end face opposite the receiving port 102e in the first direction X. The protrusion 102b has an inner circumferential surface 102b1 centered on the central axis A, and an end face 102b2. The inner circumferential surface 102b1 of the nozzle 102 engages with a positioning shaft 109d of the apparatus-side shutter 109 of FIG. 3 when the toner pack 100 is attached to the attachment portion 106 of the image forming apparatus 1. This determines the position of the toner pack 100 in the radial direction r of the imaginary plane VC of FIG. 3 relative to the attachment portion 106 (apparatus-side shutter 109). When the toner pack 100 is attached to the attachment portion 106 of the image forming device 1, the end face 102b2 of the nozzle 102 abuts against the positioning surface 109g of the device-side shutter 109 in Figure 3, thereby determining the position of the attachment portion 106 (device-side shutter 109) of the toner pack 100 in the attachment direction M.

[0046] The toner contained in the container 101 is configured to be discharged to the outside of the toner pack 100 through the receiving port 102e, the flow path 102k, and the discharge port 102a.

[0047] Next, the configuration of the flow path 102k of this embodiment will be described. When the toner pack 100 is oriented in a predetermined direction, as shown in FIG. 6(b), with the central axis A (first direction X) aligned with the direction of gravity and the nozzle 102 positioned below the storage section 101, the flow path 102k is configured as follows. The discharge port 102a is located below the receiving port 102e. As shown in FIG. 6(c), the flow path 102k is inclined in the direction of the central axis A toward the discharge port 102a as it extends downward, and has a first inclined surface 102g1 facing upward, and an inner surface 102f facing the first inclined surface 102g1. The inner surface 102f extends along the direction of the central axis A.

[0048] The flow path 102k further has a second inclined surface 102g2 that is continuous with the lower end of the first inclined surface 102g1 and the lower end of the outlet 102a, is inclined downward in the direction of the central axis A toward the outlet 102a, and faces upward. The inclination angle of the second inclined surface 102g2 with respect to the central axis A is greater than that of the first inclined surface 102g1. The second inclined surface 102g2 is shorter in length than the first inclined surface 102g1. The boundary between the first inclined surface 102g1 and the second inclined surface 102g2 is located at a position that can be seen when the outlet 102a is viewed in the second direction Y, as shown in FIGS. 6(a) and 6(c). The flow path 102k further has a third inclined surface 102g3 that is continuous with the end forming the inlet 102e and the upper end of the first inclined surface 102g1, and is inclined in a direction approaching the outlet 102a as it extends downward in the direction of the central axis A. The inclination angle of the third inclined surface 102g3 with respect to the central axis A is larger than that of the first inclined surface 102g1.

[0049] The flow path 102k is composed of an inclined surface 102g consisting of a first inclined surface 102g1, a second inclined surface 102g2, and a third inclined surface 102g3, an inner surface 102f, and side surfaces 102i and 102j (FIG. 6(d)). Hereinafter, the cross-sectional area of ​​the flow path 102k is the area of ​​a plane enclosed by the inclined surface 102g, the inner surface 102f, and the side surfaces 102i and 102j in an imaginary plane passing through a certain point on the flow path 102k.

[0050] The pack-side shutter 103 is provided outside the side surface 102c of the nozzle 102 in the radial direction r of the imaginary plane VC. The pack-side shutter 103 is attached to the nozzle 102 so as to be rotatable around a central axis A extending in the first direction X. The pack-side shutter 103 has a side surface 103d that extends in an arc shape centered on the central axis A and outside the side surface 102c of the nozzle 102 when viewed in the first direction X. An opening 103a is provided in the side surface 103d, as shown in FIG. 7. As shown in FIG. 7, the pack-side shutter 103 is provided outside the side surface 102c of the nozzle 102 in the radial direction r of an imaginary circle VC centered on the central axis A. The side surface 102c of the nozzle 102 is a curved surface that convex outward in the radial direction r of the imaginary circle VC centered on the central axis A. The inner surface of the pack-side shutter 103 (the surface facing the side surface 102c of the nozzle 102) is a curved surface (an arc-shaped surface when viewed in the first direction X) that conforms to the side surface 102c of the nozzle 102. A substantially rectangular seal 105 is attached to the inner surface of the pack-side shutter 103. The seal 105 has an area that is at least larger than the opening area of ​​the discharge port 102a of the nozzle 102.

[0051] The pack-side shutter 103 is configured to rotate about a central axis A between a closed position (closed position, blocking position) shown in FIG. 5(a) in which the discharge port 102a of the nozzle 102 is closed and an open position (open position) shown in FIG. 5(b) in which the discharge port 102a of the nozzle 102 is opened. When the pack-side shutter 103 is in the open position, the discharge port 102a of the nozzle 102 is exposed through the opening 103a. When the pack-side shutter 103 in the closed position shown in FIG. 5(a) is rotated about the central axis A in the direction of arrow K (first rotation direction), it reaches the open position shown in FIG. 5(b). Conversely, when the pack-side shutter 103 is rotated from the open position in the direction of arrow L (second rotation direction), it reaches the closed position. During the rotation of the pack-side shutter 103, the pack-side shutter 103 rubs against the side surface 102c of the nozzle 102 via the seal 105. The seal 105 prevents toner from scattering (leaking) from the discharge port 102a when the pack-side shutter 103 is in the closed position. Therefore, the seal 105 preferably uses an elastic member arranged with a certain amount of penetration (squeezing) into the side surface 102c of the nozzle 102. The seal 105 also has a certain seal width (a width equal to or greater than the opening width of the discharge port 102a in the circumferential direction of an imaginary circle centered on the central axis A) to seal in the toner. The seal 105 has a circular arc-shaped surface that is smooth with respect to an imaginary cylindrical surface centered on the axis A1 (a surface along the side surface 102c of the nozzle 102) across the seal width. The outer side surface 102c of the nozzle 102, excluding the discharge port 102a, also has a circular arc-shaped surface that is smooth with respect to an imaginary cylindrical surface centered on the central axis A. With this configuration, the seal 105 and the side surface 102c of the nozzle 102 can be in stable contact while the pack-side shutter 103 is rotating between the open position and the closed position, or even when the pack-side shutter 103 is in the closed position. This makes it possible to prevent toner leakage from the discharge port 102a. However, the configuration is not limited to this, and even if the side surface 102c of the nozzle 102 has an uneven surface or is eccentric with respect to a virtual cylindrical surface centered on the central axis A, toner leakage can be prevented depending on the configuration of the seal 105 and the pack-side shutter 103.For example, even if the amount of penetration of the seal 105 into the side surface 102c of the nozzle 102 is variable, the amount of penetration (squeezing amount) may be set within a range that can prevent toner leakage.

[0052] Next, the detailed configuration of the nozzle 102 and the pack-side shutter 103 will be described with reference to Figure 7. The direction of arrow N is the direction from the storage section 101 to the nozzle 102, and the direction of arrow U is the opposite direction. The directions of arrow N and arrow U are parallel to the central axis A. The direction of arrow N is the direction of gravity in the first direction X and the mounting direction M when the toner pack 100 is oriented in the predetermined direction described above. The direction of arrow N is opposite the direction of gravity in the first direction X and is the removal direction of the toner pack 100, which is opposite the mounting direction M.

[0053] The nozzle 102 has a nozzle recess 102d as a positioned portion configured to engage with and be positioned by the nozzle positioning portion 119 shown in FIGS. 2(b) and 2(c) when the toner pack 100 is attached to the attachment portion 106 of the image forming apparatus 1. As shown in FIG. 7(a), when the pack-side shutter 103 is in the closed position, the nozzle recess 102d is exposed through the opening 103a of the pack-side shutter 103. The nozzle recess 102d is configured to engage with the nozzle positioning portion 119 of the attachment portion 106, thereby restricting rotation of the nozzle 102 about the central axis A. As shown in FIG. 7(b), the nozzle recess 102d is configured with a first surface 102d1 and a second surface 102d2 extending in a third direction Z perpendicular to the second direction Y when viewed from the direction of the central axis A. The nozzle recess 102d and the discharge port 102a are positioned 90 degrees apart in the circumferential direction of the imaginary circle VC.

[0054] The pack-side shutter 103 has a shutter recess 103b as a shutter engagement portion, where a part of the side surface 103d is recessed inward in the radial direction r of the imaginary circle VC when viewed in the direction of the central axis A. As shown in FIG. 8(b), the shutter recess 103b extends in the direction of the central axis A. The shutter recess 103b is configured to engage with a lever engagement portion 108c (FIGS. 2(b) and 2(c)) of the operating lever 108 of the mounting portion 106 and an engaged portion 109e (FIG. 3) of the apparatus-side shutter 109 when the toner pack 100 is mounted in the mounting portion 106. The lever engaging portion 108c and the engaged portion 109e are arranged side by side in the direction of the central axis A.

[0055] 2(b) and 2(c), by rotating the operating lever 108 in rotation direction D, the lever engaging portion 108c of the operating lever 108 presses the shutter recessed portion 103b, causing the pack-side shutter 103 to rotate in direction D (direction K) and move from the closed position to the open position. At the same time, the shutter recessed portion 103b of the pack-side shutter 103 presses the engaged portion 109e, causing the device-side shutter 109 to rotate in direction D and move from the non-communicating position to the communicating position. In other words, the device-side shutter 109 is configured so that the rotational force of the operating lever 108 is transmitted via the pack-side shutter 103.

[0056] As described above, when the operating lever 108 is rotated with the toner pack 100 attached to the attachment portion 106, the operating lever 108, the pack-side shutter 103, and the apparatus-side shutter 109 rotate together.

[0057] [Toner supply operation] A series of operations for replenishing toner to the developing device 30 of the image forming apparatus 1 using the toner pack 100 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 to 10. FIGS. 8(a) and 8(b) are perspective views of the toner pack 100 and the mounting portion 106 immediately before the toner pack 100 is mounted in the mounting portion 106. FIG. 8(c) is a perspective view of the toner pack 100 and the mounting portion 106 after the toner pack 100 has been mounted in the mounting portion 106. FIG. 9(a) is a perspective view of the toner pack 100 and the mounting portion 106 after the toner pack 100 has been mounted in the mounting portion 106 and the operation lever 108 is in the closed position. FIG. 9(b) is a perspective view of the toner pack 100 and the mounting portion 106 after the toner pack 100 has been mounted and the operation lever is in the open position. FIG. 9(c) is a view showing a state in which a user presses the storage portion 101 of the toner pack 100 to replenishing toner. Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view showing the flow of toner from the toner pack 100 to the mounting portion 106, where Figure 10(a) shows the state in which the device-side shutter 109 is in the non-communicating position, and Figure 10(b) shows the state in which the device-side shutter 109 is in the non-communicating position.

[0058] The user grasps the toner pack 100 with the pack-side shutter 103 in the closed position so that the central axis A faces the direction of gravity and the nozzle 102 is positioned below the accommodating portion 101 (predetermined installation orientation). Then, as shown in FIGS. 8(a) and 8(b), the user aligns the nozzle recess 102d and shutter recess 103b with the positioning portion 119 and lever engaging portion 108c (engaged portion 109e) of the mounting portion 106, respectively, so that their circumferential positions (rotational phases) of the imaginary circle VC are aligned. Moving the toner pack 100 in this state toward the mounting portion 106 in the mounting direction M (the direction of gravity) leads to the completed installation state shown in FIG. 8(c). In this completed installation state, rotation of the nozzle 102 is restricted, and the pack-side shutter 103 can rotate together with the operating lever 108.

[0059] When the operating lever 108 is in the closed position as shown in Figure 9(a), the pack-side shutter 103 is also in the closed position, and the shutter opening 109a of the apparatus-side shutter 109 does not communicate with the opening 117a that connects to the toner storage chamber 36 of the developing container 32. In Figure 10(a), it can be seen that the discharge port 102a of the nozzle 102 is blocked by the pack-side shutter 103 (seal 105), and the passage leading to the opening 117a is blocked by the apparatus-side shutter 109. Therefore, when the operating lever 108 is in the closed position, the toner in the toner pack 100 cannot move downstream of the discharge port 102a.

[0060] Figure 9(b) shows a state in which the operating lever 108 is rotated in the rotation direction D from the state in Figure 9(a) and is in the open position. In the state of Figure 9(b), as shown in Figure 10(b), the discharge port 102a of the nozzle 102 communicates with the opening 117a via the opening 103a of the pack-side shutter 103 and the shutter opening 109a of the apparatus-side shutter 109. Therefore, the toner in the storage section 101 of the toner pack 100 can move to the toner storage chamber 36 of the developing container 32 via the opening 117a along the route indicated by the dashed arrow.

[0061] However, simply rotating the operating lever 108 from the closed position to the open position does not eject most of the toner in the toner pack 100 from the storage portion 101. In order to replenish the toner in the toner pack 100 to the toner storage chamber 36, the user must perform an ejection operation by pressing the storage portion 101 of the toner pack 100 with their finger, as shown in Figure 9(c). This ejection operation will be described later.

[0062] In this embodiment, the pack-side shutter 103 and the apparatus-side shutter 109 are opened and closed by rotating the pack-side shutter 103 with the operating lever 108, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when the toner pack 100 is attached to the attachment portion 106, the pack-side shutter 103 may engage with a fixed member on the image forming apparatus 1 side, and the nozzle 102 may engage with a rotatable member on the image forming apparatus 1 side. Then, when the user rotates the nozzle 102 in a predetermined rotational direction around the central axis A, the nozzle 102 may rotate relative to the pack-side shutter 103, and the discharge port 102a of the nozzle 102 may be opened.

[0063] Furthermore, it is not necessarily necessary to provide the pack-side shutter 103 as in the toner pack 100 of this embodiment. Instead of the pack-side shutter, a seal may be used as a shielding member that blocks the nozzle outlet. After the toner pack is attached to the attachment portion, the user may pull the seal to open the outlet. In this case, instead of the device-side shutter of the attachment portion, a cap that is configured to be removed by the user before attaching the toner pack may be used.

[0064] [Toner contained in the toner pack] The toner used in the image forming apparatus 1 of this embodiment, that is, the toner contained in the toner pack 100, will be described. In this embodiment, the toner preferably has a cohesion degree of 63% or less. The cohesion degree can be controlled by the shape of the toner and the external additives added.

[0065] The cohesion of toner is measured as follows. The measurement device used is a "Powder Tester PT-X" (manufactured by Hosokawa Micron Corporation). A sieve with a mesh size of 20 μm (635 mesh), a sieve with a mesh size of 38 μm (390 mesh), and a sieve with a mesh size of 75 μm (200 mesh) are placed on top of each other on a vibration table from the bottom up. The measurement is carried out in an environment of 23°C and 60% RH as follows.

[0066] (1) Adjust the vibration amplitude to 0.6 mm.

[0067] (2) 5.0 g of toner that has been left to stand for 24 hours in an environment of 23°C and 60% RH is precisely weighed and gently placed on the top sieve with 75 μm openings.

[0068] (3) After vibrating the sieves for 30 seconds, the mass of the toner remaining on each sieve is measured and the degree of cohesion is calculated according to the following formula.

[0069] Coagulation degree (%) = {(mass of sample on sieve with 75 μm opening (g)) / 5 (g)} × 100 + {(mass (g) of sample on a sieve with a mesh size of 38 μm) / 5 (g)} × 100 × 0.6 + {(mass (g) of sample on a sieve with a mesh size of 20 μm) / 5 (g)} × 100 × 0.2 In this example, three toners with different degrees of aggregation (toner a, toner b, toner c) are used.

[0070] (Toner a) The cohesion degree of toner a was 63%. This toner was produced by the suspension polymerization method as follows.

[0071] <Step of preparing aqueous medium 1> To 1000.0 parts of ion-exchanged water in a reaction vessel, 14.0 parts of sodium phosphate (12-hydrate) (manufactured by Rasa Kogyo Co., Ltd.) were added, and the mixture was kept at 65°C for 1.0 hour while being purged with nitrogen.

[0072] Aqueous medium containing a dispersion stabilizer was prepared by adding an aqueous calcium chloride solution prepared by dissolving 9.2 parts of calcium chloride (dihydrate) in 10.0 parts of ion-exchanged water all at once while stirring at 12,000 rpm using a TK homomixer (manufactured by Tokushu Kika Kogyo Co., Ltd.) Further, 10% by mass of hydrochloric acid was added to the aqueous medium to adjust the pH to 5.0, thereby obtaining aqueous medium 1.

[0073] <Hydrolysis process of the organosilicon compound for the surface layer> 60.0 parts of ion-exchanged water was weighed into a reaction vessel equipped with a stirrer and a thermometer, and the pH was adjusted to 3.0 using 10% by mass of hydrochloric acid. This was heated with stirring until the temperature reached 70°C. 40.0 parts of methyltriethoxysilane, an organosilicon compound for the surface layer, was then added and stirred for 2 hours or more to carry out hydrolysis. The end point of the hydrolysis was confirmed by visual inspection when the oil and water were not separated and a single layer was formed, and the mixture was cooled to obtain a hydrolyzed solution of the organosilicon compound for the surface layer.

[0074] <Preparation step of polymerizable monomer composition> Styrene: 60.0 parts Carbon black (Nipex 35, manufactured by Orion Engineered Carbons): 6.5 parts The materials were placed in an attritor (manufactured by Mitsui Miike Chemical Engineering Co., Ltd.), and further dispersed using zirconia particles with a diameter of 1.7 mm at 220 rpm for 5.0 hours to prepare a pigment dispersion. The following materials were added to the pigment dispersion. Styrene: 20.0 parts n-Butyl acrylate: 20.0 parts Divinylbenzene: 0.3 parts Saturated polyester resin 1:5.0 parts (Polycondensation polymer of propylene oxide-modified bisphenol A (2-mol adduct) and terephthalic acid (molar ratio 10:12), glass transition temperature Tg = 68°C, weight average molecular weight Mw = 10,000, molecular weight distribution Mw / Mn = 5.12) Fischer-Tropsch wax (melting point 78°C): 7.0 parts The mixture was kept at 65°C and uniformly dissolved and dispersed at 500 rpm using a TK homomixer (manufactured by Tokushu Kika Kogyo Co., Ltd.) to prepare a polymerizable monomer composition.

[0075] <Granulation process> While maintaining the temperature of the aqueous medium 1 at 70°C and the rotation speed of the TK homomixer at 12,000 rpm, the polymerizable monomer composition was charged into the aqueous medium 1, and 9.0 parts of t-butyl peroxypivalate as a polymerization initiator was added. Granulation was continued for 10 minutes while maintaining the stirring speed at 12,000 rpm with the stirring device.

[0076] <Polymerization process> After the granulation process, the agitator was replaced with a propeller agitator and stirred at 150 rpm. Polymerization was carried out at 70°C for 5.0 hours, then the temperature was raised to 85°C and heated for 2.0 hours to complete the polymerization reaction and obtain core particles. The temperature of the slurry containing the core particles was cooled to 55°C and the pH was measured, which was found to be 5.0. While continuing to stir at 55°C, 20.0 parts of a hydrolyzed solution of an organosilicon compound for the surface layer was added to initiate the formation of the toner surface layer. After holding for 30 minutes, the slurry was adjusted to pH 9.0 using aqueous sodium hydroxide to complete the condensation, and then held for an additional 300 minutes to form the surface layer.

[0077] <Cleaning and drying process> After the polymerization process was completed, the toner particle slurry was cooled, and hydrochloric acid was added to the toner particle slurry to adjust the pH to 1.5 or less. The mixture was then stirred for 1 hour and then subjected to solid-liquid separation using a pressure filter to obtain a toner cake. This was then reslurried with ion-exchanged water to form a dispersion again, and then subjected to solid-liquid separation using the aforementioned filter. The reslurrying and solid-liquid separation were repeated until the electrical conductivity of the filtrate reached 5.0 μS / cm or less, after which solid-liquid separation was finally performed to obtain a toner cake.

[0078] The obtained toner cake was dried using a flash jet dryer (manufactured by Seishin Enterprises), and then fine and coarse particles were removed using a multi-division classifier utilizing the Coanda effect to obtain toner particles 1. The weight average particle size (D4) was 6.5 μm and the average circularity was 0.985.

[0079] Silicon mapping was performed in cross-sectional TEM observation of toner particle 1, and it was confirmed that silicon atoms were present in the surface layer.

[0080] <Preparation of Toner a> 0.2 parts of hydrotalcite (DHT-4A, manufactured by Kyowa Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.) was added to SUPERMIXER PICCOLO SMP-2 (manufactured by Kawata Corporation) per 1,100 parts of toner particles, and mixed at 3,000 rpm for 10 minutes to obtain Toner A. The degree of cohesion was 63%.

[0081] (Toner B) The cohesion degree of toner b was 40%. This toner was produced by the suspension polymerization method as follows.

[0082] <Production Example of Toner Particle 2> Relative to 100 parts by mass of styrene monomer, 16.5 parts by mass of carbon black (Nipex 35) and 3.0 parts by mass of an aluminum compound of di-tertiary butyl salicylic acid [Bontron E88 (manufactured by Orient Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.)] were prepared. These were introduced into an attritor (manufactured by Mitsui Mining Co., Ltd.) and stirred at 200 rpm at 25°C for 180 minutes using zirconia beads (140 parts by mass) with a radius of 1.25 mm to prepare a masterbatch dispersion.

[0083] Separately, 450 parts by mass of 0.1M Na3PO4 aqueous solution was added to 710 parts by mass of ion-exchanged water and heated to 60°C, and then 67.7 parts by mass of 1.0M CaCl2 aqueous solution was gradually added to obtain an aqueous medium containing a calcium phosphate compound. Masterbatch dispersion 40 parts by mass Styrene 49.5 parts by mass n-Butyl acrylate 16.5 parts by mass Hydrocarbon wax 9 parts by weight (Fischer-Tropsch wax, maximum endothermic peak temperature = 78°C, Mw = 750) Saturated polyester resin 1 5.0 parts by mass The above materials were heated to 65°C and uniformly dissolved and dispersed at 5,000 rpm using a TK homomixer (manufactured by Tokushu Kika Kogyo Co., Ltd.) To this, 7.1 parts by mass of a 70% toluene solution of the polymerization initiator 1,1,3,3-tetramethylbutylperoxy 2-ethylhexanoate was dissolved to prepare a polymerizable monomer composition.

[0084] The polymerizable monomer composition was added to the aqueous medium and stirred at 65°C under a N2 atmosphere at 12,000 rpm in a TK homomixer for 10 minutes to granulate the polymerizable monomer composition. The mixture was then heated to 67°C while stirring with a paddle impeller. When the polymerization conversion rate of the polymerizable vinyl monomer reached 90%, 0.1 mol / L of aqueous sodium hydroxide was added to adjust the pH of the aqueous dispersion medium to 9. The temperature was then raised to 80°C at a rate of 40°C / h and the mixture was allowed to react for 4 hours. After the polymerization reaction was completed, the remaining monomer in the toner particles was distilled off under reduced pressure. After cooling the aqueous medium, hydrochloric acid was added to adjust the pH to 1.4, and the mixture was stirred for 6 hours to dissolve the calcium phosphate salt. The toner particles were filtered, washed with water, and then dried at 40°C for 48 hours. The obtained dried product was classified strictly using a multi-division classifier (Nitetsu Mining Co., Ltd. Elbow Jet Classifier) ​​to simultaneously remove ultrafine powder and coarse powder, thereby obtaining toner particles 2 having a weight average particle size (D4) of 6.3 μm and an average circularity of 0.981.

[0085] <Production example of metal titanate fine particles> Metatitanic acid obtained by the sulfuric acid method was deironized and bleached, then added with aqueous sodium hydroxide to adjust the pH to 9.0, desulfurized, and then neutralized with hydrochloric acid to pH 5.8, filtered, and washed with water. Water was added to the washed cake to make a slurry of 1.85 mol / L in terms of TiO2, and hydrochloric acid was added to adjust the pH to 1.0, followed by deflocculation.

[0086] After desulfurization and peptization, 1.88 moles of metatitanic acid (TiO2) was collected and placed in a 3-L reaction vessel. To the peptized metatitanic acid slurry, 2.16 moles of aqueous strontium chloride solution was added to achieve an Sr / Ti molar ratio of 1.15, and the TiO2 concentration was adjusted to 1.039 moles / L. The mixture was then heated to 90°C with stirring, and 440 mL of a 10 N mole / L aqueous sodium hydroxide solution was added over 45 minutes. The reaction was then completed by continuing stirring at 95°C for 1 hour.

[0087] The reaction slurry was cooled to 50°C, hydrochloric acid was added until the pH reached 5.0, and stirring was continued for 20 minutes. The resulting precipitate was washed by decantation, separated by filtration, and then dried in the air at 120°C for 8 hours.

[0088] Next, 300 g of the dried product was placed in a dry particle compounding device (Hosokawa Micron, Nobilta NOB-130) and treated at a treatment temperature of 30°C with a rotary treatment blade speed of 90 m / sec for 10 minutes.

[0089] Hydrochloric acid was added to the dried product until the pH reached 0.1, and the mixture was stirred for 1 hour. The resulting precipitate was washed by decantation.

[0090] The slurry containing the precipitate was adjusted to 40°C, and hydrochloric acid was added to adjust the pH to 2.5. Next, 4.6% by mass of isobutyltrimethoxysilane and 4.6% by mass of trifluoropropyltrimethoxysilane (based on the solid content) were added after stirring for 1 hour, and the mixture was then stirred for 10 hours. 5N sodium hydroxide solution was added to adjust the pH to 6.5, and stirring was continued for 1 hour. After filtering and washing, the resulting cake was dried in air at 120°C for 8 hours to obtain metal titanate microparticles.

[0091] <Preparation of Toner B> 100 parts by mass of toner particles 2, 1.0 part by mass of silica fine particles RX300 (manufactured by Nippon Aerosil Co., Ltd.) and 0.2 parts by mass of metal titanate fine particles were dry mixed in a Henschel mixer FM10C (manufactured by Mitsui Mining Co., Ltd.) at 3600 rpm for 12 minutes to obtain toner B. The degree of cohesion was 40%.

[0092] (Toner C) The cohesion degree of toner c was 26%. This toner was produced by the emulsion cohesion method as follows.

[0093] <Preparation of binder resin particle dispersion> 89.5 parts of styrene, 9.2 parts of butyl acrylate, 1.3 parts of acrylic acid, and 3.2 parts of n-lauryl mercaptan were mixed and dissolved, and an aqueous solution prepared by mixing 1.5 parts of Neogen RK (manufactured by Daiichi Kogyo Seiyaku Co., Ltd.) in 150 parts of ion-exchanged water was added to this solution and dispersed.

[0094] An aqueous solution of 0.3 parts of potassium persulfate mixed with 10 parts of ion-exchanged water was added thereto while stirring slowly for another 10 minutes.

[0095] After nitrogen substitution, emulsion polymerization was carried out for 6 hours at 70° C. After completion of polymerization, the reaction solution was cooled to room temperature, and ion-exchanged water was added to obtain a binder resin particle dispersion liquid having a solid content concentration of 12.5 mass % and a volume-based median diameter of 0.2 μm.

[0096] <Preparation of release agent dispersion> 100 parts of a release agent (behenyl behenate, melting point: 72.1°C) and 15 parts of Neogen RK were mixed with 385 parts of ion-exchanged water, and the mixture was dispersed for about 1 hour using a wet jet mill JN100 (manufactured by Joko Co., Ltd.) to obtain a release agent dispersion. The solid content of the release agent dispersion was 20% by mass.

[0097] <Preparation of Colorant Dispersion> 100 parts of carbon black (Nipex 35) and 15 parts of Neogen RK were mixed with 885 parts of ion-exchanged water, and the mixture was dispersed for about 1 hour using a wet jet mill JN100 to obtain a colorant dispersion.

[0098] <Preparation of Toner Particles 3> 265 parts of binder resin particle dispersion, 10 parts of release agent dispersion, and 10 parts of colorant dispersion were placed in a container and dispersed using a homogenizer (Ultra Turrax T50, manufactured by IKA).

[0099] The temperature inside the vessel was adjusted to 30°C while stirring, and a 1 mol / L aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide was added to adjust the pH to 8.0.

[0100] As a flocculant, an aqueous solution of 0.25 parts aluminum chloride dissolved in 10.0 parts ion-exchanged water was added over 10 minutes with stirring at 30°C. After leaving it for 3 minutes, the temperature was raised to 50°C to generate flocculated particles. When the weight average particle size (D4) reached 6.0 μm, 0.90 parts sodium chloride and 5.0 parts NEOGEN RK were added to stop particle growth.

[0101] After adjusting the pH to 9.0 by adding 1 mol / L aqueous sodium hydroxide solution, the temperature was raised to 95°C to spheroidize the aggregated particles. When the average circularity reached 0.980, the temperature was lowered to 30°C, and a toner particle dispersion was obtained.

[0102] Hydrochloric acid was added to the obtained toner particle dispersion to adjust the pH to 1.5 or less, and the mixture was left to stand with stirring for 1 hour, after which the mixture was subjected to solid-liquid separation using a pressure filter to obtain a toner cake.

[0103] This was reslurried with ion-exchanged water to form a dispersion again, and then subjected to solid-liquid separation using the aforementioned filter. The reslurrying and solid-liquid separation were repeated until the electrical conductivity of the filtrate became 5.0 μS / cm or less, and then final solid-liquid separation was performed to obtain a toner cake.

[0104] The obtained toner cake was dried using a flash jet dryer (manufactured by Seishin Enterprises). The drying conditions were an inlet temperature of 90°C, a dryer outlet temperature of 40°C, and the toner cake supply speed was adjusted according to the moisture content of the toner cake so that the outlet temperature did not deviate from 40°C. Furthermore, fine and coarse particles were removed using a multi-division classifier utilizing the Coanda effect, and toner particles 3 were obtained. The weight average particle size (D4) of toner particles 3 was 6.0 μm.

[0105] <Production example of silica fine particles 1> Untreated dry silica with a primary particle number average particle size of 18 nm was placed in a reactor equipped with a stirrer and heated to 200°C in a fluidized state by stirring.

[0106] The inside of the reactor was replaced with nitrogen gas, the reactor was sealed, and 25 parts of dimethyl silicone oil (viscosity = 100 mm2 / sec) was sprayed to 100 parts of dry silica, and stirring was continued for 30 minutes. After that, the temperature was raised to 250°C while stirring, and after stirring for another 2 hours, the mixture was taken out and subjected to a crushing treatment to obtain silica microparticles 1. The hydrophobicity of silica microparticles 1 was 90 (vol%).

[0107] <Preparation of Toner C> To the obtained toner particles 3 (100 parts), hydrotalcite (DHT-4A, 0.3 parts) and silica fine particles 1 (1.2 parts) were externally added and mixed using an FM10C (manufactured by Nippon Coke and Engineering Co., Ltd.) to obtain toner c. The degree of cohesion was 26%.

[0108] The external addition conditions were as follows: amount of toner particles charged: 2.0 kg, rotation speed: 66.6 s −1 , external addition time: 12 minutes. The degree of cohesion was 26%.

[0109] [Toner discharge] In order to discharge the toner in the container 101 of the toner pack 100 of this embodiment from the discharge port 102 a of the nozzle 102 to the outside of the toner pack 100 , the user needs to press the container 101 .

[0110] Incidentally, toner pack 100 is required to be small in size in consideration of transportation efficiency and space efficiency for product display. Furthermore, in consideration of replenishment efficiency, it is preferable that a large amount of toner is filled inside small toner pack 100. However, it has been found that if the toner filling amount is too large compared to the toner storage volume of toner pack 100, it becomes difficult to discharge toner from the toner pack even when storage section 101 is pressed, and toner discharge performance is significantly reduced.

[0111] It has been found that the toner discharge performance of the toner pack 100 differs depending on the amount of toner filled relative to the total volume of the toner pack 100, which is the sum of the toner capacity of the storage section 101 and the toner capacity of the nozzle 102, and the configuration of the nozzle for receiving and discharging toner from the storage section 101. These relationships will be explained using Figures 6 and 11 to 14.

[0112] First, the definition of toner dischargeability will be explained. As described above, when the pack-side shutter 203 is in the open position and toner can be discharged through the discharge port 102a, the user performs the discharge operation to discharge toner from the toner pack 100. The discharge operation described here can be, for example, as shown in FIG. 9(c), in which the user supports one side of the storage portion 101 with four fingers other than the thumb and presses the other side of the storage portion 101 with the thumb in the second direction Y (FIG. 6(b)) with a force of approximately 10 to 15 kgf to compress the storage portion 101 and promote the discharge of toner from the toner pack 100. At this time, the user repeatedly presses the storage portion 101 until the toner is completely discharged, with one set consisting of pressing the top, center, and bottom of the storage portion 101 of the toner pack 100 (FIG. 9) attached to the mounting portion 106. At this time, the shorter the time it takes for the user to finish discharging the toner in the toner pack 100, the better the toner dischargeability. Here, if all the toner in the toner pack 100 can be discharged by the discharging operation for 20 seconds, the toner dischargeability is determined to be good (◯), and if toner remains in the toner pack after 20 seconds have passed, the toner dischargeability is determined to be poor (×). However, trace amounts of toner that remain inside the storage section 101 or stuck to the flow path 102k of the nozzle 102 are not considered to be remaining toner.

[0113] Here, an experiment on the toner discharge performance was carried out using four toner packs (toner pack 100, toner pack 200, toner pack 300, toner pack 400) with different nozzles. The procedure of the experiment is as follows. The toner storage space V is the total volume [cm 3 ] of the toner pack, which is the sum of the internal volume of the storage section and the internal volume of the nozzle when the discharge port is blocked. 3 ]. (i) The toner storage space V is filled with 75.4 g of toner. (ii) The air in the toner storage space V is deaerated, the storage section is deformed, (iii) the volume of the toner storage space V is reduced, and the filling amount per unit volume ([g / cm 3 ]) to adjust the (iv) The volume of the toner storage space V is measured, and the toner pack is discharged when the toner pack has reached the desired amount per unit volume, and the toner dischargeability is evaluated.

[0114] To prevent the nozzle 102 from becoming clogged with toner during degassing, the nozzle of the toner pack was positioned upward during degassing. This prevents the toner in the toner storage space V from clogging locally inside the nozzle, and allows the toner and air to be uniformly mixed together.

[0115] (1st toner pack) A discharge experiment was conducted using a toner pack 200 filled with toner a as a first toner pack T1. Fig. 11(a) is a perspective view of the toner pack 200. Fig. 11(b) is a front view of the toner pack 200. Fig. 11(c) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line X11-X11 in Fig. 11(b). Fig. 11(d) is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the nozzle of the toner pack 200 in Fig. 11(c). Fig. 11(e) is a top view of the connecting member 207 and the nozzle 202 as viewed from the storage section 201 side.

[0116] The following describes the configuration of the toner pack 200. The toner pack 200 includes a container 201, a connecting member 207, and a nozzle 202.

[0117] The storage section 201 has a side surface 201a, a bottom surface 201b (closed portion), and an opening 201c formed by an inner peripheral surface 201d, and has the same configuration as the storage section 101 of the first embodiment.

[0118] As shown in FIG. 11(d), the nozzle 202 has a side of 5 mm (area Se1 = 25 mm 2) and has a square receiving opening 202e that opens in the direction of the central axis A (first direction X). The receiving opening 202e is the shaded area in FIG. 11(d). The receiving opening 202e is a through-hole surrounded by an inner circumferential surface 202n, and has a thickness t (the length of the inner circumferential surface 202n in the direction of the central axis A) of 1.5 mm. The thickness t is sufficiently thin compared to the size of the receiving opening 202e and can be ignored as a length of the flow path of the nozzle 202. The nozzle 202 further has an engaged surface 202m, which is an outer circumferential surface centered on the central axis A, and an upper surface 202p (top surface) that extends in directions (second direction Y and third direction Z) perpendicular to the central axis A (first direction X) and faces upward when the toner pack 200 is oriented in the predetermined direction described above.

[0119] The connecting member 207 is a member that connects the accommodating portion 201 and the nozzle 202, and has the same configuration as the connecting member 107 of this embodiment. The connecting member 207 has an engaging surface 207b, a fixing surface 207c (welded surface, adhesive surface), and an upper surface 207p (top surface). The engaging surface 207b is an inner circumferential surface centered on the central axis A, and engages with the engaged surface 202m of the nozzle 202. The fixing surface 207c is a surface that is fixed (welded, adhesive) to the inner circumferential surface 201d of the accommodating portion 201. The upper surface 207p is connected to the engaging surface 207b and the fixing surface 207c, and is a surface that faces upward (toward the accommodating portion 201) when the toner pack 200 is oriented in the predetermined direction described above.

[0120] The upper surface 202p of the nozzle 202 and the upper surface 207p of the connecting member 207 are at approximately the same position in the height direction and are surfaces that extend in the second direction Y and the third direction Z that are perpendicular to the central axis A (first direction X). Therefore, the upper surfaces 202p and 207p close a part of the opening 201c of the storage section 201.

[0121] The results of a discharge experiment using the above-described toner pack 200 and the toner a are shown below. Toner filling amount 0.575 [g / cm 3 ]: Toner discharge is good (〇) Toner filling amount 0.618 [g / cm 3]: Toner discharge is not good (×) From this result, it was found that the area S1 of the receiving port 202e of the nozzle 202 was 25 mm 2 In the case of above, the toner filling amount is 0.575 [g / cm 3 In other words, if the filling amount is 0.618 [g / cm 3 ] or less, the toner discharge performance is good. 3 ] In the above cases, the area of ​​the receiving port S1 is 25 mm 2 If the length is less than 1.5 mm, no matter what nozzle is used, good toner discharge performance cannot be obtained. 2 It may be possible to discharge even if the area contains

[0122] (2nd toner pack) The second toner pack T2 is exactly the same as the toner pack 100 described above, and only the parts not described above will be explained using Figure 6. The area Se2 of the receiving opening 102e of the nozzle 102 of the toner pack 100 is 594 mm 2 The receiving port 102e is the shaded area in FIG. 6(d). The area So2 of the discharge port 102a shown in FIG. 6(a) is 217 mm 2 That is, the area Se2 of the inlet 102e is larger than the area So2 of the outlet 102a. The length L102 (FIG. 6(c)) in the first direction X from the inlet 102e to the bottom end of the outlet 102a is 43 mm. The minimum cross-sectional area Smin2 of the flow path 102k is the dashed line portion in FIG. 6(c), and is 115 mm 2 The minimum cross-sectional area Smin2 is a cross section passing through the upper end of the outlet 102a and the first inclined surface 102g1.

[0123] An upper surface 107p of the connecting member 107 facing upward and an upper surface 102p of the nozzle 102 facing upward are at the same height or approximately the same height and are surfaces that extend in the second direction Y and the third direction Z that are perpendicular to the direction (first direction X) of the central axis A. Therefore, the upper surfaces 107p and 102p partially cover the opening 101c of the storage section 101.

[0124] The results of a discharge experiment using the toner pack 100 filled with the toner a described above are shown below. Toner filling amount 0.629 [g / cm 3 ]: Toner discharge is good (〇) Toner filling amount 0.653 [g / cm 3 ]: Toner discharge is not good (×) (3rd toner pack) The above-mentioned discharge experiment was carried out using a toner pack 300 as a third toner pack T3 filled with toner a and toner c. Fig. 12(a) is a perspective view of the toner pack 300. Fig. 12(b) is a front view of the toner pack 300. Fig. 12(c) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line X12-X12 in Fig. 12(b). Fig. 12(d) is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the nozzle of the toner pack 300 in Fig. 12(c). Fig. 12(e) is a top view of the connecting member 307 and the nozzle 302 as viewed from the storage section 301 side.

[0125] The following describes the configuration of the toner pack 300. The toner pack 300 includes a storage portion 301, a connecting member 307, and a nozzle 302.

[0126] The storage section 301 has a side surface 301a, a bottom surface 301b (closed portion), and an opening 301c formed by an inner peripheral surface 301d, and has the same configuration as the storage section 101 of this embodiment.

[0127] As shown in FIG. 12(e), the nozzle 302 has a side of 8.66 mm (area Se3 = 75 mm 2 12(d), the nozzle 302 has a square receiving port 302e that opens in the direction of the central axis A (first direction X). The receiving port 302e is the hatched portion in FIG. 12(e). As shown in FIG. 12(d), the nozzle 302 has a discharge port 302a that opens in the second direction Y on a side surface perpendicular to the first direction X. The cross-sectional area So3 of the discharge port 302a is also 75 mm 2The nozzle 302 also has a flow path 302k (passage) that connects the inlet 302e and the outlet 302a and through which the toner passes. The toner in the storage section 301 is discharged to the outside of the toner pack 300 via the inlet 302e, the flow path 302k, and the outlet 302a of the nozzle 302. The cross-sectional area of ​​the flow path 302k is 75 mm 2 In other words, the minimum cross-sectional area of ​​the flow path 302k is 75 mm 2 The length L301 in the first direction X from the receiving opening 302e to the lower end of the discharge opening 302a is 50 mm.

[0128] As shown in Figures 12(d) and 12(e), the nozzle 302 further has an engaged surface 302m, which is an outer peripheral surface centered on the central axis A, and an upper surface 302p (top surface) that extends in a direction perpendicular to the central axis A (the second direction Y and the third direction Z) and faces upward when the toner pack 300 is oriented in the specified direction described above.

[0129] The connecting member 307 is a member that connects the accommodation portion 301 and the nozzle 302, and has the same configuration as the connecting member 107 of this embodiment. The connecting member 307 has an engaging surface 307b, a fixing surface 307c (welded surface, adhesive surface), and an upper surface 307p (top surface). The engaging surface 307b is an inner circumferential surface centered on the central axis A, and engages with the engaged surface 302m of the nozzle 302. The fixing surface 307c is fixed (welded or adhered) to the inner circumferential surface 301d of the storage portion 301. The upper surface 302p is connected to the engagement surface 307b and the fixing surface 307c, and faces upward (toward the storage portion 301) when the toner pack 300 is oriented in the predetermined direction described above.

[0130] The upper surface 302p of the nozzle 302 and the upper surface 307p of the connecting member 307 are at the same height or approximately the same height and extend in the second direction Y and the third direction Z perpendicular to the direction (first direction X) of the central axis A. Therefore, the upper surfaces 302p and 307p partially cover the opening 301c of the storage section 301.

[0131] The results of the above-mentioned discharge experiment using the toner pack 300 filled with toner a are shown below. Toner filling amount 0.557 [g / cm 3 ]: Toner discharge is good (〇) Toner filling amount 0.606 [g / cm 3 ]: Toner discharge is not good (×) The results of the above-mentioned discharge experiment using the toner pack 300 filled with toner c are shown below. Toner filling amount 0.547 [g / cm 3 ]: Toner discharge is good (〇) Toner filling amount 0.609 [g / cm 3 ]: Toner discharge is not good (×) (4th toner pack) The above-mentioned discharge experiment was carried out using a toner pack 400 filled with toner a as the fourth toner pack T4. Fig. 13(a) is a perspective view of the toner pack 400. Fig. 13(b) is a front view of the toner pack 400. Fig. 13(c) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line X13-X13 in Fig. 13(b). Fig. 13(d) is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the nozzle of the toner pack 300 in Fig. 13(c). Fig. 13(e) is a top view of the connecting member 407 and the nozzle 402 as viewed from the storage section 401 side.

[0132] The following describes the configuration of the toner pack 400. The toner pack 400 includes a container 401, a connecting member 407, and a nozzle 402.

[0133] The storage section 401 has a side surface 401a, a bottom surface 401b (closed portion), and an opening 401c formed by an inner peripheral surface 401d, and has the same configuration as the storage section 101 of this embodiment.

[0134] As shown in FIG. 13(e), the nozzle 402 has a side of 20 mm (area Se4 = 400 mm 2 13(e), and has a square receiving opening 402e that opens in the direction of the central axis A (first direction X). The receiving opening 402e is the shaded portion in FIG. 13(e). As shown in Fig. 13(d), the nozzle 402 has an outlet 402a that opens in the second direction Y on a side surface perpendicular to the first direction X. The cross-sectional area So4 (Fig. 13(a)) of the outlet 402a is also 400 mm 2 The nozzle 402 also has a flow path 402k (passage) that is continuous with the receiving port 402e and the discharge port 402a and through which the toner passes. The toner in the storage section 401 is discharged to the outside of the toner pack 400 through the receiving port 402e, the flow path 402k, and the discharge port 402a of the nozzle 402. The cross-sectional area of ​​the flow path 402k is 400 mm 2 In other words, the minimum cross-sectional area of ​​the flow path 402k is 400 mm 2 The length L401 (FIG. 13(d)) in the first direction X from the receiving opening 402e to the lower end of the discharge opening 402a is 30 mm.

[0135] The nozzle 402 further has an engaged surface 402m, which is an outer peripheral surface centered on the central axis A, and an upper surface 402p (top surface) that extends in a direction perpendicular to the central axis A and faces upward when the toner pack 400 is oriented in the specified direction described above.

[0136] The connecting member 407 is a member that connects the accommodation portion 401 and the nozzle 402, and has the same configuration as the connecting member 107 of this embodiment. The connecting member 407 has an engaging surface 407b, a fixing surface 407c (welded surface, adhesive surface), and an upper surface 407p (top surface). The engaging surface 407b is an inner circumferential surface centered on the central axis A, and engages with the engaged surface 402m of the nozzle 402. The fixing surface 402c is fixed (welded or adhered) to the inner circumferential surface 401d of the storage portion 401. The upper surface 407p connects the engagement surface 407b and the fixing surface 407c, and faces upward (toward the storage portion 401) when the toner pack 400 is oriented in the predetermined direction described above.

[0137] The upper surface 402p of the nozzle 402 and the upper surface 407p of the connecting member 407 are at the same height or approximately the same height and extend in the second direction Y and the third direction Z perpendicular to the direction (first direction X) of the central axis A. Therefore, the upper surfaces 402p and 407p close a part of the opening 401c of the storage section 401.

[0138] The results of the above-mentioned discharge experiment using the toner pack 400 filled with toner a were as follows. Toner filling amount 0.677 [g / cm 3 ]: Toner discharge is good (〇) The results of the toner discharge experiment for the second toner pack T2 (toner pack 100), third toner pack T3 (toner pack 300), and fourth toner pack T4 (toner pack 400) described above are shown in Figure 14. The horizontal axis of the graph in Figure 14 is the minimum cross-sectional area Smin of the nozzle flow path, and the vertical axis is the length L in the first direction X from the receiving port to the bottom end of the discharge port. L and Smin for each toner pack are as follows: Second toner pack T2: Smin=115mm 2 , L=43mm 3rd toner pack T3: Smin=75mm 2 , L=50mm 4th toner pack T4: Smin=400mm 2 , L=30mm When toner a is used, the order of T4, T2, and T3 shows good toner dischargeability and high upper limit of toner loading amount. In other words, it was found that the shorter L and the larger Smin, the better toner dischargeability can be maintained even when the toner loading amount is increased.

[0139] Next, an experiment using the third toner pack T3 revealed that there was almost no difference in toner discharge performance between toner a with a cohesion degree of 63% and toner c with a cohesion degree of 26%. 3When the toner discharging performance was checked using toner a and toner b in the above case, almost no difference was observed. Therefore, it is considered that the influence of the difference in toner on the toner discharging performance is small, at least when the toner cohesion degree is between 26% and 63%.

[0140] From the above experimental results, in the graph of FIG. 14, among the toner packs T2, T3, and T4 tested, T3 is the most unfavorable configuration in terms of toner discharge performance, but the toner filling amount is 0.547 [g / cm 3 ] or less, it is possible to maintain good toner dischargeability. Therefore, it is possible to maintain good toner dischargeability by setting the range (L≦50 mm, Smin≧75 mm) which is more advantageous than T3 in terms of toner dischargeability. 2 ), the toner filling amount is 0.547 [g / cm 3 ] or less, it is possible to maintain good toner discharging properties.

[0141] Regarding L, considering that a length of 30 mm or more is required to ensure sealing of the nozzle, 30 mm ≦ L ≦ 50 mm, S min ≧ 75 mm 2 In the range of 0.547 [g / cm 3 ] or less, it is possible to maintain good toner discharging properties.

[0142] In addition, from the experimental results of the first toner pack T1, if the length of the flow path is 1.5 mm or less, the cross-sectional area is 25 mm 2 Over 75mm 2 It may include the following areas: [Mechanism by which toner dischargeability changes depending on toner loading amount] The mechanism by which toner dischargeability changes depending on the toner loading amount will be described with reference to Figure 15. Figure 15 is a conceptual diagram of when a user presses side surface 101a of toner pack 100 with a finger. The description will be made on the assumption that toner is uniformly distributed in every area within storage section 101 of toner pack 100.

[0143] When a user applies pressure P1 to the side surface 101a of the storage unit 101, the pressure P1 is propagated to the toner in front of the inlet 102e of the nozzle 102 inside the storage unit 101 as a pressure P2 that is attenuated from the pressure P1 and is smaller than the pressure P1. This pressure P2 causes the toner directly above the inlet 102e to move from the storage unit 101 toward the flow path 102k via the inlet 102e. However, the toner held back by the upper surface 102p of the nozzle 102 and the upper surface 107p of the connecting member 107 enters a bridge-like equilibrium state across the inlet 102e due to the frictional force F between the toner particles. The toner in this bridge-like equilibrium state is piled up in multiple layers.

[0144] At this time, if the amount of toner filled in toner pack 100 is large, even if the toner balance state is disturbed by pressure P2 transmitted by the user pressing against storage section 101, there are few gaps between the toner particles, and there is little room for the pressed toner to move, so the toner is unlikely to be disturbed. As a result, it is thought that it becomes difficult to move the toner in the balanced state from receiving port 102e toward flow path 102k of nozzle 102.

[0145] On the other hand, when the amount of toner loaded is small, there is room for the toner pressed by pressure P2 to move, so the toner in the balanced state can be moved and disrupted. As a result, it is thought that the toner can move from the receiving port 102e toward the flow path 102k of the nozzle 102.

[0146] In this example, the toners a, b, and c used in the experiment were all non-magnetic single components, with a specific gravity of 1.08 g / cm 3 The filling amount is calculated by dividing the weight d [g] of the filled toner by the volume a [cm 3 ] of the containing portion 101. 3 ] is the ratio (d / a).

[0147] If the specific gravity differs depending on the toner, it is desirable to consider the filling amount in terms of the bulk density converted into specific gravity. For example, in the case of magnetic toner, the specific gravity is larger than that of non-magnetic one-component toner, but the filling amount can be considered as a value converted as follows. For example, if the specific gravity is 1.40 [g / cm 3], the filling amount is 0.547 [g / cm 3 ]×1.40[g / cm 3 ] / 1.08[g / cm 3 ]=0.709[g / cm 3 In this case, the filling rate is 0.709 [g / cm 3 If the filling amount is less than 0.50 [g / cm 3 ], the toner dischargeability is good. Furthermore, by reducing the filling amount further, the dischargeability is further improved. 3 ] or less is preferable, and 0.45 [g / cm 3 On the other hand, if the filling amount is too small, there is a concern that the storage unit 101 will need to be large to fill a predetermined amount of toner, or that multiple toner replenishments will be required due to only a small amount of toner being filled. Therefore, the filling amount is set to 0.30 [g / cm 3 ] or more is preferable, and 0.35 [g / cm 3 That is, the filling amount is, for example, 0.30 [g / cm 3 ] or more. 3 ] or more 0.50[g / cm 3 ] or less, and 0.35 [g / cm 3 ] or more 0.45[g / cm 3 ] is more preferably set in the range below. By adopting such a configuration, the user can smoothly discharge toner by pressing the container 101 without taking more time than necessary.

Claims

1. A toner container, a bag configured to contain toner and having an opening; a discharge member arranged to be aligned with the bag in a first direction, the discharge member having a receiving opening configured to receive the toner in the bag through the opening, and a discharge opening configured to discharge the toner received from the receiving opening to the outside of the toner container; a shielding member that shields the outlet; and The receiving port is provided inward of the opening in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, opens toward the first direction, and has an area of ​​25 mm or more; the discharge member has a fixed surface to which the opening of the bag is fixed, a surface extending in a direction intersecting the first direction between the fixed surface and the receiving opening, and a passage through which the toner passes from the receiving opening to the discharge opening, When the toner container is oriented in a predetermined direction in which the first direction is the direction of gravity and the discharge member is below the bag, the discharge port is located below the receiving port and opens in the second direction, The length of the passage from the receiving port to the lower end of the discharge port in the first direction is 30 mm or more and 50 mm or less, The minimum cross-sectional area of ​​the passage is 75 mm or more, The area of ​​the receiving port and the area of ​​the discharge port are both 75 mm or more, A toner container characterized in that the toner filling amount [g] relative to the total volume [cm3] of the toner container capable of containing toner is 0.547 [g / cm3] or less.

2. 2. The toner container according to claim 1, wherein the bag is pressed from the outside of the bag when the shielding member is not covering the discharge outlet, so that the toner contained in the bag is discharged from the discharge outlet to the outside of the toner container.

3. 3. The toner container according to claim 1, wherein the bag has a portion whose width in a direction perpendicular to the first direction narrows toward the receiving opening in the first direction.

4. 2. The toner container according to claim 1, wherein the bag has a portion in which the width in the second direction narrows as it approaches the receiving opening in the first direction.

5. 2. The toner container according to claim 1, wherein the area of ​​the receiving opening is larger than the area of ​​the discharging opening.

6. 6. The toner container according to claim 1, wherein when the toner container is oriented in the predetermined direction, the passage has an inclined surface that is inclined downward in a direction approaching the discharge port.

7. The bag is formed by pouch processing a sheet, The discharge member is made of resin.

7. The toner container according to claim 1, wherein the toner container is a toner container.

8. 8. A toner container according to claim 7, wherein the sheet is a polypropylene sheet.

9. 8. The toner container according to claim 1, wherein an inner circumferential surface of the opening of the bag is welded to an outer circumferential surface of the discharge member that serves as the fixed surface extending in the first direction.

10. The discharge member is a nozzle having the receiving port, the passage, the discharge port, and an engaged surface; a connecting member that connects the bag and the nozzle, the connecting member having the fixing surface and an engaging surface that engages with the engaged surface of the nozzle; 7. The toner container according to claim 1, further comprising:

11. the shielding member is a shutter that is rotatable about a rotation axis between a shielding position that shields the discharge outlet of the discharge member and an opening position that opens the discharge outlet, The shutter is configured such that the rotation axis extends in the first direction.

11. The toner container according to claim 1.

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