Toner container and image forming apparatus

Abstract

To provide a toner container that has reduced parts to be discarded when the toner container is recycled.SOLUTION: A toner container comprises: a container body that has a filling port 43 for toner; a cylinder part 57 that extends along the filling port 43; and a cap that closes the cylinder part 57. The cap includes a pair of pawl parts 79 that are engaged with the filling port 43, a link piece 81 that connects leading ends of the pawl parts 79, a disk part 71 that has an opening 71a, a closing plate that closes the opening of the disk part, and a fixing member that fixes the closing plate to the disk part 71. The closing plate is fixed to the disk part 71, and the pawl parts 79 are engaged with the filling port 43, and thereby the cylinder part 57 is closed by the closing plate. The closing plate is removed from the disk part 71, the link piece 81 is pulled through the opening 71a to release the engagement between the pawl parts 79 and the filling port 43, and the cap is removed from the cylinder part 57, thereby allowing recycling of the container body and the cap.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6B

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a reusable toner container and an image forming apparatus including the toner container.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, in electrophotographic image forming apparatuses using toner, such as multifunction printers and printers, there has been an increasing trend to reuse (recycle) toner containers.

[0003] For example, the developer cartridge (corresponding to a toner container) described in Patent Document 1 includes a container body provided with a cylindrical toner filling port and a cap for closing the toner filling port. At the time of reuse, after cutting a part of the toner filling port together with the cap, another cap is inserted into the toner filling port to close the toner filling port. Further, the toner container described in Patent Document 2 includes a container body provided with a cylindrical filling port and a cap having a flange portion adhered to the tip surface of the filling port. At the time of reuse, after cutting the cap including the flange portion together with the filling port, the flange portion of another cap is adhered to the tip surface of the filling port.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, in the manuscript cartridge described in Patent Document 1 and the toner container described in Patent Document 2, the cap after cutting cannot be reused, and the amount of discarded parts increases. Further, by cutting the filling port, the strength and rigidity of the container body are reduced, so the number of times the container body can be reused is limited.

[0006] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a toner container that reduces the amount of waste generated during reuse, and an image forming apparatus equipped with this toner container, taking the above circumstances into consideration. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To achieve the above objective, the toner container of the present invention The container comprises a container body having a toner filling port, a cylindrical portion provided along the filling port, and a removable cap that closes the opening of the cylindrical portion, wherein the cap is provided so as to be deformable in the radial direction of the cylindrical portion and comprises a pair of claws that can be inserted into the cylindrical portion and engage with the edge of the filling port, a link piece connecting the tips of the pair of claws, a disc portion having an opening, a closing plate that can close the opening of the disc portion, and a fixing member that fixes the closing plate to the disc portion, wherein the opening of the cylindrical portion is closed by the closing plate by fixing the closing plate to the disc portion using the fixing member and engaging the pair of claws with the edge of the filling port, the opening of the cylindrical portion is closed by the closing plate, the fixing member is removed and the closing plate is removed from the disc portion, the link piece is pulled through the opening of the disc portion to elastically deform the pair of claws radially inward and release the engagement with the edge of the filling port, and the cap is removed from the cylindrical portion, thereby making the container body and the cap reusable.

[0008] In the toner container of the present invention, the disc portion may have a pair of protruding pieces that extend outward, the closing plate may have a pair of protruding pieces that extend outward, and the fixing member may be a pair of clips that sandwich the protruding pieces of the disc portion and the protruding pieces of the closing plate and fix the closing plate to the flange portion.

[0009] The toner container of the present invention may further be characterized by comprising an O-ring disposed between the disc portion and the closing plate.

[0010] The image forming apparatus of the present invention is characterized by comprising a toner container and an image forming unit that forms an image using toner supplied from the toner container. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, when reusing a toner container, the container body and cap can be reused. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] This is a schematic front view showing the internal configuration of an image forming apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a perspective view showing a toner container according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] This is an exploded perspective view showing the cap of a toner container according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4A] This is a cross-sectional view showing the cap of a toner container according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4B] This is an exploded cross-sectional view showing the cap of a toner container according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] This is a perspective view showing the cap of a toner container according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6A] This is a cross-sectional view showing the cap with the clip removed in a toner container according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6B] This is a cross-sectional view showing the cap of a toner container according to one embodiment of the present invention, with the link piece pulled out. [Figure 6C] This is a cross-sectional view showing a toner container according to one embodiment of the present invention, specifically a cap being removed. [Figure 7] This is a perspective view showing the cap of a toner container according to one embodiment of the present invention, with the closing plate removed. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] Hereinafter, an image forming apparatus and a toner container according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described while referring to the drawings.

[0014] First, referring to FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 1 will be described. FIG. 1 is a front view schematically showing the inside of the image forming apparatus 1. Fr, Rr, L, and R shown in each figure indicate the front side, rear side, left side, and right side of the image forming apparatus 1, respectively.

[0015] The image forming apparatus 1 includes a hollow housing 3 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. Inside the housing 3, there are a paper feed cassette 5 for accommodating paper, a paper feed device 7 for feeding out the paper from the paper feed cassette 5, an image forming unit 9 for forming a toner image on the paper, a fixing device 11 for fixing the toner image on the paper, and a discharge device 13 for discharging the paper. A paper discharge tray 15 on which the discharged paper is stacked is formed on the upper surface of the housing 3. Further, inside the housing 3, a conveyance path 17 through which the paper is conveyed from the paper feed device 7 to the image forming unit 9, the fixing device 11, and then to the discharge device 13 is formed. Further, inside the housing 3, a reverse path 19 that branches off from the conveyance path 17 on the downstream side of the fixing device 11 and merges into the conveyance path 17 on the upstream side of the image forming unit 9 is formed.

[0016] The image forming unit 9 has a rotatable photosensitive drum 21, and around the photosensitive drum 21, there are a charging device 23, a developing device 25, a transfer roller 27, and a cleaning device 29 arranged along the rotation direction of the photosensitive drum 21, an exposure device 31, and a toner container 33. A transfer nip is formed between the photosensitive drum 21 and the transfer roller 27. Also, the toner container 33 is connected to the developing device 25, and toner is supplied from the toner container 33 to the developing device 25.

[0017] The image forming operation will be briefly described. The paper fed from the paper feed cassette 5 by the paper feeding device 7 is conveyed to the image forming unit 9 along the conveyance path 17. In the image forming unit 9, the charging device 23 charges the surface of the photosensitive drum 21. The exposure device 31 exposes the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 charged by the charging device 23 to form an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the image data on the surface of the photosensitive drum 21. The developing device 25 develops the electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 21 into a toner image using the toner supplied from the toner container 33. The transfer roller 27 transfers the toner image to the paper conveyed to the transfer nip along the conveyance path 17. The paper with the toner image transferred is conveyed to the fixing device 11 along the conveyance path 17. The cleaning device 29 removes the toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 after transfer. In the fixing device 11, the toner image is fixed on the paper. The paper with the toner image fixed is discharged to the paper discharge tray 15 by the discharging device 13.

[0018] In the case of double-sided printing, the paper with the toner image fixed on one side by the fixing device 11 is switched back in the conveyance path 17 and conveyed to the reverse path 19. Then, it is conveyed from the reverse path 19 to the conveyance path 17, and a toner image is formed on the other side by the image forming unit 9, and the toner image is fixed on the other side by the fixing device 11. The paper with the toner images fixed on both sides is discharged to the paper discharge tray 15 by the discharging device 13.

[0019] Next, the toner container 33 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the toner container 33, and FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the cap 45 of the toner container 33.

[0020] The toner container 33 includes a container body 41 having a toner filling port 43 (see FIG. 3) and a cap 45 for closing the filling port 43.

[0021] As shown in Figure 2, the container body 41 has a main body portion 51 with an open top and a lid portion 53 with an open bottom. The main body portion 51 has a roughly semi-cylindrical bottom plate 51a that is long in the front-to-back direction and roughly semi-circular front and rear side plates 51b. The main body portion 51 also has a flange 51c that protrudes outward along the top opening. The lid portion 53 has a flange 53c that protrudes outward along the bottom opening. By welding both flanges 51c and 53c together, the main body portion 51 and the lid portion 53 form a container body 41 having an internal space for containing toner.

[0022] As shown in Figure 3, a toner filling port 43 is formed in one of the side plates 51b. Furthermore, a cylindrical tube portion 57 is formed in the side plate 51b along the filling port 43. A groove 57a (not shown in Figures 2 and 3, see Figure 4B) is formed on the tip surface of the tube portion 57 along the circumferential direction. In addition, a positioning projection 57b that is positioned in relation to the cap 45 is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the tube portion 57.

[0023] The internal space of the container body 41 rotatably houses a stirring paddle and a conveying screw (both not shown). Furthermore, a toner discharge port (not shown) is formed in the bottom plate 51a of the main body 51. The discharge port communicates with the toner supply port (not shown) of the developing device 25. The discharge port can be opened and closed by a shutter (not shown).

[0024] Next, the cap 45 will be described with reference to Figure 3, Figures 4A and 4B, and Figure 5. Figures 4A and 4B are cross-sectional views of the cap 45, and Figure 5 is a perspective view of the cap 45. The cap 45 consists of a cylindrical body 61 that is attached to the cylindrical portion 57 of the container body 41, a closing plate 63 that closes the opening of the cylindrical portion 57, and a pair of clips 65 that fix the cylindrical body 61 and the closing plate 63. The cap 45 is made of resin.

[0025] The cylindrical body 61 has a disc portion 71 with an outer diameter larger than the cylindrical portion 57 of the container body 41, and a cylindrical insertion portion 73 that is integrally provided with the disc portion 71 and can be inserted into the cylindrical portion 57. A roughly cross-shaped opening 71a is formed in the center of the disc portion 71. The front surface of the disc portion 71 is formed flat. Also, as shown in Figure 3, an annular groove 71b is formed on the front surface of the disc portion 71 around the opening 71a. An O-ring 69 is fitted into the groove 71b. Furthermore, a side wall 71c is formed along the outer edge of the front surface. As a result, a recess 71d surrounded by the side wall 71c is formed on the front surface of the disc portion 71. A pair of notches 71e are formed diagonally on the side wall 71c. Furthermore, outward-projecting protrusions 71f are formed on the outside of both notches 71e. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 5, an annular rib 71g concentric with the disc portion 71 is formed on the back surface of the disc portion 71 around the opening 71a. In addition, a positioning pin 71h is provided on the back surface of the disc portion 71.

[0026] The insertion portion 73 is formed concentrically with the disc portion 71 between the opening 71a on the back surface of the disc portion 71 and the annular rib 71g. As clearly shown in Figure 5, the insertion portion 73 has a pair of radially opposing semi-cylindrical portions 77 and a pair of radially opposing claw portions 79. The outer circumferential surfaces of the pair of semi-cylindrical portions 77 are inclined radially inward from the base end (disc portion 71 side) to the tip end (the side opposite to the disc portion 71). The maximum outer diameter of the pair of semi-cylindrical portions 77 is approximately the same as the inner diameter of the cylindrical portion 57 of the container body 41. Also, the length of the pair of semi-cylindrical portions 77 is approximately the same as the length of the cylindrical portion 57. At the tip of the pair of claw portions 79, a claw 79a is formed that protrudes radially outward. The outer surface of each claw 79a is tapered toward the tip. The distance between the claws 79a of a pair of claw portions 79 in the radial direction is greater than the inner diameter of the cylindrical portion 57 of the container body 41. The length of the pair of claw portions 79 is longer than the length of the cylindrical portion 57 by the length of the claws 79a. For example, the length of the pair of claw portions 79 is 10 mm.

[0027] The tips of the pair of claw portions 79 are connected by a link piece 81. The link piece 81 is curved in a U-shape towards the base end of the pair of claw portions 79. By pulling the link piece 81 toward the disc portion 71, the pair of claw portions 79 can be deformed radially inward. By deforming the pair of claw portions 79 radially inward, the distance between the claws 79a of the pair of claw portions 79 can be shortened.

[0028] The closing plate 63 is formed in a disc shape that can be attached to the recess 71d of the disc portion 71 of the cylindrical body 61. A pair of diagonal projections 63a are formed on the side surface of the closing plate 63. The closing plate 63 is positioned relative to the disc portion 71 by engaging the pair of projections 63a with a pair of notches 71e in the side wall 71c of the disc portion 71, and is placed in the recess 71d of the disc portion 71.

[0029] Each of the pair of clips 65 has a U-shaped cross-section and is elastically deformable so that the ends open apart. The pair of clips 65 clamps onto a pair of projections 71f on the disc portion 71 of the cylindrical body 61 and a pair of projections 63a on the closing plate 63 which is positioned in the recess 71d of the disc portion 71. As a result, the closing plate 63 is fixed to the cylindrical body 61 and the opening 71a of the disc portion 71 is closed by the closing plate 63. Thus, the pair of clips 65 is an example of a fixing member that fixes the closing plate 63 to the disc portion 71.

[0030] The assembly procedure for the cap 45 is as follows: First, the O-ring 69 is fitted into the groove 71b of the cylindrical body 61. Then, the sealing plate 63 is attached to the recess 71d of the disc portion 71 of the cylindrical body 61, and the protruding piece 71f of the disc portion 71 and the protruding piece 63a of the sealing plate 63 are secured with the clip 65. This seals the space between the sealing plate 63 and the disc portion 71 with the O-ring 69.

[0031] The method for reusing the toner container 33 having the above configuration will be explained mainly with reference to Figures 6A to 6C and Figure 7. Figures 6A to 6C are cross-sectional views showing the cap 45, and Figure 7 is a perspective view showing the cap 45. When filling with toner for the first time (first time), a predetermined amount of toner is filled into the container body 41 through the filling port 43. After that, the cylindrical part 57 (filling port) is closed with the cap 45 assembled as described above.

[0032] First, the cap 45 is positioned relative to the cylindrical portion 57 of the container body 41 so that the positioning pin 71h of the disc portion 71 of the cap 45 corresponds to the positioning projection 57b of the cylindrical portion 57 of the container body 41, and the insertion portion 73 of the cylindrical body 61 of the cap 45 is inserted into the cylindrical portion 57. As described above, the distance between the claws 79a of the pair of claw portions 79 of the insertion portion 73 is greater than the inner diameter of the cylindrical portion 57, so the inclined outer surface of each claw 79a contacts the edge of the opening of the cylindrical portion 57, and as the insertion portion 73 is inserted into the cylindrical portion 57, the pair of claw portions 79 elastically deform inward in the radial direction. With the pair of claw portions 79 still elastically deformed, each claw 79a slides along the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion 57.

[0033] When the insertion portion 73 is inserted into the cylindrical portion 57, and the claws 79a of the pair of claw portions 79 protrude from the filling port 43 of the container body 41 into the inner space of the container body 41, the pair of claw portions 79 elastically deform radially outward and engage with the edge of the filling port 43 (see Figure 4A). In this way, the pair of claw portions 79 snap-fit ​​to the edge of the filling port 43. Furthermore, the back surface of the disc portion 71 abuts against the front surface of the cylindrical portion 57, and the annular rib 71g formed on the back surface of the disc portion 71 fits into the groove 57a formed on the front surface of the cylindrical portion 57. As a result, the opening of the cylindrical portion 57 is closed by the cap 45, and the cap 45 is attached to the container body 41 (see Figure 4A). In this state, the toner container 33 is shipped.

[0034] After shipment, the toner container 33 is installed in a predetermined position inside the housing 3, and the aforementioned image forming operation is performed. If the toner density of the developing unit 25 falls below a predetermined density during the image forming operation, a toner replenishment operation is performed, and toner is replenished from the toner container 33 to the developing unit 25. During the toner replenishment operation, the stirring paddle and the transport screw rotate, and the shutter opens. As the stirring paddle rotates, the toner in the container body 41 is stirred and transported toward the transport screw. Then, as the transport screw rotates, the toner is transported toward the discharge port and supplied to the developing unit 25 through the discharge port. When the toner density in the developing unit 25 reaches a predetermined density, toner replenishment is stopped. This replenishment operation is repeated, and when the toner in the container body 41 is consumed, the replacement of the toner container 33 is instructed, and the toner container 33 is replaced.

[0035] When replacing the toner container 33, the toner container 33 is removed from the housing 3. Then, as shown in Figure 6A, the pair of clips 65 are removed to remove the closing plate 63 from the cylindrical body 61, and the O-ring 69 is also removed from the cylindrical body 61. As a result, as shown in Figure 7, the inside of the cylindrical part 57 and the inner space of the container body 41 are exposed through the opening 71a of the disc part 71 of the cylindrical body 61. In other words, the link piece 81 and claw part 79 that have entered the inside of the cylindrical part 57 and the inner space of the container body 41 are exposed through the opening 71a.

[0036] Then, as shown in Figure 6B, insert your fingers or a tool through the opening 71a into the cylindrical part and pull the link piece 81 outwards (see arrow in Figure 6B). This releases the engagement between the pair of claws 79 and the edge of the filling port 43 (releasing the snap-fit ​​connection), allowing the cylindrical body 61 to be removed from the container body 41. After releasing the engagement between the two in this way, as shown in Figure 6C, hold the link piece 81 and pull the cylindrical body 61 out of the cylindrical part 57 (see arrow in Figure 6C). After removing the cylindrical body 61 in this way, clean the inside space of the container body 41 with compressed air.

[0037] Next, the removed cylindrical body 61, closing plate 63, clip 65, and O-ring 69 are assembled onto the cap 45 in the assembly order described above.

[0038] Then, as in the first time, a predetermined amount of toner is filled into the container body 41 through the filling port 43. The assembled cap 45 is then attached to the cylindrical part 57 as described above.

[0039] As is clear from the above description, according to the present invention, when reusing the toner container 33, the container body 41 and the cap 45 (cylindrical body 61, closing plate 63, clip 65, O-ring 69) can be reused. Furthermore, there is no need to cut or process the container body 41 for reuse. In addition, by engaging the pair of claws 79 of the cap 45 with the edge of the filling port 43 of the container body 41, the filling port 43 (opening of the cylindrical portion 57) can be securely closed without placing a large load on the container body 41 (especially the cylindrical portion 57). That is, the edge of the filling port 43 is formed at the corner between the side plate 51b of the main body portion 51 of the container body 41 and the cylindrical portion 57, and is highly rigid, so even if the claws 79 are engaged with the edge, it is difficult to deform the edge. If the cap 45 and the cylindrical portion 57 are to be tightly sealed in order to securely close the filling port 43 (opening of the cylindrical portion 57) with the cap 45, a large load may be placed on the container body 41 (especially the cylindrical portion 57). As a result, the container body 41 becomes deformed or easily damaged, making it impossible to reuse. In the present invention, the container body 41 is less prone to deformation, so the container body 41 can be reused multiple times.

[0040] Furthermore, since a cylindrical portion 57 is formed along the filling port 43 of the container body 41, and a pair of claw portions 79 are configured to engage with the edge of the filling port 43, the length of the pair of claw portions 79 can be increased by the length of the cylindrical portion 59. This allows the pair of claw portions 79 to be stably elastically deformed.

[0041] Alternatively, instead of the pair of clips 65, an annular elastic member may be used to fix the closing plate 63 and the disc portion 71.

[0042] Although the present invention has been described in terms of specific embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. Those skilled in the art can modify the above embodiments without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0043] 1. Image forming apparatus 9 Image forming unit 33 Toner Containers 41 Container body 43 Filling port 45 caps 59 Cylinder part 63 Closing plate 63a Projection 65 Fixing components (clips) 69 O-rings 71 Disc section 71f protrusion 79 Nail area 81 Link Pieces 85 Separation part 87 Groove (weak part)

Claims

1. A container body having a toner filling port, A cylindrical portion provided along the aforementioned filling port, It comprises a removable cap that closes the opening of the cylindrical portion, The aforementioned cap is A pair of claws are provided that are deformable in the radial direction of the cylindrical portion and can be inserted into the cylindrical portion and engage with the edge of the filling port, A link piece connecting the tips of the pair of claw portions, A disc portion having an opening, A closing plate capable of closing the opening of the disc portion, The system includes a fixing member for fixing the closing plate to the disc portion, The closing plate is fixed to the disc portion using the fixing member, and the pair of claws are engaged with the edge of the filling port, thereby closing the opening of the cylindrical portion with the closing plate. A toner container characterized in that the container body and the cap can be reused by removing the fixing member, removing the closing plate from the disc portion, pulling the link piece through the opening of the disc portion to elastically deform the pair of claw portions radially inward to release engagement with the edge of the filling port, and removing the cap from the cylindrical portion.

2. The disc portion has a pair of projections that extend outward, The closing plate has a pair of protruding pieces that extend outward, The toner container according to claim 1, characterized in that the fixing member is a pair of clips that sandwich the protrusion of the disc portion and the protrusion of the closing plate.

3. The toner container according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising an O-ring disposed between the disc portion and the closing plate.

4. The toner container according to claim 1, An image forming apparatus comprising an image forming unit that forms an image using toner supplied from the toner container.

Images