Developer Container Injection Molded Seal for Leakage Prevention

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional developer accommodating containers experience unstable sealing performance due to inaccurate positioning and tilting of toner seals, leading to leakage issues.

Innovation Solution

A developer accommodating container design featuring a frame with a hole and a rotatable member, where a seal member is injection molded onto the frame or rotatable member, incorporating a projected portion that contacts the outer peripheral surface of the rotatable member to prevent leakage, ensuring stable sealing by maintaining a consistent penetration depth even during shaft tilting.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a toner seal is press-fitted into the hole of the frame, then the sealing function is achieved, but the locating position accuracy is low and the seal becomes tilted

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesealing performance stabilityVSAvoidlocating position accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The seal member is integrated directly into the frame through injection molding, merging the sealing function with the structural component. This eliminates the separate press-fitted seal and ensures precise locating position accuracy built into the frame design itself.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The seal member is pre-formed with the correct geometry and positioning features during the injection molding process, so that when assembled with the rotatable member, the sealing surfaces are already precisely positioned to prevent tilting and ensure stable sealing performance.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If a separate toner seal is used to seal the gap, then the sealing function is provided, but additional components and assembly steps are required

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesealing functionVSAvoidnumber of components

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The sealing function is merged into the frame structure through injection molding of the seal member directly onto the frame. This eliminates the need for separate toner seals and reduces the number of components while maintaining the sealing function.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The frame structure is designed to serve multiple functions: it provides the structural support and simultaneously integrates the sealing function through the injection-molded seal member, making the frame a multi-functional component that reduces overall device complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS9046823B2Developer accommodating container and process cartridge

Publication Date: 2015.06.02 CANON KK

AI summary

A developer accommodating container for accommodating a developer, includes: a frame provided with a hole; a rotatable member penetrating the hole; and a seal member, provided on the frame by injection molding, for sealing a gap between a circumference of the hole of the frame and an outer peripheral surface of the rotatable member to prevent the developer from leaking out of the developer accommodating container. The seal member includes a projected portion which projects toward an inside of the hole and contacts the outer peripheral surface of the rotatable member.