Developer Container Movable Wall Toner Discharge
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional toner containers face issues with toner remaining in the container due to rotational forces not effectively reaching all areas, leading to incomplete toner usage and adherence to grooves, which prevents complete discharge.
Innovation Solution
A developer container with a movable wall and a stirring disc that rotates with a shaft, allowing toner to be efficiently conveyed and discharged through a toner discharge port, reducing remaining toner and ensuring constant supply.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a rotary stirring member is used to discharge toner, then toner can be conveyed through rotation, but toner remains in regions not affected by rotational force making it difficult to use up all toner
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by making the container body itself rotatable rather than just the stirring member. The container body rotates to convey toner along its inner circumferential surface, ensuring all toner is affected by the rotational motion. This dynamic approach eliminates dead zones where toner would otherwise remain stationary and unused.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the functions of the container body and stirring member by making the container body itself the conveying element. The container body integrates both storage and conveyance functions, eliminating the need for a separate stirring mechanism and ensuring comprehensive toner movement through the rotation of the entire container structure.
2Productivity
If helical grooves are formed on the container body for toner conveyance, then toner can be moved along the groove, but toner adhered to the groove continues to rotate with the container body and remains in the container
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the problematic helical groove structure from the container design. Instead of forming grooves that cause toner adhesion and remaining, the patent uses a smooth inner circumferential surface combined with rotational motion to convey toner. This extraction of the groove feature eliminates the adhesion problem while maintaining conveyance capability through the rotation of the container body itself.
3Ease of operation
If toner is discharged by rotation of a stirring member, then toner can be supplied to the developing unit, but the rotational force does not reach all areas making complete toner usage difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by rotating the entire container body to generate comprehensive toner movement. This rotational motion of the container body ensures that toner from all areas is actively conveyed to the discharge port, providing both ease of operation for toner supply and complete utilization of all toner in the container.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution effectively reduces toner remaining in the container at the end of its use and ensures continuous toner discharge, improving toner usage efficiency and user notification when toner is depleted.
Implementation Method 1
a movable wall (34) which moves in the first direction and conveys toner in the storage space (31S)
Implementation Method 2
a stirring disc (32) which rotates with a shaft (33) in the storage space (31S)
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 3
AI summary
A developer container (30) includes a container body (31), a movable wall (34), and a stirring member (32). The container body (31) includes an inner surface (31 K) defining a cylindrical internal space (31H) extending in a longitudinal direction, and a developer discharge port (319). The developer discharge port (319) is formed in a lower part of the inner surface (31K). The movable wall (34) includes an outer surface (34K) disposed slidably in close contact with the inner surface (31K) of the container body (31), and a conveying surface (340S). The conveying surface (340S) defines a storage space (31 S) for developer. The movable wall (34) moves while conveying the developer in the storage space (31S) to the developer discharge port (319). The stirring member (32) stirs developer in the storage space (31S).