Developer Supply Container Mounting With Rotating Engaging Portion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing developer supply containers for electrophotographic image forming apparatuses require high operational force for mounting and dismounting, making the process cumbersome.
Innovation Solution
A developer supply container design featuring a rotatable developer accommodating portion, a gear for transmitting driving force, a rotatable engaging portion, and a shaft portion that supports the engaging member, along with a restricting portion to facilitate easy alignment and displacement of the developer receiving portion, reducing the operational force required for mounting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the developer supply container uses a conventional mounting structure, then the connection between the developer supply container and receiver is secure, but the operational force required for mounting and dismounting is high
Solution Approach 1:
The engaging portion is designed to rotate about a shaft portion, transitioning from an engaged state (during mounting) to a disengaged state (during dismounting). This dynamic mechanism allows the container to be securely connected during operation while enabling easy separation when needed, resolving the contradiction between secure connection and ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting structure is divided into separate functional components: the engaging portion that rotates, the shaft portion that supports rotation, and the restricting portion that controls movement. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function efficiently, reducing overall operational force while maintaining connection security.
2Ease of operation
If the engaging portion is made rotatable to reduce mounting force, then the ease of operation improves, but the structural complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The engaging portion integrates multiple functions: it provides the rotational movement for easy mounting, maintains secure connection during operation, and works with the restricting portion to control disengagement. By combining these functions into a single rotating component rather than multiple separate mechanisms, the structural complexity is minimized while achieving ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The rotating engaging portion automatically transitions between engaged and disengaged states based on the mounting or dismounting operation. The restricting portion passively controls the movement range without requiring additional actuation mechanisms, allowing the system to self-regulate its operational states without increasing complexity.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the shaft portion is positioned between the ends of the engaging portion, then the rotational movement is well-supported and stability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The shaft portion is pre-positioned between the ends of the engaging portion during manufacturing, establishing the rotational axis in advance. This preliminary positioning ensures that the engaging portion rotates smoothly and stably about a predetermined axis without requiring complex alignment mechanisms or adjustment procedures, thereby maintaining structural simplicity.
Data Source
AI summary
There are provided a rotatable developer accommodating portion accommodating a developer, a discharge end portion provided at a bottom side with a discharge opening for discharging the developer accommodated in the developer accommodating portion, an engaging portion 30 engageable with a portion-to-be-engaged 11b with a mounting operation of the developer supply container 1 to displace the portion-to-be-engaged 11b in an upward direction U to bring the receiving opening into fluid communication with the discharge opening, and a swing shaft 41 rotatably supporting engaging portion 30 provided at such a position that opposite end portions of the engaging portion 30 a rotatable.