Toner Cartridge Wall Layout for Higher Capacity in Compact Printers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing toner cartridges have limited capacity due to the design of their accommodating portions, which restricts the overall volume and efficiency of toner storage.
Innovation Solution
The toner cartridge design includes a first and second accommodating portion with protruding and recessed walls, allowing for increased capacity by optimizing the layout and overlap of connection portions when cartridges are stacked, reducing overlap and increasing the effective volume.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the wall of the accommodating portion is made flat in the entirety, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the toner cartridge capacity is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The wall of the accommodating portion is designed with non-uniform thickness, having a first thickness in a first region and a second thickness different from the first thickness in a second region. This local variation in thickness allows optimization of toner storage capacity in specific areas while maintaining overall structural integrity and manufacturability.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces a depth dimension variation through non-uniform wall thickness, transforming the traditionally two-dimensional flat wall concept into a three-dimensional structured wall. This enables increased toner capacity by utilizing the depth dimension more effectively without significantly increasing the external footprint of the cartridge.
2Quantity of substance
If the accommodating portion volume is increased, then the toner storage capacity is improved, but the overall dimensions of the image forming apparatus must be increased
Solution Approach 1:
The non-uniform wall thickness design allows the accommodating portion to contain more toner volume within the same external boundaries. The varying thickness creates an optimized internal volume distribution that effectively nests more storage capacity within the existing apparatus footprint, similar to how nested dolls maximize space utilization.
Solution Approach 2:
By changing the thickness parameter of the wall from uniform to non-uniform (with different first and second thicknesses in different regions), the internal volume of the accommodating portion is optimized. This parameter modification increases toner capacity without requiring changes to the external dimensions of the cartridge or apparatus.
Data Source
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AI summary
A toner cartridge includes a new-toner accommodating portion that accommodates new toner; a waste-toner accommodating portion that is disposed on a -H side with respect to the new-toner accommodating portion and that accommodates waste toner; a supplying portion that is provided at the new-toner accommodating portion and that connects the new-toner accommodating portion to outside; and a hole portion that is provided at an end portion of the waste-toner accommodating portion, the end portion being situated on a +H side of the waste-toner accommodating portion, and that connects the waste-toner accommodating portion to outside, in which, of walls of the waste-toner accommodating portion, the walls being situated on a +W side of the waste-toner accommodating portion, a wall that is situated at a position where the wall overlaps the hole portion in an apparatus up-down direction has a curved portion that at least partly protrudes toward the +W side of the waste-toner accommodating portion.