Toner Container Passage Geometry for Smooth Gravity Replenishment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing image forming apparatuses face challenges in efficiently replenishing toner without the need to replace entire process cartridges, leading to increased costs and reduced usability.
Innovation Solution
A toner container design featuring a storage portion with a communicating member that includes a passage with inclined surfaces to facilitate smooth toner discharge, allowing for direct replenishment of toner to the developing unit without replacing the process cartridge.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the process cartridge system is used where the photosensitive drum and developer container are integrated, then the structure is simple and easy to replace, but the cost increases when toner is depleted because the entire process cartridge must be replaced
Solution Approach 1:
The invention separates the toner storage function from the process cartridge by introducing a standalone toner container that can be refilled independently. The toner container is divided into a storage portion and a communicating member, allowing toner to be replenished without replacing the entire process cartridge, thus reducing costs while maintaining ease of replacement for the imaging components.
Solution Approach 2:
The communicating member acts as an intermediary between the toner container and the process cartridge. It includes a discharge port that connects to the process cartridge, enabling toner to be transferred from the refillable container to the cartridge without direct user intervention in the cartridge itself, thus facilitating cost-effective toner replenishment.
2Loss of substance
If a toner supply box with conveyance screw is used, then toner can be replenished to the toner conveyance path, but the structure becomes complex and usability is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the complex conveyance screw mechanism from the toner replenishment system and replaces it with a simpler gravity-based discharge system. The toner container uses inclined surfaces and a discharge port to allow toner to flow naturally into the process cartridge, eliminating the need for mechanical conveyance components and reducing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The toner container is designed to replenish toner automatically through its own structure rather than requiring external conveyance mechanisms. The inclined surfaces and discharge port enable toner to flow from the container to the process cartridge under gravity, making the system self-sufficient and reducing operational complexity.
3Device complexity
If the discharge port is positioned at the end of the passage in the first direction, then the passage structure is simple, but toner discharge becomes inefficient due to accumulation at the dead end
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the discharge port orientation from being at the end of the passage in the first direction to being open in the second direction (perpendicular to the first direction). This dimensional change allows toner to discharge more efficiently by opening toward the side, preventing accumulation and improving flow while maintaining passage structure simplicity.
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
Enables cost-effective and user-friendly toner replenishment, improving usability by eliminating the need to replace entire process cartridges and reducing operational costs.
Implementation Method 1
the passage includes a first inclined surface, and a second inclined surface connecting the first inclined surface and the discharge port, wherein, when viewed in a third direction perpendicularly intersecting with both of the first direction and the second direction, the first inclined surface is inclined with respect to the second direction such that a more downstream portion of the first inclined surface in the first direction is closer to the discharge port in the second direction
Data Source
AI summary
A toner container includes a storage portion configured to store toner and a communicating member including a receiving port, a discharge port, and a passage. The passage includes a first inclined surface and a second inclined surface connecting the first inclined surface and the discharge port to each other. When viewed in a third direction perpendicularly intersecting with both of a first direction and a second direction, the first inclined surface is inclined with respect to the second direction such that a more downstream portion of the first inclined surface in the first direction is closer to the discharge port in the second direction, and the second inclined surface is inclined with respect to the second direction such that a more downstream portion of the second inclined surface in the first direction is closer to the discharge port in the second direction.