Toner Container Projection Layout for Stable Horizontal Removal

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Solution Overview

Problem

The posture of a toner container tends to become significantly unbalanced when it is pulled out of an image forming apparatus, leading to potential toner leakage.

Innovation Solution

The toner container is designed to be manually attached and detached horizontally, with a projection protruding downward from the bottom portion, allowing it to slide on a mount during attachment and detachment, and the length from the downstream end of the bottom portion to the projection is within 37.5 to 80 mm.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Speed

If the toner container is pulled out quickly by a user, then the operation speed is improved, but the posture of the toner container becomes significantly unbalanced causing toner leakage

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveoperation speedVSAvoidposture stability

Core Design Contradiction:

SpeedVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The projection is positioned in advance at a specific distance from the downstream end of the bottom portion (37.5-80mm), so that when the toner container is pulled out, the projection maintains contact with the mount surface long enough to prevent unbalancing before the container is fully removed. This preliminary positioning ensures stability during the removal process.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The projection acts as an intermediary element between the toner container and the mount. It provides a transitional contact point that maintains balance during removal, mediating between the rapid withdrawal motion and the stability requirement, thereby preventing toner leakage.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Ease of operation

If the projection is positioned closer to the downstream end, then the ease of detachment is improved, but the posture stability during removal deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveease of detachmentVSAvoidposture stability

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent optimizes the positional parameter of the projection relative to the downstream end of the bottom portion, setting it within 37.5-80mm. This parameter optimization balances two opposing requirements: sufficient distance to maintain stability during removal while not being so far as to complicate the detachment operation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Reliability

If the projection is positioned farther from the downstream end, then the posture stability during removal is improved, but the ease of detachment deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveposture stabilityVSAvoidease of detachment

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentUS20260003306A1Toner container and image forming apparatus

Publication Date: 2026.01.01 RICOH CO LTD

AI summary

A toner container is manually attachable to a mount of a body of an image forming apparatus horizontally in an attachment direction and detachable from the mount horizontally in a detachment direction. The toner container includes a bottom portion and a projection. The projection protrudes downward to a lowest position in the bottom portion of the toner container in a posture when the toner container is attached to and detached from the mount, and slides on a surface of the mount when the toner container is attached to and detached from the mount. A length from a downstream end of the bottom portion in the attachment direction to the projection is within a range of 37.5 to 80 mm.