Cover Member Positioning Mechanism for Toner Vessel
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing accommodating vessels for image forming devices face challenges in increasing the operating force required to detach the cover member from the vessel main body while preventing slip-off and rotation of the cover member.
Innovation Solution
The accommodating vessel incorporates a positioning mechanism with protrusions and positioning protrusions that extend in opposite directions, providing increased contact areas to prevent rotation and slip-off by increasing sliding resistance, and a seal member with specific dimensional relations to enhance sealing and prevent erroneous rotation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If a cover member is fitted to a toner supply port with a simple cylindrical structure, then the device complexity is low, but the operating force necessary for detaching the cover member is insufficient and slip-off prevention is weak
Solution Approach 1:
The cover member is divided into multiple functional segments: a positioning mechanism with protrusions and positioning protrusions for rotational positioning, and a seal member with specific dimensional relations for sealing. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function effectively, increasing the operating force for detachment while maintaining manageable structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The positioning mechanism employs asymmetric protrusions and positioning protrusions that extend in opposite directions, creating an asymmetric contact area configuration. This asymmetry prevents rotation and slip-off of the cover member while providing clear engagement features that increase the operating force required for detachment without requiring overly complex structures.
2Reliability
If the cover member is secured with simple attachment, then the device complexity is low, but slip-off and rotation prevention are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The attachment mechanism is segmented into distinct functional elements: positioning protrusions for rotational positioning, seal members for sealing and slip-off prevention, and engagement surfaces for mechanical retention. This segmentation provides multiple independent mechanisms for prevention while keeping each individual component simple and manufacturable.
Solution Approach 2:
The seal member acts as an intermediary element between the cover member and the vessel main body. With specific dimensional relations (outer diameter larger than inner diameter), it provides both sealing functionality and mechanical interference to prevent slip-off and rotation, eliminating the need for complex attachment mechanisms.
3Reliability
If the contact area between cover member and vessel main body is small, then the device complexity is low, but the sliding resistance is insufficient to prevent erroneous rotation
Solution Approach 1:
The positioning mechanism employs asymmetric protrusions and positioning protrusions that extend in opposite directions, creating an asymmetric contact area configuration. This asymmetry generates sufficient sliding resistance to prevent erroneous rotation while providing clear engagement features. The asymmetric design ensures that the cover member can only be attached in the correct orientation, eliminating the need for complex positioning mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The positioning protrusions extend in opposite directions along the axial dimension, creating contact areas that span multiple dimensional orientations. This dimensional arrangement increases the effective contact area and sliding resistance without requiring complex multi-component positioning mechanisms, as the protrusions are integrated into the existing cover member structure.
Data Source
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AI summary
An accommodating vessel, which is detachably attached to a vessel receiving part of a casing of an image forming device to accommodate an image forming material, the accommodating vessel including: a vessel main body that includes a tubular part; a cover member that includes a fitted part; at least one positioned protrusion; and at least one positioned positioning protrusion, wherein the at least one positioned protrusion includes: a guide protrusion that extends in a rotating direction of the cover member; and a plurality of rotation stop protrusions that extends in opposite directions to each other relative to the guide protrusion along a pushing and pulling direction of the cover member, and wherein the positioning protrusion includes a stop wall that abuts on the guide protrusion and the plurality of rotation stop protrusions of the at least one positioned protrusion to be stopped.