JP2002053148A - Powdered material storage container, manufacturing method therefor, and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a powdered material storage container and a manufacturing method therefor, in which a bag can be fixed to a mouthpiece member in a well-balanced state and in which a powdered material passage leading to the mouthpiece member can be formed in the bag, and further provide an image forming apparatus. SOLUTION: The storage container has a flexible toner bag 2 with an opening 2b defined at one end thereof, which is made of a resin material and which is used for storing toner, and a mouthpiece member 3 to be fixed to the opening 2b of the toner bag 2. A swell-shaped portion continuing from the mouthpiece member 3 is formed on the toner bag 2.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a powder container and a method for manufacturing the same, and more particularly to a powder container for storing a powder toner used in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus and a method for manufacturing the same. .

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, since a toner container storing powder toner is made of a hard bottle such as a cartridge or a bottle, there is a great problem in discarding a used container accompanying replacement of the toner container. Had occurred. That is, the used toner storage container is collected by the manufacturer from the user, and is recycled, reused, and incinerated. However, the container is bulky and requires a high distribution cost until it is collected. It is to be noted that there has conventionally been proposed a toner storage container capable of reducing the volume thereof.

[0003] However, the replenishing performance of the toner container whose volume can be reduced cannot be stably maintained when the toner is replenished from the container using the toner replenishing device.
It has also been proposed to use containers that can be reduced in volume only during transportation.However, in this case, when transferring toner to a hard bottle or a toner hopper, problems such as contamination caused by toner scattering are solved. At present, it has not been put to practical use.

By the way, the applicant of the present application has been able to stably maintain the replenishing performance even if a toner storage container made of a flexible sheet such as resin or paper and having a reduced volume is used, and furthermore, it is necessary to separate from the container. There has already been proposed a toner supply device capable of supplying toner to a developing device. As a toner container used for the toner replenishing device, a deformable bag for storing toner, and an outer container for storing the bag and having greater rigidity than the bag, although the applicant of the present application has not yet known the toner container. We propose a back-in-box type that is stored in the body.

A cap member having a toner discharge portion is fixed to a bag of the toner storage container. As a method of fixing the bag body to the base member, it is advantageous in that heat sealing (thermal welding) is closely attached without any gap.

[0006]

However, when the bag is fixed to the base member, the bag is often imbalanced with respect to the base member so as to be asymmetrical. If the bag is imbalanced and fixed to the base member, dents and the like may occur on the wall surface of the bag body near the base member, which may hinder the discharge of powder.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above circumstances, the present invention provides a powder container capable of fixing a bag body to a base member in a well-balanced manner, and forming a powder passage in the bag body leading to the base member, and a method of manufacturing the same. It is an object to provide an image forming apparatus.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a bag for accommodating a powder made of a flexible resin material having an opening at one end, and the bag. And a base member fixed to the opening portion, wherein the bag body is formed with a bulging shape continuing from the base member.

In the present invention, the base member is provided with a through-hole serving as a passage for powder stored in the bag body.
It is effective if the bulge formed in the bag is connected to the through hole.

Further, the present invention is effective when the bag contains powder toner used in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus. In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a method for manufacturing a powder container according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a rod-shaped member is inserted into the through hole of the die member. In this state, the bar-shaped member is removed from the base member after the opening of the bag body is heat-sealed to the mounting portion of the base member by heat sealing.

The present invention is effective when the heat-sealed portion of the bag is cooled by heat sealing. Further, the present invention is effective when the diameter of the rod-shaped member is formed to be substantially the same as the diameter of the through-hole.

Still further, the present invention is effective when the tip of the rod-like member enters near the end opposite to the opening of the bag. In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is characterized in that the powder container according to any one of claims 1 to 3 is used as a toner container.

[0013]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is an explanatory sectional view showing a toner replenishing device of an image forming apparatus using a toner container as a powder container according to the present invention.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 40 denotes a developing device, and a uniaxial eccentric screw pump which is a suction type powder pump 41 is provided near or integrally with the developing device 40. The structure of the powder pump 41 includes a rotor 42 formed in an eccentric screw shape with a rigid material such as a metal, and a stator 43 formed of an elastic body such as rubber and formed in a double screw shape. , A holder 44 made of a resin material or the like that wraps these and forms a powder conveying path.
And The rotor 42 is rotationally driven through a gear 46 integrally connected to a drive shaft 45 connected by a pin joint. Reference numeral 47 denotes an electromagnetic clutch, and the operation of the powder pump 41 is controlled by the clutch.

The tip of the holder 44, that is,
A toner suction unit 48 is provided at the right end of FIG. 1, and the toner suction unit 48 is connected to a toner connection port 65 provided in a nozzle 60 described later by a toner transfer tube 49. As the toner transfer tube 49,
For example, a flexible tube with a diameter of 4 to 10 mm,
Rubber material with excellent toner resistance (for example, polyurethane,
It is extremely effective to use one made of nitrile, EPDM, silicon, etc., and a flexible tube can be easily piped in any direction of up, down, left and right. In the toner replenishing apparatus thus configured, a single-axis eccentric screw pump, which is a powder pump 41, is capable of performing a constant quantitative transfer at a high solid-gas ratio, and has an accurate toner proportional to the rotation speed of the rotor 42. Is known to be obtained. Therefore, when a toner replenishment command is issued due to image density detection or the like, the powder pump 41 operates and the required amount of toner is replenished to the developing device 40.

The toner container 1 is set in a set section 50 provided in the main body of the image forming apparatus, and the set section 50 is configured as a unit separate from the developing device 40.
A nozzle 60 to be inserted into the toner bag 2 is provided upright on the set section 50, and the toner container 1 is set from above into the set section 50 of the image forming apparatus main body. Set part 5
The nozzle 60 provided at the upper end of the nozzle 60 is provided with a pointed member 61 formed in a conical cross section at the upper portion by integral molding or fixing, and an air supply path 62 and a toner supply path 63 are provided following the pointed member 61. Have been. The inside of the nozzle 60 has a double-pipe structure, and the toner supply path 63 is bent to the left in the drawing at the lower end of the nozzle 60, and the toner supply port 6 is connected to the tip thereof with the toner transfer tube 49.
5 are provided. Further, the air supply path 62 is bent rightward in the drawing above the toner supply path 63 and reaches the air connection port 64.

In the case of the present embodiment, the air connection port 64 is
An air pump 51 as an air supply means is connected via an air transfer pipe 52. When the air pump 51 operates, the air transfer pipe 52
Air is blown into the toner container 1 via the air supply path 62. Then, the air blown into the toner storage container 1 is fluidized while diffusing the toner by passing through the toner layer.

The toner replenishing device thus configured is
By increasing the internal pressure of the air into the toner storage container 1, the toner can be discharged from the toner storage container 1 in a state in which the stirring and the fluidization are promoted. At this time, the powder pump 41 assists the discharge of the toner and can surely supply the discharged toner to the developing device 40.

The toner container 1 includes a deformable bag 2 (hereinafter, referred to as a toner bag) for storing toner, and an outer container body for storing the toner bag 2 and having greater rigidity than the toner bag 2. (Hereinafter, referred to as an outer box 30). The toner storage container 1 is easy to handle because the toner is stored in the outer box 30 even when the toner is stored in the flexible toner bag 2 and is easy to handle. After use, the toner bag 2 and the outer box 30 are disassembled and collected. It can be transported, making it a very advantageous container.

By the way, since the nozzle 60 is inserted into the toner bag 2 as described above, the bag portion 2a of the toner bag 2, which will be described later, has a toner supply / discharge port provided with an elastic body, preferably a sponge or the like. Base member 3 to which valve closing 6 can be attached
Has been fixed. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the base member 3 is provided with a mounting part 4 to which the toner bag 2 is mounted at an upper part, and a cylindrical part 5 at which a self-closing valve 6 is provided at a lower part. A through hole 7 into which the nozzle 60 is inserted from the portion 4 to the cylindrical portion 5 is formed.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the toner bag 2, and FIG. 6 is a front view showing the bag immediately after being manufactured. The bag 2a of the toner bag 2 is made of polyethylene or nylon having a size of, for example, about 80 μm to 200 μm. This is a bag body in which four flexible sheets made of resin or paper such as those described above are formed into a single layer or multiple layers and joined by heat sealing or the like, and the cross section when inflated becomes substantially rectangular. As shown in FIG. 6, the bag portion 2a is provided with an opening 2b to which the base member 3 is attached, and a tapered portion 2c gradually narrowing toward the opening 2b. . A filter 2d that allows air to pass through the top of the toner bag 2 but does not allow toner to pass through
Is provided. The hatched portions in FIG. 6 indicate portions that have been heat-sealed to form a bag. Further, the bag portion 2a immediately after being manufactured has a substantially crushed sheet shape. Further, the toner bag 2 may be made of two sheets.

In order to manufacture the toner bag 2 in which the cap member 3 is attached to the bag portion 2a, as shown in FIG.
The opening 2b is spread by hand and the bag 2a is mounted so that the mounting portion 4 of the base member 3 supported by a support tool (not shown) or the like enters the bag. Press. By this operation, the bag portion 2b and the base member 3 are thermally welded. However, in this manufacturing process, as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8C, if the bag 2a is imbalanced and attached to the base member 3 as shown in FIGS. 8B and 8D. In addition, wrinkles and dents 2e are formed on the wall surface of the bag portion 2a near the opening 2b, and these wrinkles and dents 2e lack smoothness in filling and discharging the toner. If toner discharge is hindered, there is a problem that a large amount of residual toner is generated. Bag part 2 described above
The reason for the unbalanced attachment is that the worker expands the opening 2b while supporting the bag 2a,
And is supported until heat welding by heat sealing is completed. At this time, gravity is applied as shown in FIG.
This is because the upper part of the opening is opened as shown in FIG. 8 or the balance of the supporting force is lost, and the lower part of the opening is opened as shown in FIG. 8B.

Therefore, in the present invention, the base member 3 is attached to the bag portion 2a.
At the time of mounting, as shown in FIG. As the pipe 11, a pipe having the same diameter as or slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the base member 3 and having a length longer than the length from the opening 2b of the bag 2a to the opposite end thereof is used. The pipe 11 inserted into the base member 3 is extended to the side where the bag part 2a is attached to the base member 3, and the opening part 2b is expanded and the bag part 2b is attached to the pipe 11 as shown in FIG. I do. At this time, it is preferable that the tip of the pipe 11 reaches the end of the bag 2a, and the bag 2a
Therefore, the worker can concentrate on hitting the opening 2b with good balance. After that, similarly to the above, the heat sealing bar 10 may be pressed against the mounting portion to thermally weld the bag portion 2b to the base member 3. The heat-welded portion of the toner bag 2 is cooled by pressing a heat-sealed portion with a cooling bar (not shown) to ensure heat-sealing. When the thermal welding of the bag portion 2a to the base member 3 is completed in this way, the pipe 11 is pulled out from the base member 3, and the toner bag 2 is completed. The self-closing valve 6 is
Thereafter, it is attached to the base member 3, but may be attached after the bag portion 2a is filled with toner.

The toner bag 2 manufactured as described above has a bag portion 2
Since a is supported by the pipe 11, the balance in the upper, lower, left, and right directions during insertion is lost, and the occurrence of defective toner bag 2 is greatly suppressed. Further, when the pipe 11 is used, FIG.
As shown in (1), a bulge 12 following the pipe 11 is formed in the completed toner bag 2. Therefore, when the toner is filled in the toner bag 2, the filled toner is smoothly filled through the internal cavity formed by the bulge 12. If there is no such internal cavity at the time of filling the toner, the toner does not fall to the back of the bag, which may hinder the filling of the toner. However, the present invention can surely solve such a problem.

The powder container of the present invention can be used not only as a toner but also as a container for a developer comprising a toner and a carrier or a carrier as a powder.

【The invention's effect】

According to the first to third aspects of the present invention, a bulge is formed in the bag body which is connected to the through-hole, so that a powder such as a toner having poor fluidity can be smoothly filled. A storage container can be provided.

According to the constitutions of the fourth to seventh aspects, the above-mentioned bulge can be easily formed, and it is possible to greatly reduce the possibility that the bag is attached to the base member in an unbalanced manner.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus capable of smoothly supplying toner.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory sectional view showing a toner replenishing mechanism using a powder container according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a base member of the container.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line III-III in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line IV-IV of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating an appearance of a toner bag.

FIG. 6 is a front view of the bag immediately after being manufactured.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory view showing one manufacturing process of the toner bag.

FIGS. 8 (a), (b), (c), and (d) are explanatory views showing problems that are likely to occur in a conventional manufacturing method.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory view showing one step of the manufacturing method of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory view showing another step of the manufacturing method.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a completed powder container before filling with toner.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Toner storage container 2 Toner bag 2a Bag part 2b Opening 4 Mounting part 10 Heat seal bar

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 2H077 AA02 AA05 AA34 AA35 GA04 3E064 AA13 BA21 FA06 HD09 HF09 HR08 HS07 3E075 BA42 BA70 DD13 DD32 DD38 DD41 DE04 GA04 GA05

Claims (8)

[Claims] A bag for accommodating a powder made of a flexible resin material having an opening formed at one end thereof; and a base member fixed to the opening of the bag. A powder container, wherein the bag has a bulge shape continuing from the base member. 2. The powder container according to claim 1, wherein the base member has a through-hole serving as a passage for powder stored in the bag, and a bulge formed in the bag. A powder container having a shape connected to the through hole. 3. The powder container according to claim 1, wherein the bag contains powder toner used in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus. 4. The manufacturing method for manufacturing a powder container according to claim 1, wherein the bag member is inserted into the through-hole of the base member. A method for manufacturing a powder container, comprising: after heat-sealing an opening to a mounting portion of the base member by heat sealing, removing the rod-shaped member from the base member. 5. The method for manufacturing a powder container according to claim 4, wherein a portion of the bag body that is thermally welded by heat sealing is cooled. 6. The method for manufacturing a powder container according to claim 4, wherein the rod-shaped member has a diameter substantially equal to the diameter of the through hole. Production method. 7. The method for manufacturing a powder storage container according to claim 4, wherein a tip of the rod-shaped member enters into a vicinity of an end opposite to an opening of the bag body. A method for producing a powder container, comprising: 8. An image forming apparatus using the powder container according to any one of claims 1 to 3 as a toner container.