JP2005049673A - Toner cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To surely prevent the excessive quantity of toner from flowing into a developing apparatus, and also, to dispense with the enhancement of the strength of a 1st toner stirring/carrying mechanism. <P>SOLUTION: The toner cartridge 100 is provided with a container body 2 having a bottom wall 4, a toner discharge opening 24 formed in the bottom wall 4, a shutter member 30 for opening/closing the toner discharge opening 24, and the 1st and 2nd toner stirring/carrying mechanisms 50 and 60 freely rotatably arranged in the container body 2, and the 2nd toner stirring/carrying mechanism 60 is arranged so as to pass through the upper part of the toner discharge opening 24. In the 1st toner stirring/carrying mechanism 50, a flexible sheet member 54A is arranged, and the leading end part of the flexible sheet member 54A is inserted into a gap between the 2nd toner stirring/carrying mechanism 60 and the inside surface of the bottom wall 4 where the upper end of the toner discharge opening 24 is open, and then, positioned so as to cover the upper end of the toner discharge opening 24. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

The present invention relates to a toner cartridge that is detachably attached to an image forming apparatus in order to supply toner to a developing device provided in the image forming apparatus such as an electrostatic copying machine, a laser printer, and a facsimile machine.

One typical example of the toner cartridge includes a container body having a bottom wall, a toner discharge opening formed in the bottom wall, a shutter member disposed on the outer surface side of the bottom wall so as to open and close the toner discharge opening, First and second toner agitation transport mechanisms (first and second toner transfer mechanisms) disposed in parallel in the container body are provided, and the second toner agitation transport mechanism passes above the toner discharge opening. It is arranged so that. The shutter member is mounted on the container main body so as to reciprocate between a closed position that covers the toner discharge opening and an open position that is displaced from the toner discharge opening. When the toner cartridge is inserted into the insertion position set in the image forming apparatus and subsequently moved from the insertion position to the mounting position, the shutter member relatively moves in one direction to open the toner discharge opening. When returning from the mounting position to the insertion position, the shutter member is relatively moved in the other direction to close the toner discharge opening (see Patent Document 1).

In general, just before the toner cartridge is mounted in the image forming apparatus, the handling of the toner cartridge is described as if it is shaken to loosen the toner that has been submerged in the container body. It is desirable that the preparation operation for such use be performed in the same manner in the toner cartridge of the above-described form. However, if the toner cartridge is shaken excessively, the fluidity of the toner may increase and so-called liquefaction may occur. When the toner cartridge is mounted on the image forming apparatus in a state where the toner is liquefied, an excessive amount of toner flows into the developing device at the moment when the toner discharge opening is opened by the shutter member. If an excessive amount of toner flows into the developing device, the toner is transported without sufficient mixing in the toner receiving area in the developing device. Concentration may be high. In addition, there is a risk of problems such as image fogging or toner scattering.

Therefore, a second toner agitating and conveying mechanism (rotary conveying means) in which one end portion covers the toner discharge opening and the other end passes above the toner discharge opening when the toner cartridge is unused. A toner cartridge configured to provide a narrow tape-like sealing member fixed to the inside of a container main body is noted (see Patent Document 2). In this toner cartridge, since the toner discharge opening is closed when the toner cartridge is mounted on the image forming apparatus, the above-described problems do not occur.

However, after the toner cartridge is mounted on the image forming apparatus and the second toner agitating / conveying mechanism is rotationally driven in order to replenish the toner contained in the container body into the developing device for the first time, the seal member is moved to the toner cartridge. Since the toner discharge opening is opened by being peeled off from the discharge opening, a large load is required to peel off the seal member adhered to the container body. As a result, it is necessary to increase the driving torque of the rotating shaft included in the second toner agitation and conveyance mechanism to be higher than the driving torque necessary only for the agitation and conveyance of toner. Also, it is necessary to increase the torsional strength of the rotating shaft included in the second toner agitation transport mechanism. That is, in the above toner cartridge, the strength of the rotating shaft included in the second toner agitating / conveying mechanism is set so as to agitate and convey the toner so that the seal member attached to the container main body can be removed once. Therefore, it is necessary to increase the strength more than necessary, so that the quality becomes excessive and the cost is increased, and further improvement is desired.

Prior art information relating to the present application includes the following.
JP-A-8-278694 JP-A-6-202467

The object of the present invention is to reliably prevent an excessive amount of toner from flowing into the developing device even when the toner cartridge is excessively shaken and mounted in the image forming apparatus in a liquefied state. In addition, it is an object of the present invention to provide a novel toner cartridge that does not require an increase in strength of a rotating mechanism for stirring and conveying toner.

According to the present invention, a container body having a bottom wall, a toner discharge opening formed in the bottom wall, a shutter member disposed on the outer surface side of the bottom wall so as to open and close the toner discharge opening, In the toner cartridge, the first and second toner agitating and conveying mechanisms are arranged in parallel with each other, and the second toner agitating and conveying mechanism is arranged to pass above the toner discharge opening.
The first toner agitating / conveying mechanism is integrally disposed so that the flexible sheet member extends radially outward, and the leading end of the flexible sheet member is connected to the second toner agitating / conveying mechanism and the toner. The upper end of the discharge opening is inserted into a gap between the inner surface of the bottom wall and is positioned so as to cover the upper end of the toner discharge opening.
A toner cartridge is provided.
The flexible sheet member is preferably formed from a polyethylene terephthalate film.
When the first toner agitation transport mechanism is not driven to rotate while the shutter member is mounted on the image forming apparatus and the shutter member opens the toner discharge opening, the leading end of the flexible sheet member covers the upper end of the toner discharge opening. When the first toner agitating and conveying mechanism is driven to rotate while the closed state is maintained, the flexible sheet member is rotated integrally with the first toner agitating and conveying mechanism with the leading end being pulled out from the gap. It is preferable that the upper end of the toner discharge opening is opened.
The container body has both side walls extending upward from both side edges of the bottom wall, and the first toner agitating and conveying mechanism includes a rotating shaft, and the rotating shaft is projected outward from one of the side walls. It is preferable that a cylindrical portion that protrudes outward from one of the side walls is formed so as to surround a radially outer side of an end of the rotating shaft that protrudes outward from one of the side walls.
Between the first toner agitating / conveying mechanism and the container main body, there is disposed a locking means for releasably locking the rotation of the first toner agitating / conveying mechanism in a state before being attached to the image forming apparatus. When mounted on the image forming apparatus, it is preferable that the lock by the locking unit is released and the first toner agitation transport mechanism can be rotated.

Embodiments of a toner cartridge configured according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 to 4, the toner cartridge 100 includes a box-shaped container body 2 having an upper surface opened. The container body 2 has a bottom wall 4. The cross-sectional shape of the front portion 4F in the bottom wall 4 is an arc shape having a relatively large radius of curvature, and the cross-sectional shape of the rear portion 4R is an arc shape having a relatively small radius of curvature. However, the rear portion 4 </ b> R of the bottom wall 4 has a flat portion (mouth neck portion 22 to be described later) instead of an arc shape on the outer surface. The container body 2 includes a front wall 6 that extends upward from the front edge of the front portion 4F of the bottom wall 4, a rear wall 8 that extends upward from the rear edge of the rear portion 4R of the bottom wall 4, and the width direction of the bottom wall 4 (see FIG. Side walls 10 and 12 extending upward from both side edges in the left-right direction in FIG. The container body 2 is also provided with a lid 14. The lid 14 is fixed to the upper surface of the container body 2 by an appropriate fixing means such as adhesion or welding, and closes the upper surface of the container body 2. The container body 2 and the lid 14 can each be formed from an appropriate synthetic resin.

A pair of protrusions 16 extending downward are formed on the bottom surface of the front portion 4F of the bottom wall 4 with a gap in the width direction (in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, one protrusion 16 Only is shown). The lower surfaces of the protrusions 16 having a substantially rectangular outline when viewed from the plane are positioned on a common horizontal plane. Locked ribs 18 having a constant width in the front-rear direction are formed on the front surface of each protrusion 16 so as to protrude forward in the horizontal direction at the same height across the entire width direction. At the lower part of the rear wall 8 of the container body 2, a to-be-latched rib 20 having a constant width in the front-rear direction is formed so as to protrude horizontally rearward over the entire width direction of the rear wall 8.

In the rear portion 4R of the bottom wall 4 of the container body 2 and in the vicinity of the side wall 12, a mouth and neck portion 22 is formed so as to extend downward from the outer surface of the arc-shaped portion. The lower surface (outer surface) of the mouth-and-neck portion 22 is a flat surface extending horizontally. A rectangular toner discharge opening 24 is formed at the center of the mouth-and-neck portion 22. The upper end of the toner discharge opening 24 is opened on the inner surface of the rear portion 4 </ b> R of the bottom wall 4 in the arc shape, and the lower end is opened on the flat lower surface of the mouth / neck portion 22. A mounting rail 26 that protrudes horizontally forward is formed on the front side (left side in FIG. 2) of the mouth and neck portion 22, and a mounting rail that protrudes rearward horizontally on the rear side (right side in FIG. 2) of the mouth neck portion 22. 28 is formed.

A shutter member 30 is mounted on the mounting rails 26 and 28 so as to be movable in the width direction. The shutter member 30 that can be molded from a suitable synthetic resin has a rectangular flat plate-shaped main portion 32 and mounted pieces 34 and 36 formed on the front and rear edges of the flat plate-shaped main portion 32. . The mounted piece 34 has an upright portion extending upward from the front edge of the flat plate main portion 32 and a mounted rail protruding rearward from the upper end of the upright portion. The mounted piece 36 is a flat plate main portion 32. An upright portion extending upward from the rear edge of the rear portion, and a mounting rail protruding forward from the upper end of the upright portion. Such a shutter member 30 is configured such that the mounting rails 26 and 28 formed on the mouth / neck portion 22 of the bottom wall 4 of the container body 2 are connected to the front edge portion and the rear edge portion of the flat plate main portion 32 and the mounted portion. By positioning the pieces 34 and 36 between the mounted rails, the container body 2 is mounted so as to be movable in the width direction. In a state before the toner cartridge 4 is mounted on the toner cartridge receiver 202 as will be described later, the shutter member 30 is located at the closed position indicated by a solid line in FIGS. The mouth-and-neck part 22 in which is formed is covered from the lower surface side.

A seal member 38 is disposed in association with the toner discharge opening 24 and the shutter member 30. The seal member 38 that can be formed from an appropriate synthetic resin film is formed in an endless shape by connecting both end portions of a belt-like shape, and the shutter member 30 reciprocates through the flat plate-like main portion 32 of the shutter member 30. (In other words, in the left-right direction in FIGS. 1 and 3) (in other words, extending in the reciprocating direction of the shutter member 30, the inner and outer surfaces of the flat plate-like main portion 32 of the shutter member 30 and both side edges). Surrounding)). The seal portion of the seal member 38 located between the container main body 2 and the shutter member 30 (and thus located inside the flat plate main portion 32 of the shutter member 30) is the toner on the outer surface of the bottom wall 4 of the container main body 2. The peripheral edge of the discharge opening 24, that is, the outer surface of the mouth / neck portion 22 in the bottom wall 4 of the container body 2 is detachably bonded. Such releasable adhesion of the seal portion of the seal member 38 can be realized by appropriate fixing means such as welding.

Of the two side walls 10 and 12 of the container body 2, two protruding portions 40 and 41 are formed on one side wall 10, and bag holes 42 and 43 are defined inside the protruding portions 40 and 41, respectively. Yes. Through holes 44 and 45 are formed in the other side wall 12 corresponding to the bag holes 42 and 43, respectively. The bag hole 42 and the through hole 44 are arranged on the center line of curvature of the arc-shaped cross section of the front portion 4F in the bottom wall 4. On the other hand, the bag hole 43 and the through hole 45 are arranged on the center line of curvature of the arcuate cross-sectional shape of the rear portion 4 </ b> R in the bottom wall 4.

A first toner agitating / conveying mechanism 50 and a second toner agitating / conveying mechanism 60 are arranged in the container body 2 so as to be rotatable in parallel in the front-rear direction. The first toner agitating and conveying mechanism 50 has a rotating shaft 51 that extends substantially horizontally in the width direction above the front portion 4F of the bottom wall 4. The rotating shaft 51 has one end portion (the right end portion in FIG. 1) inserted into the bag hole 42 formed in one side wall 10, and the whole is somewhat elastically deformed to the other end portion (the left end portion in FIG. 1). ) Is inserted through the through-hole 44 formed in the other side wall 12 to be rotatably mounted between the side walls 10 and 12. The other end of the rotating shaft 51 passes through the through hole 44 and protrudes to the outside of the other side wall 12, and a connecting piece (not shown) is formed at the protruding end.

A plurality of arms 52 are formed on the rotation shaft 51 of the first toner agitation transport mechanism 50 so as to extend outward in the radial direction from the outer peripheral surface of the rotation shaft 51. A paddle 53 is disposed between the tip ends of each pair of arms 52 arranged at the same angular position and adjacent in the axial direction. The pairs of arms 52 that are adjacent to each other in the axial direction are disposed at positions that are 180 degrees apart from each other. In other words, each pair of arms 52 is disposed at a position where an angular interval of 180 ° is alternately provided from one to the other in the axial direction. In each pair of arms 52, each of the arms 52 and the paddle 53 has a strip shape having a certain width and thickness, and each of the arms 52 and one side of the paddle 53 is an outer peripheral surface of the rotating shaft 51. Are positioned on a virtual plane extending radially from one angular position. The distance from the central axis of the rotation shaft 51 to the tip of each arm 52 is substantially the same. Each of the paddles 53 extends in parallel with the rotation shaft 51, and the length of each of the paddles 53 is substantially the same. Further, the distance between each paddle 53 and the outer peripheral surface of the rotation shaft 51 is substantially the same. Each of the rotating shaft 51, each of the arms 52 and each of the paddles 53 is integrally formed from an appropriate synthetic resin that can be elastically deformed.

A flexible sheet member 54 is integrally disposed in the first toner agitation transport mechanism 50 so as to extend outward in the radial direction. More specifically, a flexible sheet member 54 having a rectangular shape is disposed on each flat one surface of the paddle 53. Each of the flexible sheet members 54 is formed of a synthetic resin film having appropriate elasticity such as a polyethylene terephthalate film (PET film). Each of the flexible sheet members 54 has a rotating shaft 51 in parallel to each flat surface of the paddle 53 from a base fixed to each flat surface (one surface) of the paddle 53 by an appropriate fixing means such as adhesion. It extends outward in the radial direction so as to move away from it. Each of the arms 52 constituting the pair of arms 52, each of a set of a paddle 53 disposed at the tip of each of the arms 52 and a flexible sheet member 54 fixed to the paddle 53, includes a first A stirring and conveying body 50U disposed in the toner stirring and conveying mechanism 50 is configured.

The width (the dimension in the axial direction of the rotating shaft 51) of the flexible sheet member 54 in each of the stirring and conveying bodies 50U is substantially the same as the length of each of the paddles 53. The length of each of the flexible sheet members 54 in the radial direction is one of the stirring and conveying bodies 50U of the stirring and conveying bodies 50U, and in the embodiment, the length of one of the flexible sheet members 54 disposed closest to the other side wall 12. Except for the flexible sheet member 54A in the stirring and conveying body 50U, they are substantially the same as each other. The length in the radial direction of the flexible sheet member 54A in the one agitating and conveying body 50U is longer than the length in the radial direction of the flexible sheet member 54 in the other agitating and conveying body 50U. is important. Further, it is important that the single agitating / conveying body 50U is arranged at a position parallel to the front with respect to the toner discharge opening 24 formed in the mouth / neck portion 22.

The second toner agitating and conveying mechanism 60 has a rotating shaft 61 that extends substantially horizontally in the width direction above the rear portion 4R of the bottom wall 4. The rotary shaft 61 has one end portion (the right end portion in FIG. 1) inserted into the bag hole 43 formed in one side wall 10, and the whole is somewhat elastically deformed to the other end portion (the left end portion in FIG. 1). ) Is inserted through the through-hole 45 formed in the other side wall 12 to be rotatably mounted between the side walls 10 and 12. The other end of the rotating shaft 61 passes through the through hole 45 and protrudes to the outside of the other side wall 12, and a connecting piece (not shown) is formed at the protruding end. A spiral blade 62 is fixed to the rotating shaft 61. The spiral blade 62 is disposed on the rotating shaft 61 so as to extend over substantially the entire area between the side walls 10 and 12. The rotation shaft 61 and the spiral blade 62 are integrally formed from an appropriate synthetic resin that can be elastically deformed. In such a mounted state, the second toner agitating / conveying mechanism 60, that is, the rotating shaft 61 and the spiral blade 62 are arranged in the width direction along the inner surface having the arc shape of the rear portion 4R of the bottom wall 4 with a gap. And is positioned so as to pass over the toner discharge opening 24. A substantially arc-shaped gap exists between the outer peripheral surface of the spiral blade 62 and the inner surface having the arc shape of the rear portion 4R of the bottom wall 4.

In a state where the first and second toner agitation transport mechanisms 50 and 60 are rotatably mounted in the container body 2, the first toner agitation transport mechanism 50 is fixed to the paddle 53 of one agitation transport body 50 U of the first toner agitation transport mechanism 50. The flexible sheet member 54 </ b> A is positioned in front of and above the toner discharge opening 24. The leading end of the flexible sheet member 54A is the inner surface of the second toner agitating and conveying mechanism 60, specifically, the outer peripheral surface of the spiral blade 62 and the rear portion 4R of the bottom wall 4 where the upper end of the toner discharge opening 24 opens. And is set so as to cover the upper end of the toner discharge opening 24. In the embodiment, the distal end portion of the flexible sheet member 54A extends from the front to the rear of the toner cartridge 100 (from left to right in FIG. 2) and from above the outer peripheral surface of the spiral blade 62 to the outer peripheral surface. It is positioned so as to extend downward along the rear side, and further extend from the rear to the front through the gap and upward from the bottom. The distal end portion of the flexible sheet member 54A is positioned at a front position beyond the front end (left end in FIG. 2) of the toner discharge opening 24. In this position, when the toner cartridge 100 is transported at the time of shipment, the first toner agitation transport mechanism 50 is slightly rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 2, and the flexible sheet member 54A is pulled to open the toner discharge opening. Even when the opening 24 is displaced in the opening direction, the toner discharge opening 24 is not blocked by the flexible sheet member 54A. The total length of the flexible sheet member 54 </ b> A is defined as a length that sufficiently covers the top end of the toner discharge opening 24. It goes without saying that the width direction dimension of the flexible sheet member 54 </ b> A is formed larger than the width direction dimension of the toner discharge opening 24.

Since one side wall 10 of the container body 2 is formed with a relatively large circular opening (not shown), the opening of the flexible sheet member 54A is set in the state where the distal end portion is set as described above. A required amount of toner is filled in the container main body 2 via. After the toner is filled in the container body 2, a closing member (not shown) is fixed to the side wall 10 by fixing means such as welding or adhesion, and the opening is closed. The periphery of the flexible sheet member 54A is filled with toner, and the distal end portion of the flexible sheet member 54A is held in the set state described above.

The image forming apparatus is provided with a developing device (both not shown), and a toner cartridge receiver 202 is provided on the upper surface of the ceiling wall 200 of the developing housing included in the developing device. A toner cartridge receiver 202 that can be integrally molded from a suitable synthetic resin has a rectangular bottom wall 204 that extends substantially horizontally. A rear end wall 206 is formed at the rear end edge of the bottom wall 204. The cross-sectional shape of the upper part of the rear end wall 206 is a channel shape with an open front surface, and a cartridge locking groove 208 extending substantially horizontally is defined on the upper front surface of the rear end wall 206. A pair of cartridge locking pieces 210 are formed on the front edge of the bottom wall 202 at intervals in the width direction. Each of the cartridge locking pieces 210 extends upward substantially vertically from the bottom wall 204 and then extends rearward substantially horizontally. A plurality of upright ridges and a toner passage opening 212 (not shown) are formed on the upper surface of the bottom wall 204. A toner receiving opening 214 is formed in the ceiling wall 200 of the developing housing corresponding to the toner passage opening 212. The toner passage opening 212 and the toner receiving opening 214 have substantially the same rectangular shape as the toner discharge opening 24.

Next, how the toner cartridge 100 is attached to and detached from the toner cartridge receiver 202 will be briefly described. When the toner cartridge 100 is mounted on the toner cartridge receiver 202, the pair of protrusions 16 of the bottom wall 4 of the toner cartridge 100 are placed on the bottom wall 204 of the toner cartridge receiver 202, and the toner The cartridge 100 is moved backward (rightward in FIG. 2) to a predetermined insertion position. When the toner cartridge 100 is moved backward to the insertion position with respect to the toner cartridge receiver 202, the engaged rib 20 formed on the rear wall 8 of the toner cartridge 100 is moved to the rear end wall 206 of the toner cartridge receiver 202. The cartridge is inserted into the cartridge locking groove 208.

When the toner cartridge 100 is moved to the insertion position, a pair of upright protrusions (not shown) provided on the toner cartridge receiver 202 are respectively connected to one edge of the shutter member 30 of the toner cartridge 100 (the left edge in FIG. 3 and the other end edge (the right end edge in FIG. 1 and the left end edge in FIG. 3), the shutter member 30 is moved in one direction (moved leftward in FIG. 1, FIG. 3) and movement in the other direction (movement to the right in FIG. 1, movement to the left in FIG. 3) are prevented.

Next, when the toner cartridge 100 is moved in one direction to a predetermined mounting position, the engaged ribs 18 formed on the pair of protrusions 16 of the bottom wall 4 are respectively paired with the toner cartridge receiver 202. The cartridge locking piece 210 is moved rearward and downward. This prevents the toner cartridge 100 from being pulled forward (leftward in FIG. 2). In addition, as described above, the locked rib 20 formed on the rear wall 8 of the toner cartridge 100 enters the cartridge locking groove 208 of the rear end wall 206 of the toner cartridge receiver 202. Therefore, the toner cartridge 100 is also prevented from being displaced upward from the toner cartridge receiver 202. Furthermore, when the toner cartridge 100 is moved from the insertion position to the mounting position, the toner cartridge receiver 202 is locked so as to be prevented from further movement, or the toner cartridge 100 is releasably locked at the mounting position. Locking means is also provided (both not shown). Is also provided.

When the toner cartridge 100 is moved from the insertion position to the mounting position in the one direction as described above, the movement of the shutter member 30 in the one direction is prevented by the above-described upright protrusions. It is stationary without being moved. Therefore, the shutter member 30 is relatively moved relative to the toner cartridge 100 in the other direction (rightward in FIG. 1 and leftward in FIG. 3) from the closed position indicated by the solid line in FIGS. (In this open position, the shutter member 30 is displaced from the toner discharge opening 24). By the relative movement of the shutter member 30 from the closed position to the open position, the seal member 38 surrounding the shutter member 30 is also moved according to the movement of the shutter member 30. As a result, the seal portion of the seal member 38 is peeled off from the outer surface of the mouth / neck portion 22 and is displaced from the toner discharge opening 24, and the toner discharge opening 24 is opened. The opened toner discharge opening 24 is aligned with and above the toner passage opening 212 formed in the bottom wall 204 of the toner cartridge receiver 202 and the toner receiving opening 214 formed in the ceiling wall 200 of the developing housing. Positioned.

As described above, when the toner cartridge 100 is mounted at a predetermined mounting position of the toner cartridge receiver 202, the toner discharge opening 24, the toner passage opening 212, and the toner receiving opening 214 are communicated with each other. However, since the upper end of the toner discharge opening 24 is covered by the flexible sheet member 54A and thus substantially closed, the toner contained in the container body 2 is discharged through the toner discharge opening 24. This is prevented. As a result, even if the toner cartridge 100 is shaken excessively immediately before being mounted on the toner cartridge receiver 202 and the toner is liquefied, the toner cartridge 100 is mounted at a predetermined mounting position of the toner cartridge receiver 202. In this case, since only a small amount of toner existing in the mouth and neck portion 22 is allowed to fall into the developing device through the toner discharge opening 24, the toner passage opening 212, and the toner receiving opening 214, an excessive amount of toner is present. Toner does not flow into the developing device. Therefore, there is no possibility that problems such as partial increase in toner density, image fogging, and toner scattering will occur.

When the container main body 2 of the toner cartridge 100 is moved to the mounting position as described above, the connecting piece formed on the protruding end of the rotating shaft 51 of the first toner stirring and conveying mechanism 50 is disposed in the image forming apparatus. A transmission gear that is drivingly connected to a transmission gear (not shown) and that is formed on the protruding end of the rotating shaft 61 of the second toner agitating and conveying mechanism 60 is disposed in the image forming apparatus. Drive coupled to (not shown). In this manner, the first and second toner agitating / conveying mechanisms 50 and 60 are appropriately driven by an electric motor (not shown) that is a drive source disposed in the image forming apparatus. The first toner agitating and conveying mechanism 50 is driven to rotate counterclockwise in FIG. 2 and agitates and conveys the toner from the front to the rear of the container body 2. The second toner agitating and conveying mechanism 60 is driven to rotate counterclockwise in FIG. 2, and the spiral blade 62 agitates and conveys the toner present in the rear portion of the container body 2 toward the toner discharge opening 24 in the width direction.

When the first toner agitating and conveying mechanism 50 is driven to rotate counterclockwise in FIG. 2 in order to supply the toner contained in the container body 2 of the toner cartridge 100 to the developing device, the flexible sheet member 54A. The leading end portion of the second toner agitating and conveying mechanism 60 is pulled out from the gap between the outer peripheral surface of the spiral blade 62 and the inner surface of the rear portion 4R of the bottom wall 4 where the upper end of the toner discharge opening 24 opens. Therefore, the upper end of the toner discharge opening 24 is opened. Therefore, the toner contained in the container body 2 of the toner cartridge 100 is supplied into the developing device located below the toner cartridge receiver 202 through the toner discharge opening 24, the toner passage opening 212 and the toner receiving opening 214.

As described above, according to the present invention, when the toner contained in the container main body 2 of the toner cartridge 100 is replenished to the developing device, the first toner agitation transport mechanism 50 is driven to rotate, and the upper end of the toner discharge opening 24 is When the toner is opened, toner flows into the developing device. At this time, since the agitating and conveying mechanism of the developing device is also operated, the toner that has flowed into the developing device is moved into the developing device. Since the toner immediately starts to be mixed with the existing toner, the above-mentioned problems such as a partial increase in toner density do not occur. Further, when the first toner agitating / conveying mechanism 50 starts to be driven, only a remarkably light load is required to pull out the leading end portion of the flexible sheet member 54A from the gap, as in the conventional apparatus described above. Since a large rotational torque that peels off the seal member is not required, it is not necessary to increase the strength of the rotation mechanism for agitating and conveying the toner, that is, the first toner agitating and conveying mechanism 50, and the cost can be reduced. Become. In the present invention, the radial length of the flexible sheet member 54A in one agitation transport body 50U is longer than the radial length of the flexible sheet member 54 in another agitation transport body 50U. Although formed, due to such a configuration, there is no particular problem such as interfering with other members during the rotary stirring operation after being drawn out from the gap. A slight waist weakness can be easily reinforced by setting the thickness appropriately.

When the toner contained in the container body 2 of the toner cartridge 100 is substantially exhausted, the toner cartridge 4 is first moved away from the mounting position with respect to the toner cartridge receiver 2 (rightward in FIG. 1, rightward in FIG. 3). In the left direction) to the insertion position. Since the movement of the shutter member 30 in the other direction is prevented by the upright ridge, the shutter member 30 is stopped without being moved. Accordingly, the shutter member 30 is relatively moved relative to the toner cartridge 100 in the one direction (leftward in FIG. 1, rightward in FIG. 3) from the open position indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIGS. (In this closed position, the shutter member 30 closes the toner discharge opening 24). Since the seal member 38 surrounding the shutter member 30 is also moved in accordance with the movement of the shutter member 30, the seal portion of the seal member 38 is again extended along the flat outer surface of the mouth-and-neck portion 22. The toner discharge opening 24 is not complete but is closed again. Subsequently, when the toner cartridge 100 is pulled forward from the insertion position, the toner cartridge 100 is detached from the toner cartridge receiver 202. Normally, some toner remains in the container main body 2 of the toner cartridge 100, but the toner discharge opening 24 is closed by the seal portion of the seal member 38 and the shutter member 30, so that the residual toner remains in the toner discharge opening. Scattering from 24 to the surroundings is sufficiently prevented. The details of the configuration of the toner cartridge receiver 202 described above, the configuration of the toner cartridge 100 corresponding to the toner cartridge receiver 202, and the manner in which the toner cartridge 100 is attached to and detached from the toner cartridge receiver 202 are disclosed in Patent Document 1. It is disclosed.

FIG. 5 shows another embodiment of the toner cartridge according to the present invention. In the previous embodiment, the distal end portion of the flexible sheet member 54A is directed from the front to the rear of the toner cartridge 100 (from left to right in FIG. 2) and from above the outer peripheral surface of the spiral blade 62. It is positioned so as to extend downward along the rear side of the outer peripheral surface, and further extend from the rear to the front through the gap and upward from the lower side. The distal end portion of the flexible sheet member 54A is positioned at a front position beyond the front end (left end in FIG. 2) of the toner discharge opening 24. On the other hand, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the distal end portion of the flexible sheet member 54 </ b> A is directed from the front to the rear of the toner cartridge 100 (from left to right in FIG. 2), and the spiral blade 62. It extends from the front of the outer peripheral surface to the lower side along the front side of the outer peripheral surface, and further extends from the front to the rear and from the lower to the upper side through the gap. The distal end portion of the flexible sheet member 54A is positioned at a rear position beyond the rear end (right end in FIG. 2) of the toner discharge opening 24. Since other configurations of the toner cartridge shown in FIG. 5 are substantially the same as those of the previous embodiment, substantially the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted. Since the embodiment shown in FIG. 5 has substantially the same characteristic configuration as in the previous embodiment, it is possible to achieve substantially the same operational effects as the previous embodiment.

The leading end portion of the flexible sheet member 54A is maintained in a closed state covering the upper end of the toner discharge opening 24 while the first toner agitation transport mechanism 50 is not driven to rotate. When the toner cartridge 100 is shipped, the toner is almost filled in the container main body 2 (for example, about 80% of the space). Therefore, the first toner agitation is caused by vibration when the toner cartridge 100 is conveyed. The rotation shaft 51 of the transport mechanism 50 is not rotated so much that the upper end of the toner discharge opening 24 is blocked by the tip of the flexible sheet member 54A. If desired, an appropriate locking means for releasably locking the rotation of the first toner agitating and conveying mechanism 50 can be provided.

FIG. 6 illustrates another embodiment of the toner cartridge 300 including a lock unit 302 that releasably locks the first toner agitation transport mechanism. The toner cartridge 300 shown in FIG. 6 has substantially the same configuration as that of the toner cartridge 100 described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5 except for the lock unit 302 and related mechanisms. Substantially the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

In the toner cartridge 300, the rotation of the first toner agitating / conveying mechanism 50 is locked between the first toner agitating / conveying mechanism 50 and the container body 2 in a state before being mounted on the image forming apparatus. Locking means 302 is provided. When the toner cartridge 300 is attached to the image forming apparatus, the lock by the lock unit 302 is released, and the first toner agitation transport mechanism 50 can be rotated.

More specifically, the first toner agitation transport mechanism 50 includes a small-diameter one end 51a and the other end 51b, and a large-diameter intermediate portion 51c that exists between the one end 51a and the other end 51b. A rotation shaft 51 is provided. On one side wall 10 of the container main body 2, a protruding portion 304 protruding outward from the one side wall 10 is formed, and in the protruding portion 304, a bag hole 306 opening in the container main body 2 is formed. A through hole 308 concentric with the bag hole 304 is formed in the other side wall 12. The inner diameter of the bag hole 304 is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the one end portion 51a of the rotation shaft 51, but smaller than the outer diameter of the intermediate portion 51c. The inner diameter of the through hole 308 is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the other end portion 51b of the rotating shaft 51, but smaller than the outer diameter of the intermediate portion 51c. One end 51a of the rotating shaft 51 is supported in the bag hole 306 in one side wall 10 so as to be rotatable and movable in the axial direction. The other end 51 b of the rotation shaft 51 is supported in a through hole 308 in the other side wall 12 so as to be rotatable and movable in the axial direction, and protrudes outward from the other side wall 12. A driven coupling portion 310 is formed in the distal end region of the other end portion 51 b of the rotation shaft 51 that protrudes outward from the other side wall 12. The driven coupling portion 310 is composed of a plurality of locked pieces that extend radially outward from the outer peripheral surface of the other end portion 51b of the rotating shaft 51 at intervals in the circumferential direction. Each of the latched pieces extends in the axial direction of the rotating shaft 51.

The locking means 302 is an arm 52 (an arm 52 extending radially outward from the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate portion 51c of the rotating shaft 51) in the stirring and conveying body 50U disposed at a position closest to the other side wall 12. , A locked hole 312 formed in the arm 52 located at a position facing the other side wall 12, and a locking pin 314 extending from the other side wall 12 toward the arm 52. In this embodiment, the arm 52 is formed with a relatively large thickness in the tangential direction of the rotating shaft 51 in order to form the locked hole 312. A first compression coil spring 316 is disposed between the end surface of the one end 51 a of the rotating shaft 51 and the bottom of the bag hole 306. By the first compression coil spring 316, the rotation shaft 51 is always urged from one side wall 10 toward the other side wall 12 and moved in the axial direction, whereby the other end portion 51 b and the intermediate portion 51 c An annular step portion 318 formed between the two side walls 12 is pressed against the other side wall 12, and an annular step portion 320 formed between the one end portion 51 a and the intermediate portion 51 c forms a gap with respect to the one side wall 10. The locking hole 312 of the arm 52 is removably fitted and locked to the locking pin 314 of the other side wall 12 to lock the rotation of the rotary shaft 51.

The other side wall 12 has a cylindrical portion 322 that protrudes outward from the other side wall 12 so as to surround the radially outer side of the other end portion 51 b of the rotation shaft 51 that protrudes outward from the other side wall 12. It is arranged. The cylindrical portion 322 is not limited to the embodiment in which the lock unit 302 is disposed, and particularly in the embodiment in which the lock unit 302 is not disposed, before the toner cartridge 300 is mounted on the image forming apparatus. In this state, it is possible to prevent an erroneous operation of unintentionally rotating the rotating shaft 51 of the first toner agitating and conveying mechanism 50, and thus preventing the flexible sheet member 54A from opening the toner discharge opening 24. enable.

A rotation drive body 328 is rotatably supported on a bearing portion 326 of a stationary frame 324 disposed in an image forming apparatus (not shown). The rotary drive body 328 includes a drive gear 332 that is drivingly connected to a drive source (not shown) disposed in the image forming apparatus (for example, an electric motor) via a gear 330 and a power transmission unit (not shown), and one side of the drive gear 332. And a small diameter portion 334 having an outer peripheral surface extending outward in the axial direction and having a smaller diameter than the drive gear 332. A drive coupling portion 336 is disposed at the axial center of the small diameter portion 334. The gear 330 is rotatably supported by the stationary frame 324. Since the tooth width of the gear 330 is formed to be larger than the tooth width of the drive gear 332, the rotary drive body 328 can move in the axial direction while the drive gear 332 is engaged with the gear 330. The drive coupling portion 336 includes a bag hole and a plurality of locking grooves formed on the inner peripheral surface of the bag hole at intervals in the circumferential direction. Each of the locking grooves extends in the axial direction of the rotary drive body 328.

The small diameter portion 334 of the rotary drive body 328 is supported by the bearing portion 326 of the stationary frame 324 so as to be rotatable and movable in the axial direction. A second compression coil spring 340 having a spring force stronger than that of the first compression coil spring 316 is disposed between the stationary portion 338 of the image forming apparatus and the other surface of the drive gear 332. The second compression coil spring 340 constantly biases the rotary drive body 328 in the axial direction, so that one side of the drive gear 332 is pressed against one side of the stationary frame 324. In the image forming apparatus, the toner cartridge receiver 202 is disposed in a region near the other surface of the stationary frame 324 (not shown).

When the toner cartridge 300 is placed on the toner cartridge receiver 202 and is inserted to the insertion position and then moved to the attachment position and attached as described above, as shown in FIG. In addition, the other end surface of the rotating shaft 51 (the front end surface of the other end portion 51 b) is brought into pressure contact with the front end surface of the small diameter portion 334 of the rotary drive body 328. In this state, the driven coupling portion 310 of the rotating shaft 51 is opposed to the driving coupling portion 336 of the small diameter portion 334 of the rotary drive body 328 in the axial direction. Further, the rotating shaft 51 is moved in the axial direction against the spring force of the first compression coil spring 316 from the other side wall 12 toward the one side wall 10 by the second compression coil spring 340. Thus, the annular step portion 318 formed between the other end portion 51 b and the intermediate portion 51 c of the rotating shaft 51 is separated from the other side wall 12. At the same time, an annular step portion 320 formed between the one end portion 51 a and the intermediate portion 51 c of the rotary shaft 51 is pressed against one side wall 10, and the locked hole 312 of the arm 52 is formed on the other side wall 12. The locking pin 314 is released. As a result, the lock of the lock unit 302 is released, and the rotation shaft 51 of the first toner agitation transport mechanism 50 can be rotated.

When the rotary drive body 328 is rotationally driven by the electric motor in this state, the drive coupling portion 336 of the small diameter portion 334 of the rotary drive body 328 is rotated by the relative rotation between the rotary drive body 328 and the rotation shaft 51. By being aligned with the driven coupling portion 310 of the shaft 51, the shaft 51 is moved toward the rotating shaft 51 and is coupled to each other. As a result, the rotation shaft 51, and thus the first toner agitation transport mechanism 50, is rotated integrally with the rotation drive body 328 (see FIG. 8). One side of the drive gear 332 is pressed against one side of the stationary frame 324 by the second compression coil spring 340.

Since the toner cartridge 300 is provided with the lock unit 302 that releasably locks the first toner agitation transport mechanism 50 as described above, the toner cartridge 300 is not yet mounted before being attached to the image forming apparatus. Even if an unintended rotational torque acts on the rotation shaft 51 of the first toner agitating / conveying mechanism 50 in the use state, the rotation is reliably prevented, so that the flexible sheet member 54A opens the toner discharge opening 24. It will not be displaced.

In the above-described embodiment of the present invention, the toner discharge opening 24 is disposed in the vicinity of the other side wall 12, but is not limited to such an arrangement, and the width direction of the container main body 2 of the toner cartridge 100 is not limited. It may be arranged at any position. In the above-described embodiment, the shutter member 30 is configured to open when the toner cartridge 100 is attached to the image forming apparatus and close when the toner cartridge 100 is detached. However, the shutter member 30 is not limited to such a configuration. For example, the present invention can be applied even to a toner cartridge provided with a shutter member that is manually opened without being opened automatically when the toner cartridge 100 is attached to the image forming apparatus. . Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the pairs of arms 52 adjacent to each other in the axial direction are disposed at positions that are 180 degrees apart from each other, but are limited to such an arrangement. It may be arranged at other appropriate angular intervals, for example, 30 °, 60 °...

FIG. 4 is a side view showing an embodiment of a toner cartridge configured according to the present invention, a part of which is shown in cross section. AA arrow sectional drawing of FIG. BB arrow sectional drawing of FIG. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a part of a first toner agitation transport mechanism provided in the toner cartridge shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing another embodiment of a toner cartridge configured according to the present invention, corresponding to FIG. 2. FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a main part of another embodiment of a toner cartridge according to the present invention and a part of an associated image forming apparatus, which includes a lock unit that releasably locks a second toner agitation transport mechanism. FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating another operation mode of a part of the toner cartridge and the image forming apparatus illustrated in FIG. 6. FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating still another operation mode of a part of the toner cartridge and the image forming apparatus illustrated in FIG. 6.

Explanation of symbols

2: Container body
4: Bottom wall 10: Side wall 12: Side wall 24: Toner discharge opening 30: Shutter member 50: First toner agitating / conveying mechanism 50U: Agitating / conveying body 54A: Flexible sheet member 60: Second toner agitating / conveying mechanism 100 : Toner cartridge 300: Toner cartridge 302: Locking means

Claims (5)

A container body having a bottom wall, a toner discharge opening formed in the bottom wall, a shutter member disposed on the outer surface side of the bottom wall so as to open and close the toner discharge opening, and a container body, which rotate in parallel. In a toner cartridge that includes first and second toner agitating and conveying mechanisms that are freely arranged, and the second toner agitating and conveying mechanism is arranged to pass above the toner discharge opening.
The first toner agitating / conveying mechanism is integrally disposed so that the flexible sheet member extends radially outward, and the leading end of the flexible sheet member is connected to the second toner agitating / conveying mechanism and the toner. The upper end of the discharge opening is inserted into a gap between the inner surface of the bottom wall and is positioned so as to cover the upper end of the toner discharge opening.
A toner cartridge. The toner cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the flexible sheet member is formed of a polyethylene terephthalate film. When the first toner agitating / conveying mechanism is not driven to rotate while the shutter member is mounted on the image forming apparatus and the shutter member opens the toner discharge opening, the leading end of the flexible sheet member covers the upper end of the toner discharge opening. When the first toner agitating and conveying mechanism is driven to rotate while the closed state is maintained, the flexible sheet member is rotated integrally with the first toner agitating and conveying mechanism with the leading end being pulled out from the gap. The toner cartridge according to claim 1, wherein an upper end of the toner discharge opening is opened. The container body has both side walls extending upward from both side edges of the bottom wall, and the first toner agitating and conveying mechanism includes a rotating shaft, and the rotating shaft is projected outward from one of the side walls. The cylindrical part which protrudes outside from one side of a side wall is formed so that the radial direction outer side of the edge part of this rotating shaft protruded outside from one side of the side wall may be enclosed The toner cartridge according to claim 1. Between the first toner agitating / conveying mechanism and the container main body, there is disposed a locking means for releasably locking the rotation of the first toner agitating / conveying mechanism in a state before being attached to the image forming apparatus. 5. The toner cartridge according to claim 1, wherein when the image forming apparatus is mounted, the lock by the lock unit is released, and the first toner agitation transport mechanism can be rotated.

Images