JPH09120206A - Toner replenishing container - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent inadvertent unsealing in a state where a hopper cover is locked and toner scattering by constituting a toner replenishing container so that a knob may be disengaged by setting the toner supply container in a supply part for replenishing toner. SOLUTION: When the toner replenishing container 1 is attached to a hopper, 1st and 2nd locking mechanisms are actuated together, the hopper cover can be drawn out, and the container 1 is locked so that it can not be detached from the hopper. In such a case, the lower surface of the knob 5 butts against the upper surface of the toner hopper cover simultaneously with the attaching operation of the container 1 to the toner hopper. When the container 1 is pushed down further, the knob 5 is separated from the container and simultaneously the locking of the toner hopper cover is released. In the case of releasing both the 1st and the 2nd locking mechanisms, that is, when the container 1 is correctly attached, the knob 5 is easily disengaged. However, in the case the container 1 is inadvertently attached, the knob 5 is not separated from the container 1.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a toner replenishing container for replenishing a powder developer to an image forming apparatus such as a dry electrophotographic copying machine or a printer. More specifically, it relates to improvement in operability when replenishing toner in the toner replenishing container.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An image forming apparatus such as an electrophotographic copying machine or a laser beam printer forms a latent image by selectively exposing a uniformly charged photosensitive drum to a latent image. Then, the toner image is visualized and transferred to a recording medium to record an image. A powder toner is used as a developer in such an apparatus. Normally, the user replenishes the toner when the developer in the apparatus main body is consumed. The point of user friendliness is how to reduce toner scattering and so-called toner stain when performing this work.

On the main body side of a copying machine or the like, a shutter member (hereinafter referred to as a toner hopper lid) is also provided for a toner hopper or a developing device which is replenished from the toner replenishing container in order to prevent toner scattering, stains, and misfeed of different kinds of toner. (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-336565).
Further, a configuration has been proposed and put into practical use in which the toner hopper lid is locked so as not to be opened accidentally except when toner is being replenished.

On the other hand, in the toner replenishing container, a conventional toner replenishing container is widely provided in which a flange portion is integrally provided on a box-shaped container body, and a flexible toner seal is releasably adhered to the flange portion by means of heat welding or the like. It is in practical use. Further, toner replenishing containers of various shapes have been proposed and put into practical use so as to be more user-friendly. In order to prevent the residual toner that has adhered to the inside of the used toner replenishment container from being traced and spilled and scattered around, a shutter member is additionally added, whereby a resealable toner replenishment container is also proposed and put into practical use. (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-336565).

In the case of the above proposal, the opening of the toner seal is performed as follows. The operator first attaches the toner supply container to the toner hopper. Next, hold the end of the toner hopper lid and pull out the toner hopper lid toward you. When the toner hopper lid is fully opened, the grip engaged with the toner supply container is pulled out in parallel to the front side in a form of being pulled out by the toner hopper lid. The operator holds this pulled-out handle and pulls it again toward you to remove the toner seal that is heat-welded to the toner replenishing container body and replenish the toner stored in the toner replenishing container body to the toner hopper. it can. In other words, the operator has proposed and put into practical use a so-called two-step opening configuration in which the toner hopper lid and the toner seal need to be pulled out once to the front side when replenishing the toner.
4-346379). After the toner is replenished, the operator pushes the toner hopper lid back to the original position and fully closes it so that the toner replenishing container can be removed from the toner hopper.

[0006]

However, the above-mentioned conventional example has the following problems.

When toner is supplied to the toner hopper of the copying machine, a hopper lid is provided on the toner hopper, and the hopper lid is locked except when the toner is supplied to prevent accidental opening of the toner and scattering of toner to the surroundings. . In the configuration in which the lid cannot be opened except when the toner is being replenished, if the toner replenishing container is accidentally opened before unlocking the hopper lid, there is a problem that the toner is scattered because the hopper lid remains closed. That is, it is necessary to prevent the toner supply container from being opened unless the lock of the hopper lid is released. In addition, the unlocking of the toner hopper lid and the removal of the handle are not performed at the same time, so they were not related.

When replenishing the toner, the operator must first attach the toner replenishing container to the toner hopper, then pull the toner hopper lid toward the front to fully open it, and then open the toner seal. .

Further, at the time of distribution of the toner supply container, X,
It may be swung in all directions of Y and Z. At this time, since the movable direction of the grip engaging the toner supply container is the same as the slide cover of the toner supply container, when the slide cover of the toner supply container begins to slide out, the grip disengages before the toner supply starts. It was very rare.

[0010]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above problems, the present invention is directed to a container body having an opening for accommodating toner and replenishing toner, a seal member for sealing the opening, and a sealing member for pulling the seal member. In a toner supply container having a peeling handle, the grip is attached to a mounting portion of a container body,
The handle is detached by setting the toner replenishing container to a replenishing portion for replenishing the toner.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the replenishing section has a receiving opening for receiving toner, a lid member for opening and closing the receiving opening, and a locking means for locking the lid member.
The toner replenishing container is characterized by having a lock releasing portion for releasing the lock of the lid member by the locking means when set in the replenishing portion.

A third aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the toner replenishing container has a shutter member for opening and closing the opening, and the shutter member moves open in conjunction with the peeling operation of the seal member.

A fourth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the shutter member has an engaging portion that engages with the lid member when set to the replenishing portion, and the lid member is also opened by peeling off the seal member in the set state. It is what

Other aspects of the invention are understood in the embodiments section.

(Operation) In the above construction, the toner replenishing container is inserted into a predetermined position of the toner hopper, and then the front side is pushed down and mounted. At this time, the handle that engages with the toner supply container first comes into contact with the hopper lid and gradually receives a reaction force. As soon as the toner supply container is completely attached to the toner hopper, the hopper lid can be unlocked, and at the same time, the handle is removed from the toner supply container. By opening the toner replenishing container by removing the handle, erroneous opening in the locked state of the hopper lid is prevented and toner scattering is prevented.

As described above, when the mounting of the toner supply container to the toner hopper is completed and the grip is detached from the toner supply container to enable the opening of the toner supply container, the mounting of the toner supply container is incomplete, that is, the hopper lid is locked. Prevents the toner seal of the toner supply container from being accidentally opened when it is left open and cannot be opened. This is because if the toner replenishment so-called toner seal is opened when the toner replenishment container is incompletely attached to the toner hopper, the toner originally to be replenished in the toner hopper loses its place on the hopper lid and scatters around. Make sure that you avoid serious pollution.

Further, when the toner replenishing container is properly attached to the toner hopper, the toner hopper lid lock is released, and the handle engaging with the end of the toner replenishing container smoothly comes off toward the front side, so the operator It can be easily detected that the toner supply is ready, and the toner seal of the toner supply container can be prevented from being accidentally opened when the hopper lid lock is not released. At this time,
Mounting the toner supply container to the toner hopper and the handle detachment direction are substantially on the same straight line.Each of them operates in the opposite direction, so the toner supply container can be attached and detached at the same time, and toner supply is very easy. It can be done naturally and requires few operation steps.

Further, since the movable direction of the shutter of the toner supply container and the direction of removing the handle are substantially orthogonal to each other, the slide lid of the toner supply container does not slide out due to vibration during distribution. That is, the slide lid slip-out prevention is further enhanced.

[0019]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.

{Construction of Toner Replenishing Container} FIGS. 1 and 2 are perspective views of the toner replenishing container main body embodying the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the assembled state of the toner supply container.

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of the toner supply container.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the connecting portion of the toner supply container body and the handle.

FIG. 6 is a rear view of the toner supply container.

1 to 6, 1 is a toner replenishing container body, 2 is a shutter, 3 is a shutter, and 4 is a shutter.
Is a toner seal, 12 is a cap, and 5 is a handle.

The toner supply container body 1 is formed by integrally forming a box-shaped toner storage portion 1a and a flange portion 1b. The toner storage portion 1a is provided with a toner filling port 1c, and the flange portion 1b
An opening (toner discharge port) 1d for discharging the toner is provided in each of them. To seal the toner outlet 1d, the toner seal 4 is releasably adhered to the flange 1b (4a). The flange 1b has a substantially U-shaped guide 1e
Is provided, along which the upper shutter 2 is inserted and held. One end of the toner seal 4 is folded back so as to wrap around the shutter 2 and extends toward the front side. The lower shutter 3 is joined and fixed to the upper shutter 2 so as to sandwich the folded back portion 4b of the toner seal 4 to form a toner supply container. The end portion of the toner seal 4 pulled back to the front side is adhesively fixed to the handle 5, and the handle 5 is engaged with and held by a part of the toner supply container 1. This is filled with a predetermined amount of toner, and the cap 12 is pressed into the toner filling port 1c.

A first lock releasing projection 1f is integrally formed on the rear end of the toner supply container body, and a second lock releasing projection 1g is integrally formed on both side surfaces of the front flange portion.

As described above, the so-called closed system having the shutter that closes the opening of the toner storage portion has the following effects. By closing the opening of the toner storage portion after replenishing the toner, the toner remaining in a very small amount inside the toner replenishing container is not scattered around. Further, the toner seal is prevented from being directly impacted by an external impact such as during physical distribution or dropping, thereby suppressing breakage and peeling of the heat-welded portion. Furthermore, even when the external pressure drops due to air transportation, the shutter member, which is more rigid and does not expand than the toner seal, prevents expansion and so-called deformation of the toner seal from the inside, so that the heat-sealed portion of the toner seal and toner replenishment container is separated. suppress.

{Strength of detachment of handle} FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view of an engaging portion between the handle 5 and the toner supply container 1. The handle 5 is detached upward by pressing the toner supply container 1 against the upper surface of the toner hopper lid 7, but since the handle 5 is engaged with the toner supply container 1 until it is attached to the toner hopper, the detachment strength is secured. . A configuration capable of obtaining the detachment strength will be described with reference to FIG.

The handle 5 is engaged with the rib 1k of the toner supply container 1 by the convex protrusions 5a and 5c. In this embodiment, the rib 1k of the toner supply container 1 has a thickness of 1.5 mm, and the fitting space 5d
Is 2.0 mm, and the convex projection 5c is 0.5 mm. If the space 5d is taken too large, the vicinity of 5c will collapse and it will be difficult to obtain the dimensional accuracy in a molded product. Furthermore, the handle itself becomes larger, and it cannot be made a compact handle. A handle that is too large does not give a good impression. The handle moves upward when the toner supply container is attached to the toner hopper and is pushed by the hopper lid. At this time, the convex protrusion 5a abuts on the edge portion 1m of the container rib 1k to generate grip disengagement strength.

The disengagement strength is a convex protrusion 5a near the center of the handle.
(See the engaging portion in FIG. 5) and engages with the toner supply container. The detachment strength can be adjusted by adjusting the height 5g of the convex projection 5a, that is, the amount of catching with the toner supply container 1m.

A front view of the handle is shown in FIG. Here, the handle has elasticity by providing the notch 5b (see FIG. 16) around the convex shape, and when the toner supply container is attached to the toner hopper, that is, the engagement of the handle with the toner supply container is released. In the required situation, it is possible to obtain an appropriate disengagement strength.
The disengagement strength must be such that the handle and toner supply container are not disengaged by vibration or shock during distribution, and in consideration of user friendliness, the detachment strength must be small in order to minimize the attachment force to the toner hopper. Is good. If the weight is 0.5 kgf or less, the engagement with the toner supply container body becomes loose and it tends to come off easily. Therefore, the toner may come off before the lock of the hopper lid is released after the attachment is completed. If it is 4.0 kgf or more, it takes a lot of force to attach the toner supply container to the toner hopper, resulting in poor operability. From these requirements, the handle pull-off strength is preferably 0.5 to 4.0 kgf. More preferably 0.
It is preferably set to 5 to 2.0 kgf.

{Positional relationship between the handle and the second unlocking protrusion of the toner supply container} FIG. 6 is a rear view showing the toner supply container. In the figure, the dimension "d" is the surface of the handle 5 that comes into contact with the upper surface of the toner hopper lid 7, and the second unlocking protrusion of the toner supply container.
It shows the distance from the bottom of 1g. The handle 5 is required to be detached from the toner replenishing container 1 when the handle 5 is properly and surely attached to the toner hopper 6, that is, when the toner hopper lid lock is released. In the present embodiment, the grip 5 securely engages the second lock release protrusion 1g of the toner replenishing container with the second lock mechanism concave portion 9 provided in the toner hopper in FIG. Can be removed.

FIG. 10 is a side view showing the structure and operation of the second lock mechanism. The second unlocking protrusion 1g of the toner supply container pushes the lock member of the second lock mechanism 9 of the toner hopper to reach the lower surface of the toner hopper lid 7 to the lower side. In order to remove the handle 5 at that position, the lowermost surface of the handle 5 needs to be above the lowermost end of the second unlocking protrusion 1g of the toner supply container. Therefore, when the lowermost surface of the toner replenishing container, the so-called lower shutter 3, comes into close contact with the surface of the toner hopper lid 7, the grip 5 is disengaged from the toner replenishing container 1 and the operation amount when the user replenishes the toner replenishing container 1 can be minimized. Need to do so. If the d dimension is 0.5 mm or less, that is, if it is made very small, the handle comes into contact with the upper surface of the toner hopper before the second unlocking protrusion 1g of the toner replenishing container releases the second lock mechanism on the toner hopper side, and the toner is replenished. It may be pushed back by the reaction force of the mounting of the container, and the engagement with the toner supply container may be released, and the relationship between the disengagement of the handle and the unlocking of the toner hopper lid is weakened.

When the dimension d is 3.5 mm or more, that is, when the dimension is increased, the second lock release protrusion 1g of the toner supply container releases the second lock mechanism on the toner hopper side.
In other words, a long operation amount is required for the handle to come into contact with the upper surface of the toner hopper and be pushed back by the reaction force of the mounting of the toner replenishing container to release the engagement with the toner replenishing container. This is not desirable considering user friendliness. From these requirements, the distance between the surface of the handle 5 that contacts the upper surface of the toner hopper lid 7 and the lowermost end of the second unlocking protrusion 1g of the toner supply container, that is, the dimension "d" (mm) in FIG. 10 is 0.5≤d≤. A value of 3.5 is preferred. As a result, external force such as drop impact is not applied directly to the handle, so the engagement does not disengage unexpectedly before mounting the toner replenishment container, and the handle has a long operation amount to disengage from the toner replenishment container. It is unnecessary. More preferably, 0.5 ≦ d ≦ 1.0 is suitable.

{Toner supply container mounting direction and handle detachment direction} When the toner supply container is attached to the toner hopper, the mounting direction and the handle detachment direction are substantially on the same straight line, and the respective operating directions are opposite to each other. did. As a result, the user can remove the grip by the reaction force of mounting the toner supply container to the toner hopper, so that the unlocking of the toner hopper lid by mounting the toner supply container and the removal of the grip engaging with the toner supply container can be performed in one action.

Conventionally, when the toner replenishing container is mounted on the toner hopper, the mounting direction and the handle disengagement direction are substantially orthogonal to each other. Therefore, since the respective operating directions are not on the same straight line, the user places the toner replenishing container on the toner hopper. Instead of removing the grip due to the reaction force of mounting, the unlocking of the toner hopper lid by mounting the toner supply container and the removal of the grip engaging with the toner supply container are performed separately in two actions.

[Adhesion of Toner Seal 4 to Handle] To replenish the toner, the operator holds the handle 5 attached to the end of the toner seal and peels the toner seal 4 toward the front side. Therefore, the operator can
Sufficient adhesive strength is required between the toner seal 4 and the grip 5 so that the grip 5 does not come off during opening the toner seal.

The toner seal 4 is adhered to the handle 5,
As the bonding method, double-sided tape is most suitable because it can easily obtain high bonding strength and has high productivity. In addition, hot plate welding and hot melt bonding can be preferably used.

FIG. 15 shows the adhesion state of the handle 5 and the seal handle 4. The adhesive strength between the grip 5 and the toner seal 4 is measured by pulling the grip 5 in the h direction or the toner seal 4 in the i direction at about 300 mm / min as shown in FIG. Adhesive strength is 6kgf
It is preferable to obtain the above, and more preferably 10 kgf or more.

HI-P the toner seal 4 with double-sided tape
The condition for adhering to the S handle is double-sided tape size 20 mm
Insert 41mm × 41mm between the handle 5 and the toner seal 4, and use JIS-Z-02
37 It is preferable to use the pressure-bonding rubber roller described in 8.2.3 to make one reciprocation from above the toner seal 4 at a speed of about 300 mm / min for pressure-bonding.

{Welding of toner seal 4 to toner replenishing container and layer structure} The toner seal 4 is releasably adhered to the periphery of the toner discharge port 1d, but the adhesion method can easily control the adhesive strength, and the productivity is improved. The most suitable is hot plate welding,
In addition, ultrasonic welding and impulse sealing can be preferably used. Further, application of an adhesive or adhesion with a double-sided tape may be used.

When the toner supply container is opened, the toner seal 4 is peeled off as will be described later, and the upper shutter 2 around which the toner seal 4 is wound and the lower shutter 3 connected to the upper shutter 2 as described above are also included. It is configured to pull out at the same time. Therefore, the toner seal 4 has a sufficient tensile strength, and it is required that it does not break or tear even if it is pulled out while sliding on the front end portion of the shutter 2. Moreover, the toner seal 4 is different from the toner container body 1 described above. It must be possible to bond with an appropriate bonding strength by means or the like. Toner seal 4 when hot plate welding is used
Most preferably, the layer structure of is as follows.

First layer: stretched polyester 16 μm Second layer: stretched nylon 25 μm Third layer: low density polyethylene 30 μm Fourth layer: sealant layer (ethylene vinyl acetate type) 40 μm

In addition to the above, uniaxially oriented polypropylene, biaxially oriented polypropylene, polyethylene non-woven fabric and the like have sufficient strength and are difficult to cut, and are preferably used. If the total thickness of the toner seal is too thin, the strength of the toner seal is insufficient, and the toner seal is torn. The thickness is preferably 30 to 300 μm, more preferably 50 to 200 μm, and most preferably 80 to 130 μm, depending on the material composition.

HI-PS the toner seal 4 by hot plate welding
The conditions for welding to the toner replenishing container body 1 are as follows:
The most suitable is 150 ° C, time: 3 seconds, pressure (contact pressure): about 17 kgf / cm2.

{Replenishing Procedure} FIG. 11 is a sectional view showing the toner replenishing container 1 mounted and opened in the hopper 6 to replenish the toner, and FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing the front side condition at the time of unsealing. . In the figure, 3c is a protrusion provided on the lower surface of the lower shutter 3, 7d is an engaging surface at the tip of the hopper lid 7, 7c is two grips of the hopper lid 7, and 11 is toner. The procedure for replenishing the toner replenishing container 1 will be described with reference to this figure.

First, the toner supply container 1 is attached to the hopper 6. At this time, as described above, first, the back side (left side in the drawing) of the toner replenishing container is lowered and inserted into the first lock mechanism (not shown) of the hopper, and then the toner replenishing container 1 is rotated around this portion as a rotation center. The front side (right side in the figure) of the toner supply container is attached to the second lock mechanism (not shown) by rotating clockwise in the figure. In this way, the first and second locking mechanisms operate together, the hopper lid 7 becomes ready to be pulled out, and the toner supply container 1 is permanently locked from the hopper 6. At this time, at the same time when the toner replenishing container is attached to the toner hopper, the lower surface of the handle hits the upper surface of the toner hopper lid, and when the toner replenishing container is further pushed down, the handle 5 is released from the container, and at the same time, the lock of the toner hopper lid is released. . When both the first and second lock mechanisms are released, that is, when the toner replenishing container is properly attached, the handle 5 can be easily removed.
However, since the handle 5 does not abut against the upper surface of the hopper lid 7 when it is erroneously mounted, it is not removed from the toner supply container. The operator can easily determine whether or not the mounting is completed, based on the degree of detachment of the handle 5. Therefore, the toner seal of the toner replenishing container cannot be opened while the lock of the hopper lid is not released.

Next, the handle 5 is held and pulled to the front side (the right side in the drawing, the direction of the arrow). As a result, the adhesive portion of the toner seal 4 is peeled off, and at the same time, the shutter 2 around which the toner seal 4 is wound and the shutter 3 integrally coupled to the shutter 2 are driven and pulled out. Further, the protrusion 3c provided on the lower surface of the lower shutter 3 is engaged with the engaging surface 7d at the tip of the hopper lid 7, so that the hopper lid 7 is also pulled out. That is, the toner seal 4 can be peeled off and all of the upper shutter 2, the lower shutter 3, and the hopper lid 7 can be opened at the same time by one operation of pulling out the toner seal 4, that is, one action opening, and the toner is stored in the toner supply container 1. The toner 11 is discharged to the hopper container 6.
Toner replenishment does not require the toner hopper lid to be fully opened in advance, and can be done simply by holding the handle and opening the toner seal. Conventionally, it is necessary to first pull out the toner hopper lid and then peel off the toner seal after the toner supply container is attached to the toner hopper and before the toner is discharged. Met. One action can be reduced by peeling off the toner seal and opening all of the upper shutter 2, the lower shutter 3, and the hopper lid 7 at the same time, which makes the user more friendly.

In the state where the toner seal 4 is fully opened in this way, the folded portion 4b of the toner seal 4 is pulled out from between the shutter upper portion 2 and the shutter lower portion 3, and the adhesive portion 4a of the toner seal 4 to which toner is attached is on the shutter. It is housed between 2 and the shutter bottom 3. Therefore, the toner adhering to the toner seal 4 does not transfer to the upper surface of the hopper lid 7 to contaminate it, and the operator does not see the toner seal adhering portion 4a contaminated by the toner.

Here, as shown in FIG. 12, the width of the toner seal 4 is wider than the width of the toner discharge port 1d of the toner replenishing container 1 at the adhesive portion 4a, but the folded portion is pulled out to the outside. In 4b, the width is w2, which is narrower than w1.
This width w2 is a width that can pass between the two grip portions 7e provided apart from each other in the direction perpendicular to the direction in which the hopper lid 7 is pulled out.

When the toner discharge is completed, the two grip portions 7 of the hopper lid 7 are manually pushed (arrows in FIG. 12), and the hopper lid 7 is pushed.
Close. At this time, the seal film 4 has two grips 7e.
It passes through the space and is drawn between the upper shutter 2 and the lower shutter 3. Further, since the protrusion 3c provided on the lower surface of the lower shutter 3 is engaged with the engaging surface 7d at the tip of the hopper lid 7, the hopper lid 7, the upper shutter 2 and the lower shutter 3 move integrally. Can be closed.

When the hopper lid 7 is completely closed, the second lock mechanism operates as described above to unlock the toner replenishing container 1 so that the toner replenishing container 1 can be removed. Lifted by a predetermined distance so as to rotate counterclockwise in the figure around the first lock mechanism on the side. Further, when the toner supply container 1 is separated from the second lock mechanism, the second lock mechanism locks the hopper lid 7 so that it cannot be pulled out.

As described above, when the toner replenishing container 1 is attached to the hopper 6, it is locked so that it cannot be removed immediately, and when the hopper lid 7 is pushed to the unlocked position after opening and discharging, it becomes removable. Further, the hopper lid 7 is normally locked so that it cannot be pulled out, and the toner supply container 1
When the toner replenishing container 1 is removed, it is locked so that it cannot be pulled out again.

{Toner Replenishing Container Manufacturing Method} The toner replenishing container main body 1 integrally including the toner storing portion 1 and the flange portion 1 is formed by injection molding a high impact polystyrene resin (HI-PS), for example. It As will be described later, the toner container main body 1 needs a certain degree of rigidity in order to unlock the protrusions 1f and 1g or hold the shutter 2 by the guide portion 1e. It is also required to have proper wettability so as to withstand drop impact and drop and to be able to peelably adhere the toner seal 4. In order to meet these requirements, HI-PS is most suitable from the viewpoint of cost and required component performance, and various synthetic resins can also be preferably used.

Injection molding is most suitable as a manufacturing method because it can be thin and has a high degree of freedom in shape, but vacuum molding, compression molding, blow molding and the like can also be preferably used, and various manufacturing methods can be appropriately selected depending on the material. good.

The upper shutter 2 and the lower shutter 3 are required to have rigidity in order to suppress the toner seal against the internal pressure generated in the process of transportation and storage.

The handle 5 has rigidity and rigidity so that it can withstand various transportation conditions such as vibration and drop impact so as not to come off from the toner container body, and the operator can smoothly remove the toner replenishing container from the toner hopper without discomfort. Both elasticity is required. Due to these requirements, the upper shutter 2, the lower shutter 3, and the handle 5 are also
It is most preferable to manufacture HI-PS by injection molding, and other synthetic resins, molding methods and the like can also be preferably used, just as with the toner replenishing container body.

{Detailed Configuration of Toner Replenishing Container} {First Unlocking Protrusion 1f} A pair of left and right protrusions 1f are provided at the rear end of the toner replenishing container body 1. The projection 1f is provided with the first lock member 8 of the hopper 6 as described later.
This is released by pushing upward, and further, during mounting, the locking member always receives a downward urging force, which is transmitted to the flange portion 1 so that the lower surface of the flange portion is brought into close contact with the hopper 6. Has a role.

The first unlocking protrusion receives the downward biasing force and has a function of closely contacting the side of the toner supply container with the hopper side. Therefore, it is most preferable to provide a pair on the left and right as in this embodiment, but there may be only one or three or more. The position is also preferably close to the protrusion 1i for pop-up described below, but can be set arbitrarily.

{Structure of First Lock Mechanism} FIG. 8A is a perspective view showing the appearance of the first lock mechanism 8, FIG. 8B is a side view showing the locked state of the first lock mechanism 8, and FIG. 9C is a front view, FIG. 9A is a side view showing an unlocked state of the first lock mechanism, and FIG. 9B is a front view.

In these drawings, 7a is a hole provided at the tip of the hopper lid, 8a is a lock arm, 8b is a shaft of the lock arm, 8c is a claw of the lock arm, 8d is an elastic member (coil spring), and 8e is a tapered surface. Are shown respectively.

There are a pair of left and right lock arms 8a, which are rotatably supported by a shaft 8b. The lock arm is biased downward by an elastic member (coil spring) 8d, and the claw 8c engages with the hole 7a of the hopper lid, so that the hopper lid 7 is locked so that it cannot be pulled out (see FIG. 8).

{Operation of the first lock mechanism} When the toner supply container 1 is attached here, the lock is released. When the toner replenishing container 1 is attached to the hopper 6, first, the first unlocking protrusion 1f at the rear end is inserted into the first locking mechanism 8. Then, the upper surface of the tip of the first unlocking protrusion 1f slides on the taper surface 8e of the lower surface of the lock arm and lifts the lock arm 8a so as to push it upward against the urging force of the elastic member (coil spring) 8d. The pair of left and right lock arms 8a rotate upward about the shaft 8b, and the claws 8c slip out of the holes 7a of the hopper lid to unlock.

In the unlocked state, the restoring force of the elastic member (coil spring) 8d is applied to the first unlocking protrusion 1f via the lock arm 8a, urging the toner replenishing container 1 downward, Sealing member for supply container 1 and hopper
6a is closely adhered to ensure good sealing performance.

{Second lock release protrusion 1g} The second lock release protrusions 1g are integrally formed on both side surfaces of the front flange portion of the toner supply container body 1. This protrusion 1g
Is released by pushing the second lock member of the hopper lid toward the front side as described later, and the toner supply container 1
It also has the role of fixing and holding the toner supply container so that it will not come off the hopper while the hopper lid is being opened.

Since the protrusion 1g does not prevent the toner seal 4 and the shutter upper 2 and shutter lower 3 following it from being pulled out, it is preferable to provide the protrusion 1g on the side surface of the flange 12 and also to the toner supply container. To secure and hold the toner replenisher to the toner hopper, and when attaching the toner replenishment container to the toner hopper, keep the handles that engage with the toner replenishment container parallel to the upper surface of the hopper lid to ensure that the handle is removed from the left and right. It is preferable to provide a pair. However, as long as the same operation is performed, the mounting position and the number are not limited to this.

{Structure of Second Lock Mechanism} FIG. 10 is a side view showing the structure and operation of the second lock mechanism. In the figure,
7b is a slit, 7c is a tapered surface, 9a is a claw, 9b is a convex, 9c
Is a claw portion, 9d is a rotation center of the second lock member, and 9e is an elastic member (leaf spring).

In FIG. 10 (a), the elastic member (leaf spring) 9e
The second lock member 9 pressed by the convex portion 9b by the counterclockwise direction in the drawing engages the slit 7b of the hopper lid at the claw portion 9a to lock the hopper lid 7 so that it cannot be pulled out. There is.

{Operation of the second lock mechanism} When the toner replenishing container 1 is mounted on this, the second lock releasing projection 1g causes the second lock member 9 to rotate against the elastic member (leaf spring) 9e. Rotate in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 10 (a) (clockwise in the figure) around the center 9d, and the claw portion 9c of the second lock member engages with the flat surface portion of the second unlocking protrusion 1g. As shown in 10 (b), the toner supply container 1 is locked so that it cannot be removed.

Further, when the lock member 7 rotates, the claw portion 9a formed integrally therewith also simultaneously rotates, and in the locked state shown in FIG. 10 (b), the engagement between the claw portion 9a and the slit 7 of the hopper lid 7 is made. When the combination is released, the hopper lid 7 can be pulled out.
At the same time, the engagement relationship between the handle 5 and the toner supply container 1 is released.

When removing the toner container, as shown in FIG. 10 (c), the tapered surface 7c of the hopper lid 7 is pushed by further pushing the hopper lid 7 from the state of FIG. 10 (a) to the left in the figure. The second lock member 9 pushes the claw portion 9a of the second lock member 9, and the second lock member 9 resists the elastic member (leaf spring) 9e.
The toner replenishing container 1 can be detached by rotating in the direction of the arrow (clockwise in the figure) indicated by, and the engagement between the claw portion 9c and the second unlocking protrusion 1g is released. If there is a pop-up mechanism 10 which will be described later, when the engagement is released, the toner supply container 1 is automatically lifted by a predetermined distance.

After the toner replenishing container 1 is removed, the state of FIG. 10 (a) is restored by the restoring force of the elastic member (leaf spring) 9c.

In summary, in the second lock mechanism, the attachment of the toner supply container to the toner hopper, the removal of the handle, and the unlocking of the hopper lid are associated with each other as follows. At the same time when the toner supply container is attached to the toner hopper, the lock of the hopper lid is released, and at the same time, the handle is disengaged from the toner supply container and pops out. As a result, the toner seal peeling-off 1 action is ready, and the toner is removably locked while the toner is being replenished, that is, the so-called toner replenishing container is attached to the toner hopper, so that it does not accidentally come off.

{Summary of First and Second Lock Mechanisms} The following effects can be obtained by using the two mechanisms of the first and second locks, so-called double lock mechanisms. To attach the toner supply container to the toner hopper and unlock the toner hopper lid, it is necessary to release the two locking mechanisms, the first and second locks. It is possible to further strengthen the lock release, so that it is possible to more firmly prevent the mistaken attachment of the different type toner supply container, that is, the so-called wrong insertion of the different type toner. If a different type of toner replenishment container having no compatibility as described above is used, the first lock member on the back side cannot be released even if the second lock member on the front side can be released.
The hopper lid cannot be opened. That is, a stronger incompatibility is obtained. Further, as described above, the number of cases in which the same type of toner supply container is filled with a plurality of types of toner is increasing. Position of the first unlocking protrusion 1f,
By changing the length, shape, etc., several types of toner replenishing containers which are not compatible with each other can be constructed. Further, since the toner replenishing container is urged downward by the first lock mechanism, the close contact between the toner replenishing container and the upper surface of the toner hopper is maintained while the toner replenishing container is attached, and the toner seal is opened when the toner seal is opened. It is possible to keep the toner and prevent the toner from scattering.

{Construction of Hopper} FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the outer appearance of the hopper to which the toner replenishing container of the embodiment of the present invention is attached and which is replenished with toner. In this figure, 6 is a hopper container, 7 is a hopper lid, 8 is a first locking mechanism, and 9
Shows a second lock mechanism and 10 shows a pop-up mechanism.

The hopper lid 7 is installed so that the hopper container 6 can be opened and closed freely. However, when the toner supply container is not attached, the first lock mechanism 8 and the second lock mechanism 9 cannot open the hopper. Has been done. A seal member 6a is provided on the periphery of the opening of the hopper container 6 so as to prevent the toner from scattering when the toner replenishing container is mounted and opened to maintain a sealed state.

{Pop-up Mechanism} FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing the pop-up mechanism, and FIG. 14 is a sectional view showing the operation of the pop-up mechanism. In the figure, 1i is a protrusion, 10a is a notched recess, and 10b is an elastic member (leaf spring).

Projecting portion 1a provided on the toner supply container 1
In the step (FIG. 10) of placing the toner supply container 1 on the hopper 6 and pressing it from above to lock the second lock release protrusion 1g to the second lock mechanism 9 (FIG. 10). The elastic member (leaf spring) 10b provided on 10a is pushed downward to elastically deform it as shown in FIG. 14 (b). Therefore, the toner replenishing container 1 is set by the elastic member (plate spring) 10b with the vicinity of the first unlocking protrusion 1f as a center of rotation in a state where the toner replenishing container 1 is set at a device position for replenishing toner to the hopper 6. It receives an elastic biasing force in the direction of rising from the position. However, the second locking mechanism 9
As long as the second locking release protrusion 1g is locked and the toner replenishing container 1 is locked so that it cannot be removed, the above-described rotation rise is prevented.

However, as described above, when the hopper lid 7 is pushed to the unlocked position and the engagement between the second lock mechanism 9 and the second unlocking protrusion 1g is released, at the same time, the
By the restoring force of the elastic member (leaf spring) 10b shown in 14 (b),
The toner supply container 1 is automatically rotated and raised from the mounting position as described above. The operator can confirm that the lock has been released by automatically displacing the toner supply container 1 from the mounting position in this manner. Then, the operator may remove the toner replenishing container 1 automatically displaced in this way from the hopper 6.

{Cap} The cap 12 is for closing the filling port 1c provided on the front end side after filling the toner replenishing container 1 with toner, and is made of a material such as low density polyethylene, high density polyethylene or polypropylene (preferably It is made of a low-density polyethylene) and has a cylindrical shape having a bottom.

By pressing the cap 12 into the filling port 1c, the filling port 1c is sealed and toner leakage is prevented.

{Drop test} The toner replenishing container was put in a dedicated individual packaging box, and a drop test was conducted in individual packaging and collective packaging. Since the handle has the protrusion 1g of the toner replenishing container in the vicinity, it was designed not to be directly impacted. Thus, in the longitudinal direction of the toner supply container, the lateral direction of the toner supply container, and the mounting direction of the toner supply container, the lower surface 5g of the handle is not directly impacted from the outside by the protrusion 1g of the toner supply container. Therefore, the toner supply container is unlikely to come off except when it is attached to the toner hopper. In addition to the above, regarding the impact in the lateral direction of the toner supply container, in addition to the above, the handle end surface is attached to the end surface of the toner supply container rib 1l.
Since 5e is substantially orthogonal and abuts, displacement is restricted, and the handle is pushed out and never comes off. Further, in the longitudinal direction of the toner supply container, in addition to the above, the grip removal direction and the movable direction above and below the slide lid, which is one member of the toner supply container, are substantially orthogonal to each other. Even if the bottom starts to move, it is pushed out by them and does not come off.

It was confirmed by performing a drop test in the state of individual packaging or collective packaging that the grip and the toner supply container were not disengaged. The drop test is performed 10 times in total, from the heights of 60 cm and 90 cm to the six corners of each side, in individual packaging boxes and collective packaging,
The handles were never removed when the boxes were all opened.

Since the conventional handle disengagement direction and the movable direction above and below the slide lid, which is one member of the toner supply container, are substantially parallel to each other, if the handle above and below the slide lid moves due to vibrations in the physical distribution, they will move. Included the possibility of being pushed out and disengaged.

The drop test of the conventional product is performed 10 times in total in the individual packaging box and the collective packaging state, from the heights of 60 cm and 90 cm to the six sides of a triangle with three sides, and at the height of 60 cm, the handle comes off when the box is opened. There was nothing to do. At a height of 90 cm, 1/10 of the handle came off when the box was opened.

[0087]

The present invention has the following effects. (1) By opening the toner seal by pulling the handle that is released when the toner hopper lid is unlocked, erroneous opening in the hopper lid locked state and toner scattering can be prevented. (2) When the toner supply container is attached to the toner hopper,
It is possible to provide a toner replenishing container in which unlocking of the toner hopper lid and removal of the handle are performed at the same time, and toner replenishment can be performed by a natural opening operation that does not require separate hopper lid and toner seal peeling. (3) It is possible to more firmly prevent the slide lid from slipping out in physical distribution.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a toner supply container body according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a toner supply container main body according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing an assembled state of the toner supply container according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the toner supply container according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a connecting portion of a toner supply container body and a handle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a rear view of the toner supply container according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the outer appearance of a hopper to which the toner supply container of the embodiment of the present invention is attached and which is a partner for supplying toner.

FIG. 8A is a perspective view showing the outer appearance of the first lock mechanism 8. FIG. 6B is a side view showing a locked state of the first lock mechanism 8. FIG. 7C is a front view showing a locked state of the first lock mechanism 8.

9A is a side view showing an unlocked state of the first lock mechanism 8. FIG. FIG. 6B is a front view showing an unlocked state of the first lock mechanism 8.

FIG. 10 is a side view showing the structure and operation of the second lock mechanism.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the toner supply container is attached to and opened in the hopper to supply toner.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing a situation on the front side when the toner seal is opened.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a pop-up mechanism.

FIG. 14 is a sectional view showing the operation of the pop-up mechanism.

FIG. 15 is a front view showing a pulling direction when obtaining peeling strength of a toner seal and a grip.

FIG. 16 is a front view of a handle.

FIG. 17 is a side view of the handle.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Toner Supply Container Main Body 1a Toner Storage Part 1b Flange Part 1c Toner Filling Port 1d Toner Discharge Port 1e Guide Part 1f First Lock Release Protrusion 1g Second Lock Release Protrusion 1h Bent and Root of Projection 1i Projection 1j Conventional Tip part of example toner supply container 1k Handle fitting rib 1l Handle regulating rib 1m Edge part 2 Shutter top 2a hole 2b rib 3 Shutter bottom 3a hole 3b rib 3c Shutter bottom 4 Toner seal 4a Adhesive part 4b Folding part 5 Handle 5a Convex Convex protrusion 1 5b Slit 5c Convex protrusion 2 5d Width of fitting to toner supply container rib 5e End face 5f Convex protrusion 1 height 5g Bottom surface of handle 6 Hopper container 6a Sealing member 7 Hopper lid 7a Provided at tip of hopper lid Hole 7b Slit 7c Tapered part 7d Tip of hopper lid 7 Mating surface 7e Two grips of the hopper lid 7 First lock mechanism 8a Lock arm 8b Lock arm shaft 8c Lock arm claw 8d Elastic member (coil spring) 8e Tapered surface 9 Second lock mechanism 9a Claw 9b Convex Part 9c Claw part 9d Rotation center of the second lock member 9e Elastic member (leaf spring) 10 Pop-up mechanism 11 Toner 12 Cap 13 Double-sided tape

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A toner replenishing container having a container body having an opening for storing toner and replenishing the toner, a seal member for sealing the opening, and a handle for peeling off the seal member. Is a toner replenishing container which is mounted on a mounting portion of a container body and is configured such that a handle can be removed by setting the toner replenishing container to a replenishing portion for replenishing toner. 2. The replenishing section has a receiving opening for receiving toner, a lid member for opening and closing the receiving opening, and a locking means for locking the lid member, and the toner replenishing container is set in the replenishing section. 2. The toner replenishing container according to claim 1, further comprising a lock releasing portion for releasing the lock of the lid member by the lock means. 3. The toner replenishing container according to claim 1, wherein the toner replenishing container has a shutter member that opens and closes an opening, and the shutter member opens and moves in association with the peeling operation of the seal member. . 4. The shutter member has an engaging portion that engages with the lid member when set to the replenishing portion, and the lid member is also opened by peeling off the seal member in the set state. 3 toner supply container. 5. The moving direction of the shutter member and the detaching direction of the handle are substantially orthogonal to each other.
Toner supply container. 6. The toner supply container according to claim 1, wherein the handle is released upward by pressing the toner supply container downward to set the toner supply container. 7. The handle is located in the vicinity of a protrusion serving as an unlocking portion provided on the front side surface of the flange portion of the toner supply container, and the protrusion protrudes below the handle operating surface. The toner supply container according to claim 2, which is characterized in that. 8. The toner replenishing container according to claim 7, wherein the protrusion amount d (mm) of the protrusion of the toner replenishing container with respect to the handle is 0.5 ≦ d ≦ 3.5. 9. The toner replenishing container according to claim 7, wherein one protrusion is provided on each of the left and right sides of the side face on the front side of the flange portion to form a pair.