Abstract:
A waste toner collecting device including: a container which is detachably set in an image forming apparatus and contains therein waste toner produced in the image forming apparatus and which has such a shape as to fit into a free space of the image forming apparatus; and a waste toner transport device which transports the waste toner in the container. An image forming apparatus including an image bearing member; a cleaning device configured to collect a residual toner remaining on the image bearing member; and the waste toner collecting device.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    The present invention relates to a waste toner collecting device, and more particularly to a waste toner collecting device which collects and contains a waste toner produced by an image forming apparatus, which remains on an image bearing member and which is removed by a cleaner therefrom. In addition, the present invention also relates to an image forming apparatus including the waste toner collecting device.  
           [0003]    2. Discussion of the Background  
           [0004]    Recently, users of image forming apparatus such as copiers, printers, facsimiles and complex machines thereof perform operations such as change of consumable supplies of the image forming apparatus and maintenance operations that service men have conventionally performed.  
           [0005]    Recently, image forming apparatus have been miniaturized and the price thereof is reduced, and the constitutional parts of the image forming apparatus have also been miniaturized as much as possible. In addition, recently users have to replace parts which have lost their functions before expiration of their lives, and a container which is set in an image forming apparatus to contain toner and paper duct remaining on an image bearing member and being removed therefrom by a cleaner, at a regular interval.  
           [0006]    In addition, with widespread of personal computers, image forming apparatus are typically set near personal computers. Therefore, it is important to reduce noise generated during image forming operations.  
           [0007]    Toner particles (hereinafter sometimes referred to as a waste toner) which are transferred to an image bearing member but are not transferred to a receiving material are collected and contained in a container. In order to reuse the waste toner, the image forming apparatus have to include passages through which the waste toner is collected and driving mechanism which feeds the waste toner, resulting in jumboization of the image forming apparatus.  
           [0008]    In addition, the waste toner includes paper dust released from transfer paper sheets, but it is difficult to separate the waste toner from paper dust. Further, in full color image forming apparatus using three or four color toners, the amount of the waste toners is large, and thereby a large container has to be set in the image forming apparatus, resulting in jumboization and complication of the image forming apparatus.  
           [0009]    Therefore, a technique in that a relatively small container is set in an image forming apparatus and the container is replaced with an empty container when the container is fully filled with a waste toner is typically used. In this case, it is a problem to be solved how to efficiently collect the waste toner (i.e., how to fully fill the container with the waste toner) in order to reduce the container changing frequency.  
           [0010]    In general, operations of collecting a waste toner are performed by falling the waste toner into a container from above. Whether or not the container is fully filled with the waste toner is detected with a chock-full detector arranged on an upper portion of the container. Therefore it is important to evenly fill the container with the waste toner without causing mal-distribution of the waste toner in the container.  
           [0011]    In attempting to contain a waste toner evenly, a technique in that a container is shaken and a technique in that a piled waste toner is leveled are well known.  
           [0012]    The former technique has the following drawbacks:  
           [0013]    (1) noise is generated during the shaking operation;  
           [0014]    (2) a shaking mechanism has to be provided in the image forming apparatus;  
           [0015]    (3) since the containers shaken, a chock-full detector has to be provided in the container which is disposed of when the container is fully filled with a waste toner, resulting in increase of cost of the container; and  
           [0016]    (4) an operation such that a connector is connected to a chock-full detector is necessary when the container used is replaced.  
           [0017]    The latter technique has the following drawbacks:  
           [0018]    (1) a leveling member is provided without taking into consideration of the shape of the container used, and thereby the waste toner piled is not fully leveled if the container has a complex shape;  
           [0019]    (2) the waste toner tends to firmly fix in the container when the waste toner is insufficiently leveled; and  
           [0020]    (3) a problem in that the waste toner overflows the container tends to occur when the waste toner is insufficiently leveled.  
           [0021]    Namely, with miniaturization and sophistication of image forming apparatus, the free space in the image forming apparatus is reduced and has a complex form. Therefore, a waste toner container tends to have a complex form because of being set in such a free space. Therefore, the waste container has a portion in which the waste toner is mainly deposited.  
           [0022]    Because of these reasons, a need exists for a waste toner collecting device which can prevent mal-distribution of a waste toner in a container, i.e., which need not be frequently replaced with an empty container, even when the container has such a special form as to fit into a free space of an image forming apparatus.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0023]    Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a waste toner collecting device which can be set in a free space of an image forming apparatus and need not be frequently replaced with an empty container by preventing occurrence of mal-distribution of a waste toner in a container.  
           [0024]    Another object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus which can perform image forming operations without frequently changing a waste toner container and in which the waste toner container can be easily replaced with a new container when the container is fully filled with waste toner.  
           [0025]    Briefly these objects and other objects of the present invention as hereinafter will become more readily apparent can be attained by a waste toner collecting device including a container which can be detachably set in an image forming apparatus and contains therein waste toner produced in the image forming apparatus and which has such a shape as to fit in the image forming apparatus; and a waste toner transporting device which transports the waste toner in the container.  
           [0026]    It is preferable that one of surfaces of the container is opposed to a surface of a member of the image forming apparatus (i.e., one of the surfaces of the container has a shape corresponding to a surface of a member).  
           [0027]    It is preferable that the member is a cleaning unit which is slantingly arranged and the surface of the container facing the cleaning unit is slanted in the same direction as that of the cleaning unit.  
           [0028]    It is preferable that the container includes one or more openings which are connected with the cleaning unit via at least one waste toner feeding passage of the image forming apparatus, wherein at least one of the openings is located at a highest position of the container.  
           [0029]    When plural openings are formed, it is preferable that the openings are arranged at regular intervals. The plural openings are preferably arranged on the slanted surface or a side surface of the container. It is preferable that the area of the openings is greater than that of the waste toner feeding passage.  
           [0030]    It is preferable that the waste toner transport device includes a waste toner transporter provided in the container and a driving device configured to drive the toner transporter. It is preferable that the waste toner transporter is configured to transport the waste toner in a direction such that the waste toner is distanced from the one or more openings. The waste toner in the container is preferably transported by the waste toner transporter so as to move from a potion of the container having a shortest height to a portion having a longest height. It is preferable to arrange plural waste toner transporters in the container to effectively transport the waste toner. The waste toner transporter preferably includes at least one of a screw and a belt. The waste toner transporter is preferably provided under the openings. It is preferable that toner transporting capacity of the waste toner transporter is different in each portion thereof in such a manner that the shorter the height of a portion of the container corresponding to a portion of the waste toner transporter, the higher toner transporting capacity the portion of the waste toner transporter has.  
           [0031]    The driving device preferably includes a driving motor and a drive force transmitting device configured to transmit the driving force of the motor to the waste toner transporter. The drive force transmitting device preferably has a spur gear (or a bevel gear) arranged on an end of the transporter and another gear configured to transmit the driving force of the motor to the spur gear. The drive transmitting device having such a configuration has better operation ability than drive force transmitting devices using a belt and a pulley.  
           [0032]    The container has a support member such as legs on a bottom surface thereof such that the container is securely set horizontally in the image forming apparatus. The support member preferably supports the container at three or more points.  
           [0033]    The container may include a waste toner containing portion therein which does not have a slanted surface. By providing such a toner containing portion, a large amount of waste toner can be contained.  
           [0034]    In another aspect of the present invention, an image forming apparatus is provided which includes an image bearing member, a cleaning device configured to collect a residual toner remaining on the image bearing member and any one of the above-mentioned waste toner collecting devices which contain the collected toner therein.  
           [0035]    These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon consideration of the following description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0036]    Various other objects, features and attendant advantages of the present invention will be more fully appreciated as the same becomes better understood from the detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters designate like corresponding parts throughout and wherein:  
         [0037]    [0037]FIG. 1 is a schematic view illustrating the main portion of an embodiment of the image forming apparatus of the present invention;  
         [0038]    [0038]FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the image forming apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1;  
         [0039]    [0039]FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating the image forming apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1 being in a state in which the side cover thereof is opened;  
         [0040]    [0040]FIG. 4 is a schematic view illustrating the main portion of the image forming apparatus and an embodiment of the waste toner collecting device of the present invention;  
         [0041]    [0041]FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view illustrating the inside configuration of another embodiment of the waste toner collecting container for use in the present invention including an opening at a highest position of the container;  
         [0042]    [0042]FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating yet another embodiment of the waste toner collecting container for use in the present invention having an opening whose area is larger than that of the cross section of the waste toner feeding passage;  
         [0043]    [0043]FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating yet another embodiment of the waste toner collecting container for use in the present invention having openings at a side surface thereof;  
         [0044]    [0044]FIG. 8 is a cross section of another embodiment of the waste toner collecting device of the present invention using a belt as a toner feeder;  
         [0045]    [0045]FIG. 9 is a cross sectional view of yet another embodiment of the waste toner collecting device of the present invention including plural waste toner transporters;  
         [0046]    [0046]FIG. 10 is a cross sectional view of yet another embodiment of the waste toner collecting device of the present invention including plural waste toner transport portions located at positions corresponding to plural openings;  
         [0047]    [0047]FIG. 11 is a cross sectional view of yet another embodiment of the waste toner collecting container of the present invention including a waste toner transporter having different transporting capacities in the feeding direction;  
         [0048]    [0048]FIG. 12 is a cross sectional view of yet another embodiment of the waste toner collecting device of the present invention which can be securely set;  
         [0049]    [0049]FIG. 13 is a cross sectional view of yet another embodiment of the waste toner collecting device of the present invention which includes a portion having no slanted portion;  
         [0050]    [0050]FIG. 14 is a perspective view illustrating an embodiment of the waste toner transport device for use in the present invention; and  
         [0051]    [0051]FIG. 15 is a perspective view illustrating another embodiment of the waste toner transport device for use in the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0052]    The present invention will be explained referring to drawings.  
         [0053]    [0053]FIG. 1 is a schematic view illustrating a color printer which is an embodiment of the image forming apparatus of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1, the color printer has a main body  100  and a paper supplying cassette  41  which is located below the main body  100  and which contains and feeds sheets of a receiving paper P.  
         [0054]    The paper supplying cassette  41  can be attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus in the right and left direction in FIG. 1. The receiving paper P in the paper supplying cassette  41  is fed into the main body  100  by a paper supplying roller  43  and a pair of feeding rollers  44 . A pair of registration rollers  45  are arranged at a position in a paper feeding passage between the pair of feeding rollers  44  and a second transfer portion  37 , to timely feed the receiving paper P toward the second transfer portion  37 .  
         [0055]    The main body  100  includes image forming cartridges  10 Y,  10 C,  10 M and  10 K, which produce color toner images of yellow, cyan, magenta and black, respectively; an optical unit  20  serving as an image irradiator and irradiating photoreceptors  12 Y,  12 C,  12 M and  12 K with imagewise laser light; an intermediate transfer unit  30  including an intermediate transfer belt  31  which serves as an intermediate transfer medium and on which color toner images formed on the photoreceptors by the image forming cartridges  10 Y,  10 C,  10 M and  10 K are transferred; the second transfer portion  37  at which the color toner images formed on the intermediate transfer belt  31  are second transferred onto the receiving paper P; a fixing unit  50  which serves as a fixing device and which fixes the color toner images on the receiving paper P; and a pair of discharging rollers  55  which discharge the receiving paper P, on which the color toner images are fixed, from the main body  100 .  
         [0056]    The second transfer portion  37  is a nip portion at which the intermediate transfer belt  31  contacts a transfer roller  36  which is arranged so as to face the intermediate transfer belt  31 .  
         [0057]    The image forming cartridges  10 Y,  10 C,  10 M and  10 K have the same configuration, and respectively include the photoreceptor drums  12 Y,  12 C,  12 M and  12 K; chargers  13 Y,  13 C,  13 M and  13 K which charge the respective photoreceptor drums; cleaners  15 Y,  15 C,  15 M and  15 K which remove toner particles (i.e., a waste toner) remaining on the respective photoreceptor drums without being transferred to the intermediate transfer belt  31 ; etc.  
         [0058]    Developing devices  14 Y,  14 C,  14 M and  14 K, which develop electrostatic latent images formed on the respective photoreceptor drums, are arranged so as to be connected with the image forming cartridges  10 Y,  10 C,  10 M and  10 K. The cleaners  15 Y,  15 C,  15 M and  15 K respectively include feeding screws  17 Y,  17 C,  17 M and  17 K, which feed waste toners to respective feeding pipes ( 61 Y,  61 C,  61 M and  61 K), which are explained later in detail. Numerals  57 Y,  57 C,  57 M and  57 K represent toner containers which contain respective color toners and from which the color toners are supplied to the respective developing devices  14 Y,  14 C,  14 M and  14 K.  
         [0059]    The intermediate transfer unit  30  includes the intermediate transfer belt  31 ; four rollers  32  which rotatably support the intermediate transfer belt  31 ; first transfer rollers  35 Y,  35 C,  35 M and  35 K which transfer the color toner images formed on the photoreceptors onto the intermediate transfer belt  31 ; and the second transfer roller  36  which transfer the toner images formed on the intermediate transfer belt  31  to the receiving paper P. The fixing unit  50  includes a fixing roller  51  and a pressure roller  52  for fixing the toner images on the receiving paper P upon application of heat and pressure thereto.  
         [0060]    Then the image forming process will be explained in detail. For example, when a black image is formed, the photoreceptor drum  12 K is uniformly charged with the charger  13   k , followed by irradiation of imagewise laser light emitted from the optical unit  20 , resulting in formation of an electrostatic latent image on the photoreceptor drum  12 K. The electrostatic latent image is developed by the developing device  14 K using a black toner. The toner image formed on the photoreceptor  12 K is transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt  31  by the first transfer roller  35 K. The surface of the photoreceptor drum  12 K is then cleaned by the cleaner  15 K to be ready for the next image forming operations.  
         [0061]    The receiving paper P fed into the main body  100  by the paper supplying roller  43  and the feeding roller  44  receives the toner image formed on the intermediate transfer belt  31  at the second transfer portion  37 . The receiving paper P having the toner image thereon is then fed through the fixing unit  50  so that the toner image is fixed. The receiving paper P with the toner image is discharged to a discharge tray  56  by the pair of discharging rollers  55 .  
         [0062]    The toner containers  57 Y,  57 C,  57 M and  57 K, the intermediate transfer belt  31 , and the image forming cartridges  10 Y,  10 C,  10 M and  10 K, are arranged so as to be slanted in the same direction relative to the main body  100  to shorten the total length of the main body  100 , i.e., to miniaturize the main body  100 . In particular, in the present embodiment the image forming cartridge  10 K is arranged at a position closer to the second transfer portion  37 , i.e., the image forming cartridges  10 Y,  10 C,  10 M and  10 K are slanted such that the image forming cartridge  10   k  is located below the image forming cartridges  10 Y,  10 C and  10 M. The black image forming cartridge  10 K is arranged at a position closer to the second transfer portion  37  to produce a black toner image at a time less than those of the other toner images because black toner images are formed more frequently than the other toner images.  
         [0063]    By thus slantingly arranging the devices in the main body  100 , a free space S is formed between the image forming cartridges  10 Y,  10 C,  10 M and  10 K and the paper supplying cassette  41 .  
         [0064]    This image forming apparatus includes a waste toner collecting device  60  which collects waste toners produced by cleaning operations of the cleaners  15 Y,  15 C,  15 M and  15 K to contain the waste toners in a waste toner container  16  (hereinafter referred to as a container).  
         [0065]    As illustrated in FIG. 4, the waste toner collecting device  60  includes the container  16 , feeding pipes  61 Y,  61 C,  61 M and  61 K, which serve as waste toner feeding passages and which are connected with the cleaners  15 Y,  15 C,  15 M and  15 K, and screws (not shown) which are arranged in the feeding pipes  61 Y,  61 C,  61 M and  61 K and which are driven by a driving motor (not shown).  
         [0066]    Referring to FIG. 1, the container  16  is detachably set in the main body  100  to be replaced with new one when desired. When the container  16  is fully filled with waste toners, a sensor  21  provided on the main body  100  activates.  
         [0067]    When color images are formed in the image forming apparatus, image forming operations similar to the black image forming operation mentioned above are performed in the image forming cartridges  10 Y,  10 C and  10 M, resulting in formation of yellow, cyan and magenta toner images. The thus prepared color toner images are sequentially transferred onto proper positions of the intermediate transfer belt  31  so as to be overlaid thereon. The thus prepared color toner images are transferred onto the receiving paper P, which is supplied from the paper supplying cassette  41  and fed by the paper supplying roller  43  and the pair of registration rollers  44 , at the second transfer portion  37  by the second transfer roller  36 .  
         [0068]    The receiving paper P having the color toner images thereon is fed to the fixing device  50  so that the color toner images are fixed on the receiving paper P at the nip between the fixing roller  51  and the pressure roller  52 . The receiving paper P having a fixed full color image thereon is then discharged on the discharge tray  56  by the pair of discharge rollers  55  which are located on the downstream side from the fixing device  50  relative to the paper feeding direction.  
         [0069]    Similarly to the case of the photoreceptor drum  12 K, toner particles remaining on the intermediate transfer belt  31  without being transferred onto the receiving paper P are collected by a belt cleaner  18 . The collected waste toners are fed to the container  16  through a feeding screw  19  and a waste toner feeding passage (not shown).  
         [0070]    [0070]FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the image forming apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1. Provided that the side of the image forming apparatus from which the paper supplying cassette  41  is pulled in a direction indicated by an arrow A is a front side of the image forming apparatus, the left side of the main body  100  has a side cover  101  which is supported by the main body  100  so as to be opened or shut as illustrated in FIG. 3.  
         [0071]    The container  16  is arranged so as to be detached from the main body  100  when the side cover  101  is opened. The container  16  is set from the outside to the main body  100  in a direction indicated by an arrow C. By pulling the container  16  in a direction indicated by an arrow B, the container  16  can be detached from the main body  100 .  
         [0072]    The sensor  21  is arranged on the main body  100  so as to be located over the container  16  when the container  16  is set in the main body  100 .  
         [0073]    Namely, when the container  16  is replaced with new one, the sensor  21  is not replaced, resulting in cost saving of the container  16 .  
         [0074]    Referring to FIG. 4, the container  16  is located below the cleaners  15 Y,  15 C,  15 M and  15 K. The container  16  has a rectangular form and a slanted surface  16 A which is located on an upper portion thereof so as to face the cleaners  15 Y,  15 C,  15 M and  15 K. Namely, the height and volume of the container  16  are different in each portion of the container in the direction A. The slanted surface  16 A has substantially the same angle of inclination as that of a line L which is obtained by connecting cleaners  150 Y,  150 C,  150 M and  150  K (i.e., which is obtained by connecting the photoreceptor drums  12 Y,  12 C,  12 M and  12 K).  
         [0075]    In the present embodiment, the intermediate transfer belt  31  is arranged such that a side  31 A of the intermediate transfer belt  31 , which faces the photoreceptor drums  12 Y,  12 C,  12 M and  12  K, is substantially parallel to the line L. By arranging the slanted surface  16 A so as to be parallel to the line L, the interval between the slanted surface  16 A and the cleaners  150 Y,  150 C,  150 M and  150 K can be maintained to be uniform, and thereby the same pipe can be used for the feeding pipes  61 Y,  61 C,  61 M and  61 K, resulting in reduction of part costs. In addition, intervals P 1 , P 2  and P 3  between the feeding pipes  61 Y,  61 C,  61 M and  61 K are the same.  
         [0076]    The container  16  has openings  62 ,  63 ,  64  and  65  which are connected with one end of the respective feeding pipes  61 Y,  61 C,  61 M and  61 K. On an uppermost surface  16 B of the container  16 , an opening  66  through which the sensor  21  can detect the volume of the waste toner contained in the container  16 . The opening  66  may be connected with the feeding screw  19  (illustrated in FIG. 1) using a toner passage.  
         [0077]    In the container  16 , a screw member  67 , which transports a waste toner T collected and contained in the container  16 , is provided at a location below the openings  62 ,  63 ,  64  and  65  so as to face the openings. Both ends of the screw member  67  are rotatably supported by the container  16 , and a lower end  67   a  extends from the container  16 . A drive force transmitting member  68  is arranged so as to be unitedly rotated with the screw member  67 . The screw member  67  is set so as to transfer the waste toner in the container  16  in such a direction that the waste toner is distanced from the openings when the screw member  67  is rotated in a direction.  
         [0078]    In the present embodiment, the screw member  67  is arranged so as to extend from the lower portion  67 A toward the uppermost surface  16 B to transport the waste toner T from the lower portion of the container  16  toward the higher portion thereof when a driving force is transmitted to the screw member  67 .  
         [0079]    Then the operations of the waste toner collecting device  60  will be explained. Referring to FIG. 4, the waste toners collected by the cleaners  15 Y,  15 C,  15 M and  15   k  are fed to the container  16  by the feeding screws  17 Y,  17 C,  17 M and  17 K through the feeding pipes  61 Y,  61 C,  61 M and  61 K. Thus, the waste toners are contained in the container  16 .  
         [0080]    Since the height of the container  16  changes in the direction A, the capacity of each portion of the container  16  to contain the waste toner changes depending on the location of the portion. Provided that the same quantity of waste toner is collected from each feeding pipe, the portion of the container  16  below the opening  65  is fully filled with the waste toner relatively quickly compared to the portion below the opening  62 . In this case, when the volume of the waste toner is detected by the sensor  21  which is located at a position close to the opening  62 , a problem in that the waste toner overflows the container through the opening  65  or the feeding pipe  61 K is clogged with the waste toner tends to occur.  
         [0081]    In the present embodiment, since the screw member  67 , which is rotated by receiving a driving force, is provided in the container  16 , the waste toner deposited at the portion of the container having a short height is transported toward the portion having a long height, i.e., a piled waste toner is corrupted. Therefore, even when the container  16  has such a special form as illustrated, occurrence of problems such that the waste toner overflows the container through the opening  65  or the feeding pipe  61 K is clogged with the waste toner and the piled waste toner is firmly fixed in the container can be prevented. Thus, it is possible to make good use of the internal space of the container  16 , and thereby the replace cycle of the container  16  can be extended, resulting in reduction of maintenance time and costs.  
         [0082]    In addition, the container  16  includes the openings  62 ,  63 ,  64  and  65  which are connected with the respective feeding pipes  61 Y,  61 C,  61 M and  61 K, and therefore collection of the waste toner can be efficiently performed.  
         [0083]    [0083]FIG. 5 illustrates another embodiment of the container  16  in which only the opening  66  is provided on the uppermost surface  16 B thereof. By forming the opening  66  at the uppermost surface  16 B, the waste toner is at first contained on the portion having a long height. Therefore, this embodiment has an advantage such that the sensing result of the sensor  21  represents almost accurately the volume of the waste toner contained in the container  16 . In this case, since the waste toner is mainly piled on a portion below the opening  66 , the screw member  67  is preferably arranged so as to transport the waste toner in a direction such that the waste toner is distanced from the opening  66  (i.e., in a direction from the side of the opening  66  toward the end  67   a  of the screw member  67 ). Namely, the screw is rotated in a direction opposite that in the case illustrated in FIG. 4.  
         [0084]    In this embodiment in which the container  16  has only the opening  66 , the end portions of the feeding pipes  61 Y,  61 C,  61 M and  61 K illustrated in FIG. 4 may be connected with each other to be connected with the opening  66 . Alternatively, as illustrated in FIG. 5, the waste toners produced by the cleaners  15 Y,  15 C,  15 M and  15 K collected through the feeding pipe  61 P.  
         [0085]    Since the container  16  has to be detachably set in the main body  100 , it is preferable to form an opening  66 A having an area greater than that of the cross section of the feeding pipe  61 P as illustrated in FIG. 6. By forming such an opening  66 , the container changing operation and a pipe setting operation can be easily performed. In this case, it is preferable to provide a member made of a sponge between the pipe  61 P and the opening  66 A in order to prevent occurrence of toner scattering and toner leakage. Alternatively, a method in which the opening  66 A may be sealed with a thin film before usage, and the pipe  61 P is inserted into the opening  66 A while braking the thin film when the container  16  is set in the main body  100 . Needless to say, the openings  62  to  65  can also have the same configuration as that mentioned above.  
         [0086]    As illustrated in FIG. 7, the feeding pipes  61 Y,  61 C,  61 M and  61 K can be arranged so as to be located below the slanted surface  16 A through a side surface  16 C of the container  16 . In this case, the openings  62  to  65  are located below the slanted surface  16 A or on the side surface  16 C.  
         [0087]    [0087]FIG. 8 illustrates another embodiment of the waste toner collecting device  60 A using a belt member  70  as the waste toner transporter. The belt member  70  is rotatably stretched by pulleys  71  and  72  which are provided in the container  16 . Plural steps are formed on the belt member  70  to easily transport the collected waste toner T. In this embodiment, the pulley  71  is provided at a position near the opening  66  and the pulley  72  is provided at a position below the opening  65 . Thus, the belt member  70  is located so as to be parallel to the slanted surface  16 A. The pulley  72  is connected with driving means (not shown) and receives a driving force therefrom such that the belt member  70  is rotated in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 8.  
         [0088]    Even in this embodiment using the belt member  70 , the waste toner piled on a portion of the container having a short height is fed by the belt member  70  toward a portion having a long height, resulting in corruption of the waste toner piled on the portion having a short height. Therefore, even when the container  16  has a special form, occurrence of problems such that the waste toner leaks from the opening  65  or the feeding pipe  61  K is clogged with the waste toner and the piled waste toner is firmly fixed in the container can be prevented. Thus, it is possible to make good use of the internal space of the container  16 , and thereby the replace cycle of the container  16  can be extended, resulting in reduction of maintenance time and costs.  
         [0089]    [0089]FIG. 9 illustrates another embodiment of the container  16  in which plural waste toner transporters, i.e., screws  67  and  167 , are provided. The constitution of the container  16  itself is the same as that of the container  16  illustrated in FIG. 4. The screw  167  has the same constitution as that of the screw  67 . The screws  67  and  167  are connected with each other using plural gears  80  so as to rotate in the same direction.  
         [0090]    By providing the plural screws  67  and  167  in the container  16 , the waste toner piled on a portion of the container having a short height can be transferred to a portion having a long height more efficiently. Therefore, even when the container  16  has a special form, occurrence of problems such that the waste toner leaks from the opening  65  or the feeding pipe  61  K is clogged with the waste toner and the piled waste toner is firmly fixed in the container can be prevented. Thus, it is possible to make good use of the internal space of the container, and thereby the replace cycle of the container  16  can be extended, resulting in reduction of maintenance time and costs.  
         [0091]    In this embodiment, two screws  67  and  167  are provided above and below as the waste toner transferee. However, other constitutions such that plural belt members are provided in the axis direction of the pulleys  71  and  72  can also be adopted.  
         [0092]    [0092]FIG. 10 illustrates another embodiment of the container  16  in which screws  267   a ,  267   b ,  267   c  and  267   d  are partially formed on portions of a screw member  267  so as to be located below the openings  62 ,  63 ,  64  and  65 , respectively. The screw member  267  is rotatably supported by the container  16 , and a lower end  267   e  of the screw member  267  extends from the container  16 . On the end  267   e , a drive force transmitting member  68  is provided so as to be rotated together with the screw member  267 . Namely, by transmitting a driving force to the drive force transmitting member  68 , the screw member  267  is rotated.  
         [0093]    The waste toner T is typically piled like mountains on the portions of the container  16  below the openings. By rotating the screw member  267 , the screws  267   a - 267   d  rotate and thereby the piled waste toner T is corrupted and the waste toner contained in a portion having a short height is transferred toward a portion having a long height. Therefore, even when the container  16  has a special form, occurrence of problems such that the waste toner leaks from the opening  65  or the feeding pipe  61  K is clogged with the waste toner and the piled waste toner is firmly fixed in the container can be prevented. Thus, it is possible to make good use of the internal space of the container, and thereby the replace cycle of the container  16  can be extended, resulting in reduction of maintenance time and costs.  
         [0094]    [0094]FIG. 11 illustrates another embodiment in which the waste toner transporter has a different transporting capacity in each portion of the container such that the transporting capacity is inversely proportional to a height of the portion. In the container  16  illustrated in FIG. 11, H 1  represents a height of a portion having a long height (i.e., a portion on the side of the opening  62 ) and H 2  (&lt;H 1 ) represents a height of a portion having a short height (i.e., a portion on the side of the opening  65 ).  
         [0095]    In this case, the portion having a height H 2  is fully filled with the waste toner more quickly than the portion having a height H 1 . Namely, the top of the mountain of the waste toner at the portion having a height H 2  reaches more quickly than the portion having a height H 1 .  
         [0096]    In the container  16  illustrated in FIG. 11, a portion of a screw member  367  near the opening  65  has a transporting capacity greater than that of a portion of the screw member  367  near the opening  62 . The transporting capacity can be changed by changing the diameter or pitch of the screw. By providing such a screw member  367 , the waste toner piled on a portion having a short height (or a portion on which waste toner tends to be quickly piled) can be transported in a larger amount than that for other portions. Therefore, even when the container  16  has a special form, occurrence of problems such that the waste toner leaks from the opening  65  or the feeding pipe  61  K is clogged with the waste toner and the piled waste toner is firmly fixed in the container can be prevented. Thus, it is possible to make good use of the internal space of the container, and thereby the replace cycle of the container  16  can be extended, resulting in reduction of maintenance time and costs.  
         [0097]    [0097]FIG. 12 illustrates another embodiment of the container  16  which can be stably fixed on a plane  97 . In this embodiment plural legs  90  are provided on a bottom surface  16 D of the container  16 . Therefore, the bottom surface does not contacted with the plane  97 . The legs  90  are preferably provided at the four corners of the container  16 , but the container  16  can be supported by three legs, two of which are provided below the portion having a short height and the other of which is provided below the portion having a long height, and vice versa.  
         [0098]    When the container  16  has such a constitution, the container  16  can be stably set on a plane while the container can be easy to handle when replaced.  
         [0099]    [0099]FIG. 13 illustrates another container  160  which includes a portion  260  having the slanted surface  260 A and a portion  261  having a rectangular form. The portions  260  and  261  are connected with each other so as to have one space therein.  
         [0100]    By using such a container  160 , a large amount of waste toner can be contained therein. Therefore, even when the container  160  has a special form, occurrence of problems such that the waste toner leaks from the opening  65  or the feeding pipe  61  K is clogged with the waste toner and the piled waste toner is firmly fixed in the container can be prevented. Thus, it is possible to make good use of the internal space of the container  160 , and thereby the replace cycle of the container  160  can be extended, resulting in reduction of maintenance time and costs.  
         [0101]    [0101]FIGS. 14 and 15 illustrate embodiments of the waste toner transporting device for use in the present invention. The waste toner transporting device  200  illustrated in FIG. 14 has a waste toner transporter and a driving device  110 . The waste toner transporting device  300  illustrated in FIG. 15 has a waste toner transporter and a driving device  120 . In this case, the screw member  67  is used as the waste toner transporter but the waste toner transporter is not limited thereto and may be a belt member or the like.  
         [0102]    Referring to FIG. 14, the driving device  110  has a driving motor  111  and a drive force transmitting device  112  which transmits a driving force to the screw member  67 . The drive force transmitting device  112  includes a spur gear  68  provided on the end  67   a  of the screw member  67  and a group of gears which transmits the driving force from the motor  111  to the spur gear  68 .  
         [0103]    The group of gears includes a gear  69  which is provided at an end of a shaft  115  arranged so as to be parallel to the screw member  67 ; a bevel gear  114  which is provided on the other end of the shaft  115 ; and a bevel gear  113  provided on a driving shaft of the motor  111 . The spur gear  69  is engaged with the spur gear  68  and the bevel gear  114  is engaged with the bevel gear  113 . The spur gear  69 , bevel gears  113  and  114 , and the driving motor  111  are arranged inside the main body  100  in FIG. 3. Referring to FIG. 3, when the container  16  is set in the main body in a direction indicated by the arrow C, the spur gear  68  is engaged with the spur gear  69 .  
         [0104]    In the driving device  110  having such a constitution, when the motor  111  rotates and a shaft  111   a  thereof rotates, the driving force is transmitted to the screw member  67  via the group of gears  113 ,  114 ,  69  and  68 , and thereby the screw member  67  can be rotated.  
         [0105]    Referring to FIG. 15, the driving device  120  has the driving motor  111  and a drive force transmitting device  121  which transmits a driving force of the motor  111  to the screw member  67 . The drive force transmitting device  111  includes the bevel gear  114  provided on the end  67   a  of the screw member  67  and the bevel gear  113  which transmits the driving force of the motor  111  to the bevel gear  114 .  
         [0106]    The bevel gear  113  is provided on the shaft  111   a  of the motor  111 , and the driving motor  111  and the bevel gear  113  are provided inside the main body  100  in FIG. 3. Referring to FIG. 3, when the container  16  is set in the main body in a direction indicated by the arrow C, the bevel gear  114  is engaged with the bevel gear  113 .  
         [0107]    In the drive force transmitting device  120  having such a constitution, when the motor  111  rotates and the shaft  111   a  thereof rotates, the driving force is transmitted to the screw member  67  via the bevel gears  113  and  114 , and thereby the screw member  67  can be rotated.  
         [0108]    By using bevel gears or spur gears for the drive force transmitting devices  112  and  121 , the loss in transmitting a driving force is relatively small, and in addition replacement of the container  16  can be relatively easily performed compared to a case in which a belt or a pulley is used.  
         [0109]    This document claims priority and contains subject matter related to Japanese Patent Application No. 2002-266886, filed on Sep. 12, 2002, incorporated herein by reference.  
         [0110]    Having now fully described the invention, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that many changes and modifications can be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth therein.