Patent Publication Number: US-2016223943-A1

Title: Developer container, image forming unit, and image forming apparatus

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims priority benefits under 35 USC, section 119 on the basis of Japanese Patent Application No. 2015-016476, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates to a developer container containing a developer such as, e.g., toner, an image forming unit having the developer container, and an image forming apparatus having the image forming unit. 
     2. Description of Related art 
     Developer units mounted on conventional image forming apparatuses are provided generally with an identification label printed with a logo on its top surface (see, generally Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2000-338830). With the developer unit described above, however, the identification label may be peeled off, or foreign objects may be attached on the surface of the identification label, where the identification label printed with the logo on its top surface is adhered, and there raises a problem such that the logo becomes not easily recognizable. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     To solve the above problem, a developer container according to the invention has an indication formation portion for forming an identification indication. The developer container comprises: an outline portion outlining a shape of the identification indication, the outline portion being formed projecting from a top surface of the indication formation portion; and a content region surrounded by the outline portion, the content region being formed recessing from a top of the outline portion toward a back side of the indication formation portion. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description of the invention, will be better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there are shown in the drawings embodiments which are presently preferred. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown. In the drawings: 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic perspective view showing an appearance of a printer according to a first embodiment of the invention, when covers of the printer are opened; 
         FIG. 2  is a diagram showing the printer according to the first embodiment; 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic perspective view showing an appearance of a developer unit for the printer according to the first embodiment; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view showing a logo according to the first embodiment; 
         FIG. 5  is a cross section, showing the logo, taken along V-V line when viewed in the arrow direction in  FIG. 4 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view showing a comparative example of the logo according to the first embodiment; 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view showing another comparative example of the logo according to the first embodiment; 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view showing a logo according to a second embodiment; and 
         FIG. 9  is a cross section, showing the logo, taken along IX-IX line when viewed in the arrow direction in  FIG. 8 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
     Hereinafter, embodiments according to the invention are described in detail with reference to the drawings. It is to be noted that the following description shows embodiments of the invention, and this invention is not limited to the embodiments described below. This invention is not limited to those of arrangements, layouts, sizes, size ratios, etc. shown in the respective drawings. 
     First Embodiment 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 to 7 , a printer and a developer unit according to this embodiment are described. The printer  1  as an image forming apparatus according to this embodiment is a printer of an electrophotographic method, and as shown in  FIGS. 1, 2 , a paper conveyance route  4  having such as plural conveyance rollers  3  is arranged in approximately a letter-S shape in an apparatus body  2  formed with an upper cover  2   a  and a front cover  2   b,  which are structured openably. 
     A paper cassette  6  containing paper as media for printing is disposed at a lower portion of the apparatus body  2 . A feeding roller  6  is disposed at a connection point of one end of the paper conveyance route  4  for feeding the paper sheet by sheet to the paper conveyance route  4  from the paper cassette  5 . A stacker  8  for stacking the printed paper delivered from delivery rollers  7  provided at the other end of the paper conveyance route  4  is arranged on a top surface of the upper cover  2   a.    
     Along the paper conveyance route  4  in the conveyance direction of the paper (hereinafter called to as the paper conveyance direction), arranged are the plural conveyance rollers  3 , a conveyance belt  9  conveying the fed paper upon attaching the paper with electrostatic effect, and a fixing unit  10  serving as a fixing means for fixing toner images as developer images with pressure and heat onto the paper. Plural developer units  11  as image forming units facing a top surface of the conveyance belt  9  over the conveyance route  4 , and transfer rollers  12  as developer image transfer means disposed in facing the respective developer units  11  inside the conveyance belt  9  are arranged on an upstream side in the paper conveyance direction of the fixing unit  10 . 
     The developer units  11  of this embodiment are detachably attached with respective toner cartridges  15  serving as developer containers containing respective toners as developers in respectively setting colors, or namely K color (black), Y color (yellow), M color (magenta), and C color (cyan). Those, four developer units  11   k,    11   y ,  11   m,    11   c  are disposed in a sequence to form toner images along the paper conveyance direction, and is structured as detachably attaching to the printer  1 , respectively. 
     The developer unit  11  includes such as, e.g., in addition to the toner cartridge  15  described above, a photosensitive drum  17  serving as an image carrier for forming electrostatic latent images with an exposure head  16  as an exposure means, a charge roller  18  serving as a charge means for charging the photosensitive drum  17  uniformly, a developing roller  19  serving as a developer carrier for developing the electrostatic latent images on the photosensitive drum  17  in attaching the toner, a supply roller  20  serving as a developer supply means for supplying the toner to the developing roller  19 , and a developing blade  21  serving as a developer layer limiting member for making the toner thickness on the surface of the developer roller  19  thin in a prescribed thickness. 
     The developer unit  11  according to this embodiment is, as shown in  FIG. 3 , formed with an indication formation portion  31  for forming a logotype or logo  30  serving as an identification indication for identifying the maker as a source of manufacture, such as, e.g., name, abbreviation, code, number, and trademark of the maker manufacturing this developer unit  11  or the toner cartridge  15 , on a top surface of the container body or housing of the toner cartridge  15 . The indication formation portion  31  is made on an outer surface of a container body, or a body or housing of the toner cartridge  15 , and is preferably made in a united body with the outer surface of the container body. 
     The logo  30  of this embodiment is structured with plural letters, or namely in this embodiment, three “O” as shown in  FIGS. 4, 5 . An outline portion  32  in a shape appeared as the letter itself is formed as a projecting portion projecting from a top surface  31   a  as an outer side surface of the indication formation portion  31 , or namely as a projecting portion having a substantially rectangular cross section such that a top surface  32   a  of the outline portion  32  is projecting outwardly from the top surface  31   a  of the indication formation portion  31  (see,  FIG. 5 ). In other words, the outline portion  32  is projecting outwardly from the top surface of the indication formation portion  31 . 
     A content region  33  as a region surrounded by the outline portion  32  is formed as a recess having a substantially rectangular cross section grooved from the top surface  32   a  of the outline portion  32  toward a back surface  31   b  as an inner side surface of the indication formation portion  31 , and preferably as shown in  FIG. 5 , a bottom surface  33   a  is located at a level grooved from the top surface  32   a  of the outline portion  32  toward the back surface  31   b  of the indication formation portion  31 , or namely is formed at a position closer to the back surface  31   b  with respect to the top surface  31   a  of the indication formation portion  31 . In other words, the content region  33  is formed as recessing inwardly from a top surface  32   a  of the outline portion. 32 . The logo  30  is uniformly molded through a molding method such as, e.g., an injection molding for resin materials when the container body of the toner cartridge  15  is manufactured. With this molding, the logo  30  according to this embodiment can stop occurrences of peeling in a case that a label is adhered. 
     As described above, in this embodiment, the logo  30  is formed with the outline portion  32  as the projecting portion and with the content region  33  as the recess surrounded by the outline portion  32 , and therefore, the logo  30  can be easily recognized even where the logo  30  is worn out, cut off, or subject to defects such as cracking due to contacts among parts or contacts with other parts during transportation and use of, e.g., the developer unit  11  and the toner cartridge  15 , and even where foreign objects such as dusts are attached or accumulated. 
     That is, as shown with a comparative example in  FIG. 6 , where a logo  30 A is formed only from a projecting portion  35  projecting from the top surface  31   a  of the indication formation portion  31 , the logo  30 A may not be recognized if a part or all of the shape of the projecting portion  35  is lost. As shown with a comparative example in  FIG. 7 , where a logo  30 B is formed only from a recess  36  grooved from the top surface  31   a  of the indication formation portion  31 , the logo  30 B may not be recognized if the recess  36  is filled where foreign objects are attached or accumulated to a part or all of the bottom of the recess  36 . 
     To the contrary, the logo  30  according to the embodiment is formed with the outline portion  32  as the projecting portion projecting from the top surface  31   a  of the indication formation portion  31  and with the content region  33  as the recess portion surrounded by the outline portion  32  having the bottom surface  33   a  formed closer to a side of the back surface  31   b  with respect to the top surface  31   a  of the indication formation portion  31 , so that the content region  33  formed as the recess portion maintains the shape of the logo  30  even where the outline portion  32  as the projecting portion is suffered from a loss or losses, and so that the logo  30  can be recognized easily. The outline portion  32  as the projecting portion also maintains the shape of the logo  30  even where the content region  33  as the recess portion is filled due to attachment or accumulation of foreign objects, so that the logo  30  can be recognized easily. 
     Second Embodiment 
     Hereinafter, referring to  FIGS. 8, 9 , a logo according to this embodiment is described. It is to be noted that the same portions as those in the first embodiment are assigned with the same reference numbers, and the description for the portions is omitted for the sake of brevity. With the logo  30 C according to the second embodiment, as shown in  FIG. 8 ,  FIG. 9 , the outline portion  32  in a shape appeared as the letter itself is formed, in substantially the same way as that in the first embodiment, as a projecting portion having a substantially rectangular cross section projecting from the top surface  31   a  of the indication formation portion  31  (see,  FIG. 9 ). 
     The content region  33  surrounded by the outline portion  32  is formed, in substantially the same way as that in the first embodiment, as a recess having a substantially rectangular cross section grooved from the top surface  32   a  of the outline portion  32  toward the back surface  31   b  of the indication formation portion  31 . As shown in  FIG. 9 , the bottom surface  33   a  is formed at a position grooved from the top surface  32   a  of the outline portion  32  toward the back surface  31   b  of the indication formation portion  31  as well as at a position outer than the top surface  31   a  of the indication formation portion  31 , or namely at a position closer to the top surface  32   a  of the outline portion  32 . 
     A back surface content region  41  as a part of the back surface  31   b  of the indication formation portion  31  corresponding to the recessed bottom surface  33   a  of the content region  33  is formed as a recess portion having a substantially rectangular cross section grooved toward the top surface  31   a  of the indication formation portion  31 , and preferably, a back surface  41   a  of a recess portion of the back surface content region  41  is formed at a position closer to the top surface  32   a  of the outline portion  32  with respect to the top surface  31   a  of the indication formation portion  31  and at a position opposing to the bottom surface  33   a  of the content region  33  over a prescribed thickness, or namely at a position between the top surface  31   a  of the indication formation portion  31  and the recessed bottom surface  33   a  of the content region  33 . That is, the bottom surface  33   a  of the content region  33  has a back surface  41   a  recessing outwardly from the inner surface, or namely the back surface  31   b , of the housing of the toner cartridge  15 . The back surface  41   a  of the bottom surface  33   a  of the content region  33  is located at a position outer than the inner surface, or namely the back surface  31   b,  of the housing of the toner cartridge  15 . 
     With this structure, in addition to substantially the same advantages brought from the first embodiment, the toner contained in the container may be leaked out if the outline portion  32  as the projecting portion or the bottom surface  33   a  of the recess portion of the content region  33  is worn out, cut off, or damaged with some loss due to, e.g., contacts and collisions among the parts during transportation of the logo  30 C, so that failures of the parts such as toner cartridges  15  during transportation may be discovered easily, thereby making the quality of the shopped parts further stable. 
     In the above embodiments, the recess portions and the projecting portions of the logos  30 ,  30 C are described as molded in a united body when the container body forming the logos  30 ,  30 C is molded with a resin or resins, but when the container body such as, e.g., the toner cartridge is made of a metal material, the logos  30 ,  30 C may be machined or pressed, or may be made from, e.g., cold forging. 
     With the above embodiments, the developer container is described as the toner cartridge  15 , the developer container is not limited to the toner cartridge, but can be a developer container such as a toner bottle to supply toner to be filled in, e.g., the toner cartridge  15 . In such a case, the logos  30 ,  30 C may be formed at the indication formation portion  31  arranged at a side surface or shoulder of the bottle. 
     In the above embodiments, the image forming apparatus is described as the printer of the electrophotographic method, but the image forming apparatus is not limited to the above apparatus, but is applicable to any apparatus as far as it is such as printer, facsimile machine, and photocopier forming monochrome or multicolor images on media such as, e.g, printing papers, envelopes, OHP sheets, and roll papers in use of the electrophotographic method. 
     While only selected embodiments have been chosen to illustrate the present invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure that various changes and modifications can be made herein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. Furthermore, the foregoing descriptions of the embodiments according to the present invention are provided for illustration only, and not for the purpose of limiting the invention as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.