Patent Publication Number: US-6337965-B1

Title: Compact toner supply device capable of preventing inadvertant removal of toner bottle and scattering of toner

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a toner supply device which is for use in a copying machine, a printer, and a facsimile machine utilizing electrophotographic system therein. 
     A conventional toner supply device has a structure in which a toner bottle is randomly removable regardless of presence of toner in the toner bottle. This causes a problem that toner in the toner bottle is scattered, when a user removes the toner bottle by mistake in spite of toner remaining in the toner bottle. 
     Accordingly, some toner supply devices have been proposed to solve the above-mentioned problem. For example, one toner supply device has an added function to disable an inadvertent removal of a toner bottle, or another toner supply device has a lid automatically covering a toner delivery outlet of the toner bottle when the toner bottle is removed. 
     However, such a conventional toner supply device becomes complicated in mechanical structures. Further another conventional toner supply device requires complicated mechanism to be added on a side of the toner bottle, although the toner bottle is consumable. Consequently, none of the conventional toner supply devices is free from problems that running costs get uneconomical. 
     For example, a toner supply device described in unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei 6-274028, namely 274028/1994 is equipped with a function to disable an inadvertent removal of a toner bottle as well as a function to close a lid a toner delivery outlet of the toner bottle when the toner bottle is removed. However the toner supply device described in the above-mentioned paper inevitably becomes very complicated in structure. 
     At first, a mechanism to disable the inadvertent removal of the toner bottle is composed of not only a protrusion provided on an outer surface of a cap of the toner bottle but also a generally L shaped groove provided on an inner surface of the bottle holder secured on a body side of the toner supply device. 
     However, in this structure, it is required to hold a protrusion of the above-mentioned cap in a draw protective position in the above-mentioned groove while the toner remains. Further, it is also required to shift the protrusion to a draw permissible position in the above-mentioned groove by rotating the above-mentioned cap at the same time. 
     Consequently, it is required that a rotary drive mechanism of a toner bottle is supplied with a reverse rotation preventing mechanism (worm and wheel) to hold a protrusion of the above-mentioned cap in a draw protective position in the above-mentioned groove but also a backlash mechanism (two pairs of gear equipped with pins of special shape) to develop play positively in the rotary drive mechanism. In addition, there is caused a problem in control that the above-mentioned rotary drive mechanism must reverse its operation whenever a toner bottle is removed. This is because the above-mentioned cap may not be rotated unless the above-mentioned play is transposed into a reversal direction. 
     Further, the device has a composition in which the cap of the toner bottle is integrally fixed in the bottle holder secured on a body side of the device, although the device has a structure to feed toner utilizing a conveyance function of a helical protrusion caused by rotation of the bottle. As a result, in order to rotate the toner bottle, a structure between a toner bottle and a cap must be rotatable. Accordingly, the toner bottle inevitably becomes complicated in composition. 
     In addition, the body of the toner bottle cannot be rotated without providing a module (a tooth of a gear) for rotating the body of the toner bottle integrally therewith. Besides, a toner delivery outlet outlet is provided in the cap of the toner bottle at a lateral side of an end surface thereof. A lid, which is automatically closed when the toner bottle is removed, is provided in the portion. However, the lid cannot be reusable, since the lid is mounted on the cap of the toner bottle integrally. 
     Thus, the toner bottle is composed of at least a body portion having a helical protrusion and a module, a cap rotatably mounted with respect to the body portion, and a reclosable lid mounted on the cap. Therefore, each of these components must be replaced with the new one in the event of running out of toner. Problems are caused to occur in aspects of running costs, and so forth. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a toner supply device which can solve the defects of the above-mentioned prior art, which has a toner bottle and a body both having a simple structure, and which can surely prevent an inadvertent removal of a toner bottle or scattering of toner. 
     Other objects of the present invention will become clear as the description proceeds. 
     The present invention is of a toner supply device providing a cylindrical toner bottle which provides a toner delivery outlet on a lateral of an end portion and a helical protrusion for movement of fine particle toward the toner delivery outlet inside, a bottle holder which holds the toner bottle removably and rotates integrally with the bottle holder, a latch mechanism connecting the bottle holder and the above-mentioned toner bottle, a toner transfer mechanism disposed below the bottle holder to feed toner delivered from the toner bottle to a toner cartridge for development, driving means for rotating or stop driving the bottle holder, and a control portion to control driving means in predetermined timing, 
     consisting of the above-mentioned latch mechanism comprising a protruding portion protruding from a lateral of the toner bottle and an incised groove which is formed in the bottle holder along an inserting direction of the toner bottle engaging to the above-mentioned protruding portion, 
     and having a composition characterized in disposing a ring member to hold the toner bottle rotatably and to prevent the toner bottle from coming off the bottle holder on the toner bottle inserting side of the above-mentioned bottle holder, in providing an incised portion permitting a passage of a protruding portion of the toner bottle in a portion of the ring member, and in placing the incised portion at a position slightly rotated from the position of the above-mentioned incised groove specified in the event that the above-mentioned toner delivery outlet outlet faces upward. 
     Because of the composition wherein the helical protrusion in the toner bottle exert to feed toner by a rotation of the bottle holder holding the toner bottle, it is not necessary to rotate the toner bottle providing a module in the toner bottle itself, to compose the toner bottle by dividing it into a body portion and a cap, nor to make it rotatable between the body portion and the cap. Therefore, a structure of a toner bottle which is consumable is simplified and reduction of running costs may be possible. 
     And an inadvertent performance of removing the toner bottle is prevented, as removing the toner bottle out of the bottle holder is limited only when the position of the incised groove formed in the bottle holder meets the position of the incised portion of the ring member. 
     And in the state that the performance of removing the toner bottle is permitted, that is, the position of the incised groove meets the position of the incised portion, the toner delivery outlet outlet always faces generally upward (a position slightly rotated from a position facing straight up) and a performance of removing the toner bottle is prevented from inadvertent scattering of toner. 
     Therefore, providing the cap to prevent scattering of toner in the toner bottle is not necessarily required and simplifying the structure of the toner bottle which is consumable is possible. 
     It is also possible to form the ring member annularly, independently. 
     And inside of the annular member may be able to hold the toner bottle from outside of it. 
     Besides, supply of toner may be automatically controlled by equipping the above-mentioned toner cartridge for development with a toner detecting sensor which detects the presence of toner in the toner cartridge for development and by providing a toner supply control function which operates based on a signal which indicates emptiness of toner from the above-mentioned toner detecting sensor and controls the above-mentioned driving means in the above-mentioned control portion. 
     Accordingly, automatic toner supply is possible by accurate detecting of shortage of toner in the toner cartridge for development. 
     And when the toner delivery outlet of the bottle holder is disposed facing upward, a toner delivery outlet detecting sensor to detect it is provided on the body side of the device, and a toner delivery outlet positioning control function which operates based on the signal which indicates the presence of toner from the toner detecting sensor and controls driving means so that the above-mentioned toner delivery outlet is disposed facing upward is provided in the above-mentioned control portion. 
     According to the composition, while toner remains in the toner cartridge for development, a rotated position of the bottle holder is held in the state that the toner delivery outlet faces upward. In such state, there is a deviation between the positions of incised portion in the ring member and incised groove in the bottle holder, and the performance of removing a toner bottle is disturbed and disabled by the protruding portion. That is, in the state that the toner supply device doesn&#39;t require any replacement of a toner bottle, a inadvertent performance of removing a toner bottle is disabled. 
     And input means to command replacement of a toner bottle is provided a toner replacement positioning control function which operates based on toner bottle replacement command from the above-mentioned input means and which controls the above-mentioned driving means so that the bottle holder rotates to reach the position where the above-mentioned toner delivery outlet is slightly rotated from the position facing upward, that is, where the incised portion of the ring member meets the incised groove of the bottle holder is provided in the above-mentioned control portion. 
     According to the composition, it is possible to bring about a state that a toner bottle is removable by a simple operation on input means. And at this point, only controlling the rotated position with respect to driving means is required and provision of a complicated mechanism with respect to driving means as conventional is not necessary and it results a simplication of structure of the overall toner supply device. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a conceptual view showing a composition of the primary portion of a toner supply device; 
     FIG. 2 is a conceptual view showing a relation of mounting position of a ring member for stopper with respect to a bottle holder; 
     FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a toner bottle; 
     FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a configuration of the bottle holder having the toner bottle mounted thereon; 
     FIG. 5 is a simplified perspective view showing an external view of a copying machine providing the toner supply device of the same embodiment of the present invention therein; 
     FIG. 6 is simplified conceptual view showing relative positioning of a toner cartridge with respect to the toner supply device; and 
     FIG. 7 is a block diagram schematically showing a control portion of the toner supply device. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring to the drawings, description is made about a toner supply device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a simplified perspective view showing an external view of a copying machine  2  having a toner supply device  1  according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. The copying machine  2  has a structure similar to that of a conventional type except for a portion of the toner supply device. Accordingly, the copying machine  2  is described briefly hereinafter. 
     At first, the copying machine  2  comprises an original copy set tray  3  for setting original copies which are objects of coping, and operating portion  5  having input means  4  such as a touch panel, and the like, paper cassettes  6  for keeping various sizes of papers, and a paper stacking portion  7  for ejecting and placing copied papers. 
     Further, an original copy reading portion  8  for reading information from the original copy set in the original copy tray  3 , a memory portion  9  for temporarily storing the information which is read at the original copy reading portion  8 , a recording portion  10  for printing the information which has been stored in the memory portion  9  on the papers utilizing toner, and a fixer  11  for applying fixation on the paper transcribed with the toner are provided inside of the copying machine  2 . 
     Each of the components is similar to the one in the copying machine of a conventional type to which an electrophotographic system is applied. 
     FIG. 6 is a simplified conceptual view for showing a toner cartridge  12  having a photosensitizor  36  composing a portion of the recording portion  10 , a portion of the toner supply device  1  which supplies toner to the toner cartridge  12  in the state of being taken out of the copying machine  2 , and the relative positioning of the toner cartridge  12  with respect to the toner supply device  1 . Among these components, a portion of toner supply device  1  is contained in a bottle housing portion  13  shown in FIG.  5 . As a panel of the bottle housing portion  13  is reclosable, it is possible to replace a toner bottle  14  in which the toner is consumed. Further, in the toner cartridge  12 , a toner detecting sensor  19  is provided to detect the presence of toner in the cartridge  12 . 
     As shown in FIG. 6, the toner supply device  1  comprises a toner bottle  14 , a bottle holder  15 , a toner transfer mechanism  16  for feeding toner supplied from the toner bottle  14  through the bottle holder  15  into the toner cartridge  12 . 
     As shown in FIG. 6, the toner transfer mechanism  16  consists of a pipe shaped member. An opening  17  (as will be described later) for receiving toner supplied from the bottle holder  15  is provided on a periphery of base side thereof. By rotating a screw type feeding mechanism (not shown) inserted in the pipe portion by rotary driving means  18 , toner in the pipe can be fed into the toner cartridge  12 . 
     Compositions of the primary portions of the toner supply device  1  are shown in FIG.  1  through FIG.  4 . Initially, the toner bottle  14  is formed integrally with a cylindrical hollow material having both ends closed, as shown in FIG.  3 . Further, a toner delivery outlet  20  is on the outer surface of one end portion while a helical protrusion  21  protruding toward the inside is formed all over the length in the axial direction on the inner surface of the toner bottle  14 . In addition, a substantially rectangular protruding portion  22  is protruding having both ends thereof rounded with a phase difference (of 90° in this embodiment) with respect to the position of the toner delivery outlet  20 . 
     FIG. 4 is a perspective view for showing a configuration of the bottle holder  15  in the state of having the toner bottle  14  mounted therein. The bottle holder  15  is a annular member providing an inner diameter which is equal to an outer diameter of the toner bottle  14 . An incised groove  23  which is engaged to the protruding portion  22  of the toner bottle  14  is provided on one end of the toner bottle  15  along an inserting direction of the toner bottle  14 . In addition, a holder side toner delivery outlet  26  which is provided corresponding to the toner delivery outlet  20  of the toner bottle  14  is provided on the outer surface of the bottle holder  15  penetrating in a radial direction. With the structure, the holder side toner delivery outlet  26  is able to communicate with the toner delivery outlet  20  of the toner bottle  14 . 
     A latch mechanism for connecting the toner bottle  14  and the bottle holder  15  is composed of the protruding portion  22  and the incised groove  23 . 
     Further, a ring member  24  is formed of a generally C-shaped annular material as shown in FIG.  4 . An incised portion  25  which permits a passage of the protruding portion  22  of the toner bottle  14  is provided in one portion thereof. 
     As shown in FIG. 1, the bottle holder  15  is held rotatably by a plurality of rollers  28  which are mounted rotatably on a mount base  27   a  provided inside of the bottle housing portion  13 . The bottle holder  15  is adjusted to be driven to rotate through gear  30  and  31  by a motor  29  which composes driving means of the bottle holder  15 . 
     It is preferable to provide the rollers  28  at positions where the rollers  28  contact outer surface of the bottle holder  15 , in such manner as 3 pieces with 120° pitch or 4 pieces with 90°. 
     Further, an annular support block  32  is provided around the bottle holder  15 , as if the annular support block  32  surrounds the bottle holder  15 . The annular support block  32  it is secured on a mount base  27   b  through a stay  33 . The bottle holder  15  is rotatable with respect to the support block  32 . A penetrating hole  33  for ejecting toner delivered when the toner delivery outlet  26  of the bottle holder  15  faces downward is retracted in a lower end portion of the support block  32 . The opening  17  of the above-mentioned pipe shaped toner transfer mechanism  16  is connected to a lower side of the penetrating hole  33 . 
     As shown in FIG. 1, the ring member  24  is provided leaving a certain amount of space on a side of the bottle holder  15  in which a toner bottle is inserted. The ring member  24  is secured on the mount base  27   b  through the stay  34 . 
     FIG. 2 is a conceptual view for showing the relation of mounting position of the ring member  24  with respect to the bottle holder  15 . FIG. 2 simply shows the ring member  24  and the bottle holder  15  of FIG. 1 on a condition that the ring member  24  and the bottle holder  15  are observed from the left side thereof. 
     As shown in FIG. 2, the incised portion  25  of the ring member  24  is provided in a position slightly rotated (indicated as θ in an example of FIG. 2) from a position where the incised groove  23  is placed when the toner delivery outlet  26  of the bottle  15  faces straight up. Incidentally, the above-mentioned word “slightly” means that the toner bottle  14  has a certain degree of rotation angle preventing toner from spilling out of the toner delivery outlet  20  even though the toner bottle  14  is in the state of being completely filled with toner. As shown in FIG. 1, a toner delivery outlet detecting sensor  35  is buried in the mount base  27   a  on the body side of the device opposing to the bottle holder  15 . The toner delivery outlet detecting sensor  35  detects that the delivery  26  is completely turned straight up. 
     A reflex type optical sensor, a proximity sensor utilizing magnetism, or the like may be utilized as the toner delivery outlet detecting sensor  35 . 
     FIG. 7 is a block diagram for schematically showing a composition of a control portion for controlling the motor  29  which is a drive source of the bottle holder  15 . The control portion mainly comprises a CPU  37  as means for executing a program, a RAM  39  to compose temporal memory means for computing, and a ROM  38  as a nonvolatile memory. Among these components, ROM  38  stores various kinds of subprograms which work as function implement means to achieve a toner supply control function, a toner delivery outlet positioning control function, a toner replacement positioning control function, and the like, as well as programs similar to the conventional type ones in relation to control of the original copy reading portion  8 , the memory  9 , the recording portion  10 , and the fixer  11  of the copying machine  2 . 
     At first,  37  implements a usual toner supplying operation automatically by detecting the signal which indicates emptiness of toner from the toner detecting sensor  19 . 
     After detecting the signal which indicates emptiness of toner, the CPU  37  starts the subprogram to achieve the toner supply control function. The CPU  37  controls the motor  29  to be driven by outputting the command to rotate the bottle holder  15  to a motor driving circuit  40 . The bottle holder  15  is then rotated. As the bottle holder  15  and the toner bottle  14  are engaged through the incised groove  23  and the protruding portion  22 , the toner bottle  14  rotates integrally with the bottle holder  15 . During the rotation of the toner bottle  14 , the helical protrusion  21  on the inner surface of the toner bottle  14  sends toner in the toner bottle  14  toward the end surface on a side of toner delivery outlet  20 . 
     When the toner delivery outlet  20  of the toner bottle  14  and the toner delivery outlet  26  of the bottle holder  15  face downward, a portion of the toner which is sent to the side of the end surface drops downward through the toner deliveries  20  and  26 . The portion of the toner is fed to the opening  17  of the toner transfer mechanism  16 . 
     Toner fed to the toner transfer mechanism  16  is conveyed further to the toner cartridge  12  by the screw type feeding mechanism which is driven by rotary driving means  18 . As the result, the toner cartridge  12  is supplied with toner. 
     Thus, when the toner cartridge  12  is supplied with toner, the output signal from the toner detecting sensor  19  turns the indication thereof from toner emptiness into toner presence. After detecting the signal, the CPU  37  rotates the motor  29  until a toner delivery outlet detecting signal is input from the toner delivery outlet detecting sensor  35 . The CPU then stops the drive control of the motor  29  simultaneously with the detection of the toner delivery outlet detecting signal. 
     Therefore, when the toner supplying operation is completed, the toner delivery outlet  20  of the toner bottle  14  and the toner delivery outlet  26  of the bottle holder  15  always stops in the state of completely facing straight up. The state is maintained by the CPU  37  until the signal which indicates emptiness of toner is detected by the CPU  37  and the next toner supply is started again, or until the toner bottle replacement command is input by operating the touch panel of the operating portion  5 . This is the toner delivery outlet positioning control function. 
     In the state that the toner delivery outlet  26  of the bottle holder  15  faces completely straight up, there is a deviation between the incised groove  23  of the bottle holder  15  and the incised portion  25  of the ring member  24 , as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. It is not permitted to pull the toner bottle  14  mounted on the toner bottle  15  out, as the protruding portion  22  of the toner bottle  14  is caught in the annular portion of the ring member  24 . Thus, an inadvertent performance of removing the toner bottle  14  in which the toner remains is prevented. The problems such as scattering toner, or the like may be solved at the same time. 
     On the other hand, in the event of mounting and removing the toner bottle  14  in which toner has been consumed, a panel of the bottle housing portion  13  is opened by manual operation beforehand. The toner bottle replacement command is input in the CPU  37  by operating the touch panel, or the like of the operating portion. Incidentally, it is possible to permit input of the toner bottle replacement command only by a controller mode for preventing an inadvertent operation by users. In that event, it is preferable to allow to input the toner bottle replacement command by input of a personal identification number. 
     When the CPU  37  receives the toner bottle replacement command, the CPU  37  starts the subprogram to achieve the toner replacement positioning control function. The CPU  37  then controls the motor  29  to be driven by outputting the command to the motor driving circuit  40  for rotating the bottle holder  15  at the angle corresponding to θ in FIG. 6 from the present position (in the state the toner delivery outlet  26  faces straight up). The CPU  37  thereby shifts the position of the incised groove  23  of the bottle holder  15  in FIGS. 1 and 2 to the position corresponding to the incised portion  25  of the ring member  24 . 
     As a result, the positions of the incised groove  23  of the bottle holder  15  and the incised portion  25  of the ring member  24  meet completely to each other. Consequently, operations of removing the consumed toner bottle  14  and mounting a new toner bottle  14  may be permitted. 
     In the state that the operation of removing the toner bottle  14  is permitted, the toner delivery outlet  20  of the toner bottle  14  is positioned slightly rotated from the position facing straight up. The angle of rotation θ is set at a certain degree beforehand to prevent the toner from spilling, even in the event that the toner remains in the toner bottle  14 . Therefore, in a case that the toner bottle  14  is removed having the toner remained therein, a failure such as scattering of toner by mistake is prevented. 
     Thus, by operating a replacement completion key of the control portion  6  after replacing the toner bottle  14 , CPU  37  detects the operation of the key and drives the motor  29  until the toner delivery outlet detecting signal of the toner delivery outlet detecting sensor  35  is detected, that is, until the toner delivery outlet  20  of the toner bottle  14  and the toner delivery outlet  26  of the bottle holder  15  face straight up, then stops the motor  29  at the time of detecting the toner delivery outlet detecting signal. 
     After that, when the signal which indicates emptiness of toner is newly detected or when the toner bottle replacement command is input, the toner supply control function, the toner delivery outlet positioning control function, or the toner replacement positioning control function of the CPU  37  is started in the same manner as mentioned above and is implemented in the same process as mentioned above repeatedly. 
     A toner supply device of the present invention is capable of simplifying the structure of a toner bottle which is consumable and reducing running costs having no need to rotate a toner bottle by providing a module in the toner bottle itself, to compose the toner bottle dividing it into a body portion and a cap, or furthermore to make it rotatable between the body portion and the cap, because it is composed to exert feed to toner by rotating the bottle holder which holds the toner bottle. 
     And as a removal of the toner bottle from the bottle holder is limited in the event that a position of an incised groove formed in the bottle holder meets a position of an incised portion of a ring member, an inadvertent performance of removing the toner bottle is prevented. 
     And in the state that the performance to remove the toner bottle is permitted, that is, the position of the incised groove meets the position of the incised portion of the ring member, a toner delivery outlet of the toner bottle always faces generally upward and the performance of removing the toner bottle is free from concerns about an inadvertent scattering of toner. 
     Consequently, it is not necessarily required to provide a lid for preventing toner in the toner bottle from scattering and structure of the toner bottle which is consumable may be simplified all the more. 
     Besides, it is capable of supplying toner automatically by detecting the shortage of toner in a toner cartridge for development accurately, because it is designed to provide a toner detecting sensor to detect the presence of toner in the toner cartridge for development and to control driving means of the bottle holder based on a signal which indicates emptiness of toner from the toner detecting sensor. 
     Furthermore, it is also capable of preventing misoperations such as pulling the toner bottle out while toner remains in the toner cartridge for development, because it is designed to provide a toner delivery outlet detecting sensor to detect the state that the toner delivery outlet of the bottle holder is positioned to face upward and to maintain the state that the toner delivery outlet faces upward, that is, the state that pulling the toner bottle out is disabled by the annular portion of the ring member while the signal which indicates the presence of toner is detected from the toner detecting sensor. 
     And it is also capable of bringing a state wherein the toner bottle is removable by a simple operation with respect to input means, because it is designed to provide input means for commanding replacement of the toner bottle and to rotate the bottle holder to reach the position where the incised portion of the ring member and the incised groove of the bottle holder meet to each other based on the toner bottle replacing command. Besides, even when the toner bottle is in the state of being removable, the toner delivery outlet of the toner bottle is held in the state of facing generally upward and accidents such as scattering the toner inadvertently is prevented, though toner remains in the toner bottle removed.