Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US7881645?dq=7,134,016
Timestamp: 2016-12-09 12:16:56
Document Index: 376901232

Matched Legal Cases: ['Application No. 2005201134', 'Application No. 200602933', 'Application No. 2', 'Application No. 101829661', 'Application No. 10', 'Application No. 09151710', 'Application No. 08163935', 'Application No. 02', 'Application No. 02', 'Application No. 200602933', 'Application No. 08163934', 'Application No. 200407942', 'Application No. 200602933', 'Application No. 2006', 'Application No. 200201079', 'Application No. 2005100702734', 'Application No. 2005100702749', 'Application No. 2005100702753', 'Application No. 200510070274', 'Application No. 200602934', 'Application No. 200201079', 'Application No. 200604752', 'Application No. 2002']

Patent US7881645 - Sealing member, toner accommodating container and image forming apparatus - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign inPatentsA toner container detachably mountable to an image forming apparatus, includes a container body for containing toner; and a sealing member. The sealing member includes a sealing portion and a coupling portion. The coupling portion includes a supporting portion provided on the sealing portion and an engaging...http://www.google.com/patents/US7881645?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US7881645 - Sealing member, toner accommodating container and image forming apparatusAdvanced Patent SearchTry the new Google Patents, with machine-classified Google Scholar results, and Japanese and South Korean patents.Publication numberUS7881645 B2Publication typeGrantApplication numberUS 12/685,204Publication dateFeb 1, 2011Filing dateJan 11, 2010Priority dateFeb 19, 2001Fee statusPaidAlso published asCA2372419A1, CA2372419C, CA2540739A1, CA2540739C, CA2540748A1, CA2540748C, CA2540777A1, CA2540777C, CN1237405C, CN1379292A, CN1680885A, CN1680886A, CN1680886B, CN1680887A, CN2606378Y, CN2615706Y, CN100498577C, CN100498578C, DE60234794D1, EP1233310A2, EP1233310A3, EP1233310B1, EP1993002A2, EP1993002A3, EP1993002B1, EP1993003A2, EP1993003A3, EP1993003B1, EP2051145A1, EP2051145B1, EP2216690A2, EP2216690A3, EP2216690B1, EP2270607A2, EP2270607A3, EP2270607B1, US6879789, US6920298, US7127193, US7469113, US7647012, US7890027, US7965963, US7970321, US8045901, US8290394, US8909094, US9046820, US20020127029, US20040013445, US20050047818, US20060034641, US20090003872, US20100046982, US20100111560, US20100111561, US20100111573, US20110097107, US20120063807, US20130011159, US20150132021, US20150147084Publication number12685204, 685204, US 7881645 B2, US 7881645B2, US-B2-7881645, US7881645 B2, US7881645B2InventorsYusuke Yamada, Yutaka Ban, Katsuya Murakami, Fumio Tazawa, Hironori MinagawaOriginal AssigneeCanon Kabushiki KaishaExport CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManPatent Citations (94), Non-Patent Citations (24), Classifications (19), Legal Events (1) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetSealing member, toner accommodating container and image forming apparatus
US 7881645 B2Abstract
A toner container detachably mountable to an image forming apparatus, includes a container body for containing toner; and a sealing member. The sealing member includes a sealing portion and a coupling portion. The coupling portion includes a supporting portion provided on the sealing portion and an engaging portion provided at a free end of the supporting portion. The engaging portion includes a rotational force receiving portion and a locking portion. The rotational force receiving portion is capable of being abutted in a circumferential direction of a hollow cylindrical driving member of the image forming apparatus. The locking portion is capable of being abutted in an axial direction of the hollow cylindrical driving member to prevent the sealing member from moving in the axial direction of the container body when the container body moves away from the hollow cylindrical driving member.
1. A toner supply container detachably mountable to an assembly of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus having a hollow cylindrical driving member that has a slot formed therein, which slot extends in a circumferential direction and defines a plurality of interior surfaces of the hollow cylindrical driving member, said toner supply container comprising:
i) a container body configured to contain toner and rotatable about an axis thereof, said container body including an opening provided at one axial end portion thereof and configured to permit discharge of toner contained in said container body; and
ii) a sealing member provided at the one axial end portion of said container body, said sealing member being movable relative to said container body in an axial direction of said container body, said sealing member including:
ii-i) a sealing portion provided at a side adjacent said container body and configured to seal said opening when said sealing member and said container body are in a first position relative to one another, said opening becoming unsealed by relative movement of said sealing member and said container body away from one another from the first position to a second position relative to one another; and
ii-ii) a coupling portion provided at a side remote from said container body and configured and positioned to receive a rotational drive force, said coupling portion including:
ii-ii-i) a supporting portion provided on said sealing portion, said supporting portion being elastically displaceable in an inward direction toward the axis of said container body and elastically restorable in an outward direction away from the axis of said container body; and
ii-ii-ii) an engaging portion provided at a free end of said supporting portion, said engaging portion configured and positioned to (a) displace in an inward direction with said supporting portion as said engaging portion enters the hollow cylindrical driving member and (b) engage with the slot of the hollow cylindrical driving member when said supporting portion elastically restores in an outward direction, said engaging portion including:
ii-ii-ii-i) a rotational force receiving portion capable of being abutted in a circumferential direction of the hollow cylindrical driving member by at least a portion of a first interior surface of the hollow cylindrical driving member defined by the slot to receive a rotational drive force from the hollow cylindrical driving member; and
ii-ii-ii-ii) a locking portion capable of being abutted in an axial direction of the hollow cylindrical driving member by at least a portion of a second interior surface of the hollow cylindrical driving member defined by the slot to prevent said sealing member from moving in the axial direction of said container body when said container body moves away from the hollow cylindrical driving member, thus causing the relative movement of said sealing member and said container body from the first position, in which said opening is sealed, to the second position, in which said opening is unsealed.
2. A toner supply container according to claim 1, wherein said coupling portion further includes a releasing portion provided at a position closer to said container body than said engaging portion, said releasing portion configured and positioned to receive a force from a hollow cylinder that is substantially concentric with the hollow cylindrical driving member and cause said supporting portion to elastically displace in an inward direction.
3. A toner supply container according to claim 2, wherein said releasing portion is provided on said supporting portion and the elastic displacement of said supporting portion in an inward direction occurs while an end of said supporting portion adjacent said sealing portion remains fixed.
4. A toner supply container according to claim 1, wherein said coupling portion includes a plurality of engaging portions.
5. A toner supply container according to any of claims 1 through 4, wherein said sealing member, including said sealing portion and said coupling portion, is integrally molded.
6. A toner supply system comprising:
i) an assembly of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, said assembly having a hollow cylindrical driving member that has a slot formed therein, which slot extends in a circumferential direction and defines a plurality of interior surfaces of said hollow cylindrical driving member; and
ii) a toner supply container detachably mountable to said assembly, said toner supply container including:
ii-i) a container body configured to contain toner and rotatable about an axis thereof, said container body including an opening provided at one axial end portion thereof and configured to permit discharge of toner contained in said container body; and
ii-ii) a sealing member provided at the one axial end portion of said container body, said sealing member being movable relative to said container body in an axial direction of said container body, said sealing member including:
ii-ii-i) a sealing portion provided at a side adjacent said container body and configured to seal said opening when said sealing member and said container body are in a first position relative to one another, said opening becoming unsealed by relative movement of said sealing member and said container body away from one another from the first position to a second position relative to one another; and
ii-ii-ii) a coupling portion provided at a side remote from said container body and configured and positioned to receive a rotational drive force, said coupling portion including:
ii-ii-ii-i) a supporting portion provided on said sealing portion, said supporting portion being elastically displaceable in an inward direction toward the axis of said container body and elastically restorable in an outward direction away from the axis of said container body; and
ii-ii-ii-ii) an engaging portion provided at a free end of said supporting portion, said engaging portion configured and positioned to (a) displace in an inward direction with said supporting portion as said engaging portion enters the hollow cylindrical driving member and (b) engage with the slot of said hollow cylindrical driving member when said supporting portion elastically restores in an outward direction, said engaging portion including:
ii-ii-ii-ii-i) a rotational force receiving portion capable of being abutted in a circumferential direction of the hollow cylindrical driving member by at least a portion of a first interior surface of said hollow cylindrical driving member defined by the slot to receive a rotational drive force from said hollow cylindrical driving member; and
ii-ii-ii-ii-ii) a locking portion capable of being abutted in an axial direction of said hollow cylindrical driving member by at least a portion of a second interior surface of said hollow cylindrical driving member defined by the slot to prevent said sealing member from moving in the axial direction of said container body when said container body moves away from said hollow cylindrical driving member, thus causing the relative movement of said sealing member and said container body from the first position, in which said opening is sealed, to the second position, in which said opening is unsealed.
7. A toner supply system according to claim 6, wherein said assembly further comprises a hollow cylinder that is substantially concentric with said hollow cylindrical driving member, and said coupling portion further includes a releasing portion provided at a position closer to said container body than said engaging portion, said releasing portion configured and positioned to receive a force from said hollow cylinder and cause said supporting portion to elastically displace in an inward direction.
8. A toner supply system according to claim 7, wherein said releasing portion is provided on said supporting portion and the elastic displacement of said supporting portion in an inward direction occurs while an end of said supporting portion adjacent said sealing portion remains fixed.
9. A toner supply system according to claim 6, wherein said coupling portion includes a plurality of engaging portions.
10. A toner supply system according to any of claims 6 through 9, wherein said sealing member, including said sealing portion and said coupling portion, is integrally molded.
This application is a divisional application of application Ser. No. 12/169,895, filed Jul. 9, 2008, which issued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,647,012 on Jan. 12, 2010, which is a divisional application of application Ser. No. 11/200,179, filed Aug. 10, 2005, which issued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,430,384 on Sep. 30, 2008, which is a divisional application of application Ser. No. 10/429,741 filed May 6, 2003, which issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,990,301 on Jan. 24, 2006, which is a continuation-in-part application of application Ser. No. 10/076,430 filed Feb. 19, 2002, which issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,879,789 on Apr. 12, 2005.
Since the toner is a very fine powder, it is known to place, upon toner supplying operation, a toner supply container inside the main assembly of the image forming apparatus and to gradually supply the toner through a small opening to avoid scattering of the toner.
Any one of the above-described toner supply containers receives a driving force from the main assembly of an image forming apparatus to drive the feeding member in the toner supply container or the main body itself to discharge the toner. As for such a drive transmitting means, there are some methods. For example, Japanese Laid-Open Utility Model Application Hei 05-75768 discloses that a gear portion is provided on an outer surface of the toner bottle (toner supply container), and the gear is engaged with a driving gear, by which the toner bottle is rotated.
Japanese Laid-open Patent Application Hei 10-63084 discloses that an end surface of the toner bottle is provided with a projection, which is engaged with a recess formed in a driving portion of the main assembly of the image forming apparatus, thus transmitting the driving force.
In the case of Japanese Laid-Open Utility Model Application Hei 05-75768, when the toner bottle is inserted into the main assembly of the image forming apparatus, it is necessary to make the gear portion on the outer surface of the toner bottle properly engage with the driving gear portion in the main assembly of an image forming apparatus. This requires the user to be careful for the proper engagement. In addition, since the toner bottle is rotated through the meshing engagement between gears, the toner bottle receives forces tending to deviate the bottle in a direction perpendicular to the axis. Therefore, there is a possibility that toner bottle is raised or is laterally deviated with a result of improper rotation. In order to avoid such a deviation, it is required that the entire outer circumference of the toner bottle be enclosed. This imposes difficulty in the toner bottle mounting and demounting operations. Additionally, the supplying system becomes complicated and expensive.
In the methods disclosed in Japanese Laid-open Patent Application Hei 10-63084 and Japanese Laid-open Patent Application Hei 10-63076, when the toner bottle is inserted such that projection (or recess) provided at the end surface of toner bottle is properly engaged with the basis (or projection) of the main assembly side driving portion (main assembly driving portion), an indexing operation in the rotational direction is required. This degrades the developer supplying operativity, and even a slight deviation may result in inoperability.
In order to avoid such an improper engagement, it is required that toner bottle is provided on its outer surface with a guiding rib so as to determine the position of the toner bottle in the rotational direction upon the insertion thereof, or that rotating operation of the engaging recess of the main assembly driving portion is controlled to stop at a predetermined rotational position whenever it stops. This also results in complications and a cost increase.
In most of the coupling drive transmissions using projection/recess engagement, when the phase deviation occurs between the toner bottle and the main assembly driving portion, it is required that the main assembly driving portion is retracted against a spring force, and the engaging position is established when the phase becomes aligned. With such a structure, even if there is a phase difference when the toner bottle is inserted, the main assembly driving portion is retracted, and when the bottle is rotated in this state, the phase differences are eliminated sooner or later, and therefore, the engagement is established. However, the structure of the main assembly driving portion is complicated. In addition, the main assembly driving portion has to be movable toward the rear side, which requires additional space and therefore hinders downsizing of the main assembly of the apparatus.
In the conventional example, it is not disclosed as to how to disengage the projection from the recess. Assuming that operator uses force to pull the toner supply container out, or the operator pushes the small projection with a finger, the usability is not good, or the driving portion of the image forming apparatus or the toner supply container may be damaged.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an image forming apparatus in which a locking portion of a toner accommodating container is engaged with a portion to be locked of the mounting means, and the locking portion can be released from the portion to be locked with a simple structure.
FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the image forming apparatus in which a toner container front cover is shown as being in an open position.
FIG. 9 is a partly enlarged sectional view of a drive transmitting portion according to an embodiment of the present invention in which a driving shaft is provided on the main body side of the toner supply container.
FIG. 11 is a partly enlarged sectional view of a drive transmitting portion according to another embodiment of the present invention in which a driving shaft is provided on a sealing member side.
FIGS. 12(A) through 12(C) are side views of a sealing member according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein FIG. 12(A) is a front view, FIG. 12(B) is a side view as seen in the direction X of FIG. 12(A), and FIG. 12(C) is a side view as seen in the direction Y of FIG. 12(A).
FIG. 13 is a sectional view of a sealing member taken along a line Z-Z of FIG. 12(B).
FIGS. 15(A) through 15(C) are partially sectional views illustrating engaging action of a drive transmitting portion of a toner bottle, in which FIG. 15(A) shows a state before insertion of a toner bottle, FIG. 15(B) shows a state in the process of insertion, and FIG. 15(C) shows a state after the completion of an inserting operation.
FIGS. 18(A) through 18(C) are illustrations of phase alignment when the toner bottle is inserted into the main assembly of the apparatus wherein FIG. 18(A) shows a state in which an engaging rib and an engaging projection are aligned with each other, FIG. 18(B) shows a state in which they are not aligned after rotation to a certain extent, and FIG. 18(C) shows a state in which the engaging rib is abutted to the engaging projection to enable drive transmission.
FIGS. 19(A) through 19(C) show a sealing member according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein FIG. 19(A) is a left side view, FIG. 19(B) is a front view, and FIG. 19(C) is a right-hand side view.
FIGS. 22(A) through 22(C) illustrate disengagement action at the drive transmitting portion of the toner bottle, wherein FIG. 22(A) is before disengagement, FIG. 22(B) is in the process of disengagement, and FIG. 22(C) is after completion of the disengagement action.
FIGS. 23(A) through 23(C) are sectional views of a sealing member according to a further embodiment of the present invention, wherein FIG. 23(A) is a side view, FIG. 23(B) is a front view, and FIG. 23(C) is a sectional view.
FIGS. 27(A) through 27(D) show a driving portion engageable with the sealing member of FIGS. 26(A) and 26(B) according to a further embodiment of the present invention, wherein FIG. 27(A) is a front view, FIG. 27(B) is a side view, FIG. 27(C) is a sectional view taken along a line C-C of FIG. 27(B), FIG. 27(D) is a sectional view taken along a line D-D of FIG. 27(A).
FIGS. 34(A) and 34(B) schematically show the sealing member which is rotating.
FIGS. 35(A) through 35(C) illustrate another example in which the phase alignment is not required.
FIG. 36(A) shows the sealing member shown in FIGS. 35(A) through 35(C) and the driving portion, and FIG. 36(B) shows a sectional view of the sealing member engaged with the driving portion.
Referring to FIG. 1, the description will first be made as to an electrophotographic image forming apparatus which is an exemplary image forming apparatus which is mounted with a toner supply container (toner accommodating container) according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 1 shows an electrophotographic copying machine. An original 101 in a main assembly (main assembly of the apparatus) 100 is placed on an original supporting platen glass 102. A light image corresponding to the image information of the original 101 is an image on an electrophotographic photosensitive drum (image bearing member) 104 through a plurality of mirrors M and a lens Ln of an optical portion 103. On the basis of selection by the user on an operating portion 100 a shown in FIG. 2 or on the basis of automatic selection in accordance with the paper size of the original 101, an optimum sheet P is selected from the cassettes 105, 106, 107, 108. The recording material is not limited to the sheet of paper, but may be an OHP sheet, for example.
The sheet P is fed into a fixing portion 114 by a feeding portion 113. In the fixing portion 114, the toner image is fixed on the sheet P by heat and pressure. Thereafter, the sheet P is passed through a discharged sheet reversing portion 115 and discharged to a sheet discharge tray 117 by sheet discharging rollers 116 in the case of a one-sided copy mode. In the case of a duplex copy mode, the sheet P is re-fed to the registration rollers 110 through sheet refeeding paths 119, 120, under the control of a flapper 118 provided in the discharged sheet reversing portion 115. Then, the sheet is fed similarly to the case of the one-sided copy mode, and is finally discharged to the sheet discharge tray 117.
In the case of a superimposed copy mode, the sheet P is temporarily and partly discharged by the sheet discharging rollers 116 through the discharged sheet reversing portion 115. Thereafter, at the timing when the trailing edge of the sheet passes by the flapper 118 while it is still nipped by the sheet discharging rollers 116, the flapper 118 is controlled, and the sheet discharging roller 116 is rotated in the reverse direction, so that it is re-fed into the main assembly 100. Thereafter, the sheet is fed to the registration rollers 110 through the sheet refeeding portions 119, 120, and then the sheet is processed similarly to the case of the one-sided copy mode. It is finally discharged to the sheet discharge tray 117.
In the main assembly 100 of the apparatus, there are provided a developing device 201 (developing means), a cleaning device 202, the primary charger 203 and so on, around the photosensitive drum 104.
An electrostatic latent image is formed by exposing the photosensitive drum 104 to uniformly double to the image light corresponding to the image information of the original 101. The electrostatic latent image is developed with toner by a developing device 201. In order to supply the toner (developer) into the developing device 201, a toner supply container 1 is detachably mountable by the user into the main assembly 100 of the apparatus. The present invention is applicable to the case in which only the toner is supplied into the image forming apparatus from the toner supply container and to the case in which the toner and carrier are supplied therefrom. In this embodiment, the former is the case.
The developing device 201 comprises a toner hopper 201 a (accommodating means) and a developing device 201 b. The toner hopper 201 a is provided with a stirring member 201 c for stirring the toner supply designated from the toner supply container 1. The toner stirred by the stirring member 201 c is supplied into the developing device 201 b by a magnet roller 201 d. The developing device 201 b comprises a developing roller 201 f and a feeding member 201 e. The toner fed from the toner hopper 201 a by the magnet roller 201 d is fed to the developing roller 201 f by the feeding member 201 e, and is supplied to the photosensitive drum 104 by the developing roller 201 f. The cleaning device 202 functions to remove the toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 104. The primary charger 203 functions to electrically charge the photosensitive drum 104.
When the user opens a front cover 15 for exchange of the toner supply container which is a part of an outer casing shown in FIG. 2, a container receiving tray 50, which is a part of mounting means, is drawn out to a predetermined position by an unshown driving system. The user places the toner supply container 1 on the container receiving tray 50. When the user takes the toner supply container 1 out of the main assembly 100 of the apparatus, the container receiving tray 50 is drawn out, and the toner supply container 1 is taken out of the tray 50.
Referring to FIG. 7(A) and FIG. 7(C), the toner supply operation from the toner supply container (toner bottle) in this embodiment, will be described. FIGS. 7(A)-7(C) illustrate the process of toner supply in which the toner bottle 1 of this embodiment is inserted into the main assembly 100 of the apparatus.
As shown in the Figures, the main assembly 100 of the apparatus is provided with a toner supply device 400, and the toner supply device 400 is provided with a driving portion (driving force transmitting portion) 20 for connecting with and rotating the toner bottle 1. The driving portion 20 is rotatably supported by bearings 23, and is rotated by an unshown driving motor provided in the main assembly 100 of the apparatus.
The main assembly 100 of the apparatus is further provided with a partition 25 constituting a toner supply path 24 connecting with a hopper 201 a, and to the partition 25, inner and outer bearing 26 a, 26 b for rotatably bearing a part of the toner bottle 1 and for sealing the toner supply path 24, are fixed. Furthermore, a screw member 27 is disposed in the toner supply path 24 to feed the toner to the hopper 201 a. FIG. 7(A) illustrates insertion of the toner bottle 1 into the main assembly 100 of the apparatus. One end of the toner bottle 1 is provided with a toner supply opening 1 a, which will be called simply “opening”, formed by a cylindrical member in this embodiment, the opening 1 a sealed by a sealing member 2 at the free end of the cylinder.
FIG. 7(B) shows a state in which the toner bottle 1 has been further inserted, and an engaging projection 3 (as a locking projection) provided at a free end portion of the sealing member 2 is engaged with a locking hole (retaining) with the driving portion 20 provided in the main assembly. The engagement between the driving portion 20 and the sealing member 2 is accomplished in the following manner. The user inserts the toner bottle 1 into the main assembly, and by this, the driving portion 20 is brought into contact with an upper surface (locking force receiving portion) of the engaging projection. By further inserting the toner bottle 1, the driving portion 20 presses down the engaging projection to displace it. Thereafter, when the pressing action by the driving portion 20 is released, the portion supporting the locking projection restores by its own elastic force, so that engagement is accomplished.
Thus, in this embodiment, the engagement is a so-called “snap-fit” type.
As will be understood from FIG. 7(C), after the sealing member 2 and the driving portion 20 are engaged, a slidable member 300 is retracted in a direction indicated by an arrow b in interrelation with a closing operation of the front cover 15 for exchange of the bottle. By this, the toner bottle 1 is retracted, too, but the sealing member is locked with the main assembly side of the image forming apparatus, and therefore, the sealing member 2 is away from the toner bottle 1, thus opening the opening 1 a to enable toner supply.
At the time, the driving shaft 1 b fixed to the main body 1A of the toner bottle 1, is not completely disengaged from the sealing member 2 even in the state of the opening 1 a being sealed by the sealing member and even in the state of the opening being opened, and the engaging portion (hole portion) of the sealing member is kept engaged with the driving shaft 1 b (portion to be engaged). The driving shaft 1 b has a non-circular cross-sectional configuration, such as rectangular or triangular shape to permit driving force transmission. Correspondingly, the hole (engaging portion) has a complementary configuration for slidable fitting.
Thus, the sealing member 2 has a function of sealing the opening 1 a, a function of receiving the rotational driving force from the main assembly side of the image forming apparatus, and a function of transmitting the rotational driving force to the toner bottle 1 side.
The toner bottle 1 is rotatably supported by bottle receiving roller 23 provided on a container receiving tray 50, and therefore, can be smoothly rotated by a small driving torque. The bottle receiving roller 23 is disposed at each of four positions forming a saddle with respect to the main body 1A of the bottom. The bottle receiving rollers 23 are rotatably supported on the toner supply device 400 of the main assembly 100 of the apparatus. By the rotation of the toner bottle 1, the toner accommodated in the toner bottle 1 is discharged through the opening 1 a gradually, and the screw member 27 provided in the toner supply path 24 feeds the toner into the hopper 201 a provided in the main assembly 100 of the apparatus, thus accomplishing the toner supply.
First, the front cover 15 which is in the closed state is rotated about a hinge 18 to an open position indicated by broken lines in FIG. 6. In interrelation with the action of opening the front cover 15, the main body 1A of the bottle which takes the position indicated in FIG. 7(C) is moved in a direction indicated by an arrow a in FIG. 7(A) which is opposite from the direction of arrow b, by opening and closing means for the toner supplying portion which will be described hereinafter. By this, the sealing member 2 which is at an open position (away from the main body 1A of the bottle to open the toner supply opening 1 a) is press-fitted into the toner supply opening 1 a, so that the toner supply opening 1 a is plugged (FIG. 7(B)). At this time, the sealing member still maintains engagement with the main assembly of the image forming apparatus. Thereafter, a releasing ring applies a releasing force to a releasing projection, by which the releasing projection is depressed together with the engaging projection, so that engagement is released. By retracting the main body 1A of the bottle in a longitudinal direction of the bottle, the releasing operation between the sealing member and the main assembly of the image forming apparatus is completed.
Then, the user draws the empty toner bottle 1 which has been released from the main assembly 100 of the apparatus out of the main assembly 100 of the apparatus in the direction of arrow b (FIG. 7(C)) which is opposite from the direction of arrow a (FIG. 7(A)).
The user then inserts a new toner bottle 1 into the main assembly 100 of the apparatus in the direction of arrow a, and then closes the front cover 15. In interrelation with the front cover 15 closing action, the sealing member 2 locked with the main assembly of the image forming apparatus is moved away from the main body of the container by the toner supplying portion opening and closing means, so that the toner supply opening 1 a is unsealed (FIG. 7(C)). The foregoing is the exchanging process of the toner supply container.
The toner bottle 1 is generally cylindrical, and one end thereof is provided substantially at a center with an opening 1 a by a projected portion. The diameter of the opening 1 a is smaller than the diameter of the cylindrical portion 1A which is the main body of the bottle. The opening 1 a is plugged with a sealing member 2 for sealing the opening 1 a, and as will be understood from the description in conjunction with FIGS. 7(A)-(C), the opening 1 a is unsealed and resealed automatically by the sliding motion of the sealing member 2 relative to the toner bottle 1 in the longitudinal direction (arrow b) of the toner bottle 1.
At the free end portion of the sealing member 2, there is formed a cylindrical portion having an engaging projection 3 and a releasing force receiving portion 4 for disengaging from the driving portion 20 provided in the main assembly of the apparatus, and such a portion of the cylindrical portion which supports the engaging projection and the releasing projection is elastically deformable (in order to enhance or assist the elastic deformation, slits are formed at lateral sides of the region so as to extend to the free end of the cylindrical portion, as will be described hereinafter).
As described in the foregoing, the toner bottle 1 is generally cylindrical in shape and is disposed generally horizontally in the main assembly 100 of the apparatus. It is rotated by the main assembly 100 of the apparatus. An inside of the toner bottle 1 has a projection 1 c in the form of a rib which extends helically. When the toner bottle 1 rotates, the toner is fed in the axial direction along the helical projection 1 c, and the toner is discharged through the opening 1 a formed at an end of the toner bottle 1.
The internal structure of the toner bottle 1 according to the present invention is not limiting, and the configuration of the structure may be any as long as the toner can be discharged by rotation of the toner bottle 1. The main body of the toner bottle is not limited to that described in the foregoing. For example, it may have a rotation screw or the like for feeding the toner, and the rotation screw is driven by a rotational driving force received by the sealing member from the image forming apparatus, while the main body is fixed (not rotatable) on the main assembly of the image forming apparatus.
For example, the internal structure of the bottle may be modified as shown in FIG. 10. In this modified example, there is provided in the main body of the bottle a baffle member 40 generally in the form of a plate. The surface of the baffle member 40 has, on a surface, a plurality of inclined projections 40 a which are inclined with respect to the direction of the axis of the toner bottle 1. One end of the inclined projection 40 a extends to a neighborhood of the opening 1 a. The toner is finally discharged from the inclined projection 40 a through the opening 1 a. By the rotation of the toner bottle 1, the toner is scooped by the baffle member 40 and then falls sliding on the surface of the baffle member 40. Because of the inclination of the inclined projection 40 a, the toner is advanced toward the front side of the toner bottle 1. By repeating this operation, the toner in the toner bottle is gradually fed to the opening 1 a while being stirred, and is discharged therethrough.
The driving type of this invention is not limited to the rotational driving type such as the type of this embodiment or modification. The toner bottle may be vibrated, swung or may be moved in another fashion to supply the toner. In other words, the driving may be rotation, swinging, vibration or another motion as long as the toner is discharged from the bottle as the toner bottle is moved by the main assembly 100 of the apparatus.
In this manner, the present invention is applicable when the toner bottle 1 is directly or indirectly driven through a sealing member 2.
The driving shaft 1 b functions to transmit the rotational driving force from the main assembly 100 of the apparatus to the main body 1A of the bottle through the sealing member 2, and the cross-sectional configuration of the driving shaft 1 b is non-circular, for example, rectangular configuration, H shape, D shape or the like to transmit the rotational driving force. The driving shaft 1 b is fixed on the main body 1A of the bottle by proper means.
The driving shaft 1 b may not be fixed on the main body 1A of the bottle but can be integral with the sealing member 2 as shown in FIG. 11. In this case, the engaging hole 2 a for transmitting the driving force from the driving shaft 1 b is provided in the toner bottle 1 side, and that opening is formed so that they are maintained engaged with each other after the toner bottle is unsealed. In the modified example, the member defining the engaging hole 2 a is supported by a member 1 c provided inside the opening 1 a, but the discharge of the toner is permitted.
In FIGS. 12 and 13, the sealing member 2 comprises a sealing portion 2 b for unsealably sealing the opening 1 a of the toner bottle 1, and a coupling engagement portion 2 c (cylindrical portion) in the form of a cylinder engageable with the driving portion 20 of the main assembly of the apparatus. An outer diameter of a large diameter portion of the sealing portion 2 b is larger than the inner diameter of the opening 1 a by a proper degree. The sealing portion 2 b is press-fitted into the opening 1 a, by which the opening 1 a (toner supply opening) is sealed by the sealing member 2.
As described in the foregoing, the sealing member 2 has an engaging hole 2 a for transmitting the driving force received from the main assembly 100 of the apparatus to the driving shaft 1 b by engagement with the driving shaft 1 b. The engaging hole 2 a extends continuously in the sealing portion 2 b and the engaging portion 2 c. The engaging hole 2 a has a cross-sectional configuration which is complementary with the driving shaft 1 b and which is slightly larger than the cross section of the driving shaft 1 b. Because of this, the driving shaft 1 b is loosely fitted in the engaging hole 2 a. The engaging hole 2 a and the driving shaft 1 b have complementary polygonal configurations. In this embodiment, it is square.
Because of the loose fitting of the driving shaft 1 b in the engaging hole 2 a having such cross sections, the main body 1A of the bottle and the sealing member 2 are slidable relative to each other in the axial direction while being prevented from relative rotational motion therebetween. With this structure, when the toner bottle 1 is mounted (locked) on the toner supply device 400, the sealing member 2 is movable relative to the main body 1A of the bottle, that is, the unsealing of the opening 1 a (toner supply opening) is enabled.
The engagement length between the engaging hole 2 a and the driving shaft 1 b is determined such that they are not disengaged from each other upon the relative movement between the sealing member 2 and the main body 1A of the bottle for the unsealing. By doing so, the driving shaft 1 b can receive the driving force through the sealing member 2 even if the sealing member 2 is moved away relatively from the main body 1A.
The coupling engagement portion 2 c of the sealing member 2 has an engaging projection 3 for receiving the driving force from the main assembly 100 of the apparatus. The engaging projection 3 is projected radially outwardly from the peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion of the coupling engagement portion 2 c. The engaging projection comprises a drive receiving surface 3 a (driving force receiving portion) for receiving the rotational driving force from the main assembly of the apparatus; and a locking surface 3 b (locking portion) for snap-fit type locking of the sealing member 2 into a locking hole (portion to be locked) provided in the main assembly 100 of the apparatus when the sealing member 2 and the toner bottle 1 are moved away from each other (from the closed state to the open state). Thus, by the drive receiving surface 3 a, the engaging hole 2 a and the locking surface 3 b, the engaging projection 3 performs three different functions, namely, a coupling function for receiving the rotational driving force from the main assembly of the apparatus, a transmitting function of transmitting the rotation to the toner bottle 1, and a locking function (retention function) for permitting relative sliding motion between the sealing member 2 and the main body of the toner bottle 1 so as to automatically open and close the opening.
According to such a structure, the automatic opening and closing operation of the sealing member 2 and the driving force transmitting operation can be accomplished by a single sealing member, so that an inexpensive and compact toner supply container can be provided.
The engaging projection 3 is preferably integral with the sealing member 2 from this standpoint of reduction of the number of constituent parts, but a separate member for the engaging projection 3 may be mounted to the sealing member 2. Such an example will be described in conjunction with a fourth embodiment.
The engaging projection 3 has a driving force receiving function as well as the locking function, and therefore, it has a certain degree of rigidity. In view of this, slits 2 e or the like are formed at lateral ends of the engaging projection 3, so that only the part of the coupling engagement portion 2 c where the engaging projection 3 is provided, can relatively freely deform elastically toward the inside. This is because the engaging projection 3 is displaced by the main assembly 100 of the apparatus to effect the engagement and disengagement relative to the main assembly of the apparatus, as will be described hereinafter.
The free end portion of the engaging projection 3 is provided with a taper (locking force receiving portion) so as to permit smooth insertion when the sealing member 2 is inserted into the driving portion 20 of the main assembly 100 of the apparatus. The tapered surface 3 c receives a locking force from an inner surface of the driving portion 20 so that engaging projection 3 (locking portion) is displaced inwardly to lock into the locking hole when the tapered surface 3 c approaches relative to the locking hole 20 h of the driving portion 20. When the locking surface further approaches the locking hole to such an extent that contact of the tapered portion 3 c to the inner surface of the driving portion 20, that is, the locking force is released, the portion supporting the engaging projection (locking portion) restores from the displaced position, thus completing the locking between the sealing member (locking portion) and the main assembly (portion to be locked) of the image forming apparatus.
After the completion of the locking action, the relative motion between the sealing member and the main body of the bottle is automatically imparted in the direction away from each other, by which the opening is unsealed to enable the toner to discharge. In this embodiment, the sealing member is engaged with the main assembly of the apparatus such that movement in the sliding direction is prevented, and in this state, the main body of the bottle is retracted or advanced to automatically open or close the opening.
In addition, the coupling engaging portion 2 c functions to minimize the deformation of the engaging projection 3 when the rotational driving force is imparted to the engaging projection 3. As shown in FIG. 34(A), when a driving force F is imparted to the engaging projection 3, the engaging projection elastically deforms as shown in (A) and (B). However, it abuts the coupling engaging portion 2 c, so that further deformation is prevented. Therefore, even when a large rotational driving force is imparted, the engaging projection 3 does not deform beyond the width of the slot because of the provision of the coupling engaging portion 2 c. Therefore, the structure is suitable for use with a large capacity toner bottle. The amount of deformation of the engaging projection 3 is dependent on the width of the groove 2 e, and therefore, the width of the groove 2 e is preferably as small as possible.
The engaging projection 3 described above is provided at each of two positions which are diametrically opposed to each other, and the two engaging projections 3 are connected by a connecting portion which functions as a releasing force receiving portion 4. When the releasing force receiving portion (releasing portion) 4 receives a force from the main assembly of the apparatus in the direction indicated by an arrow b, the engaging projections 3 are elastically deformed as indicated by chain lines in FIG. 13. If the force application is stopped, the original position is restored. The releasing portion 4 has a relatively small thickness to permit elastic deformation, and the material is selected in consideration of such an elastic deformation.
On the other hand, the locking hole 20 h of the driving portion 20 provided in the main assembly 100 side of the apparatus is constructed so as to be locked with the engaging projection 3 (locking surface) of the sealing member 2. When the sealing member 2 is inserted into the driving portion 20, the smooth insertion is accomplished by providing the driving portion 20 with a tapered surface 20 b defining an inner diameter gradually increasing toward the free end of the driving portion 20. The sealing member 2 is smoothly inserted into the driving portion 20 because of the provision of the tapered surface 20 b. The driving portion 20 is provided with an engaging rib 20 a for rotating the toner bottle 1, and the engaging rib 20 a abuts the drive receiving surface 3 a to transmit the rotational driving force to the sealing member after the engaging projection is engaged with the locking hole 20 h. Referring to FIG. 15, the engagement between the driving portion 20 and the sealing member 2 in this embodiment will be described.
FIG. 15(A) shows a state when the user is setting a new toner bottle 1 in the direction indicated by an arrow a in order to install it into the main assembly 100 of the apparatus, in which the toner bottle 1 has not yet engaged with the driving portion 20 in the main assembly of the apparatus.
When the toner bottle 1 is further inserted, the tapered portion 3 c of the engaging projection 3 of the sealing member 2 is brought into contact with the tapered surface 20 b of the driving portion 20, as shown in FIG. 15(B), and the engaging projection 3 is being guided by the tapered surface 20 b while being elastically deformed toward the inside.
With the further insertion of the toner bottle 1, the engaging projection 3 passes by the straight portion 20 g extending from the tapered surface 20 b, the engaging projection 3 is restored because of the provision of the space portion 20 h (locking hole) not having the engaging rib 20 a, by which the engaging projection 3 is locked with the driving portion 20, as shown in FIG. 15(C). In this state, the engaging projection 3 is firmly locked relative to the driving portion 20, and the position of the sealing member 2 in the thrust direction (axial direction) is substantially fixed relative to the main assembly of the apparatus.
Therefore, even if the toner bottle 1 is retracted in the direction indicated by an arrow b, as shown in FIG. 7(C), the sealing member 2 does not move in the same direction, but is firmly fixed to the driving portion 20. On the other hand, since the toner bottle 1 is inserted, the sealing member 2 is separated away from the toner bottle 1 with certainty, so that opening 1 a is unsealed or opened. The sliding retracting operation of the toner bottle 1 may be interrelated with the opening and closing operation of the front cover 15 provided in the main assembly 100 of the apparatus.
In detail, when the operator opens the front cover, the following occurs. First, the main body of the toner bottle advances toward the sealing member while the sealing member is locked in the main assembly of the apparatus, by which the sealing member of the opening is automatically sealed. By a pushing member 21 which will be described hereinafter, a releasing projection is actuated to release the engaging projection from the locking hole. Then, the main body of the toner bottle is retracted together with the sealing member re-press-fitted into the opening, so that the sealing member is disengaged from the main assembly of the apparatus. By this, the toner bottle is prepared for being removed from the main assembly of the apparatus.
In a conventional drive transmitting means using a combination of projection and recess type coupling drive, it is necessary to engage a recess and a projection with phase alignment. This is not necessary according to this embodiment. Referring to FIG. 18, this will be described.
However, depending on the position in the rotational direction of the toner bottle 1 upon the insertion of the toner bottle, the engaging projection 3A is aligned with the engaging rib 20 a as shown in FIG. 18(A). In this case, even if the toner bottle 1 is inserted into the predetermined position, the engaging projection 3A interferes with the engaging rib 20 a so that it is not released outwardly. Then, the locking is incomplete. If the toner bottle 1 is retracted in this state, the toner bottle 1 is retracted together with the sealing member 2 since the locking with the main assembly driving portion 20 is incomplete. The opening 1 a cannot be unsealed or opened.
In order to avoid this, the number of engaging projections 3 is larger than that of the engaging ribs 20 a by at least one, by which not all of the engaging ribs and engaging projections are aligned.
In the case of FIG. 18(A), one of the engaging projections 3A interferes with the engaging rib 20 a, and therefore, is not locked with the main assembly driving portion 20. However, the other one of the engaging projections 3B does not interfere with the engaging rib 20 a, and therefore, it is correctly locked with the driving portion 20. Thus, even if one of the engaging projections 3A is not locked correctly, the other engaging projection 3B is correctly locked, and therefore, the toner bottle 1 is separated away from the sealing member 2 without problem, so that opening 1 a is unsealed. After the opening 1 a is unsealed, the incompletely engaged engaging rib 20 a is brought out of the interference sooner or later by the rotation of the main assembly driving portion 20 in the direction indicated by an arrow c, and therefore, correct locking of the engaging projection 3A is established. With further rotation, as shown in FIG. 18(C), the engaging rib 20 a is engaged with the engaging projection 3B, so that rotation is transmitted to rotate the toner bottle 1.
When a plurality of engaging ribs are provided at different circumferential positions, it is preferable that engaging ribs are disposed at regular intervals in consideration of the drive transmission property.
In FIG. 21(A), there is shown a state in which the toner bottle 1 has not yet been inserted into the main assembly driving portion 20, and the engaging hole 20 d of the main assembly driving portion 20 and the engaging projection 3 and sealing member 2 are not aligned in the positions in the rotational direction, as indicated in X-X cross section. With the insertion of the toner bottle 1, the state shown in FIG. 21(B) is reached, in which the engaging projection 3 is half-engaged with the locking groove 20 e. In this state, when the toner bottle 1 is retracted, only the toner bottle 1 is retracted in the direction indicated by the arrow b since the sealing member 2 is locked with the locking groove 20 e, so that sealing member 2 and the toner bottle 1 are spaced apart with certainty to unseal the opening 1 a. When the main assembly driving portion 20 rotates in the direction indicated by an arrow c, the engaging hole 20 d and the engaging projection 3 are aligned as shown in FIG. 21(C), and the engaging projection 3 is now completely engaged with the engaging hole 20 d to permit transmission of the rotational driving force.
Additionally, since the opening and closing operation for the opening of the toner supply container is automatically executed in the main assembly of an image forming apparatus, therefore, the user is not required to open or close the opening. This eliminates the possibility of contaminating the hands of the user.
FIG. 22(A) shows a state in which the toner supply is completed, and the opening 1 a of the toner bottle 1 is in an open state.
When the locking between the driving portion 20 and the sealing member 2 is released, the pushing member 21 is advanced in a direction indicated by an arrow a to the releasing portion 4 at the free end of the sealing member 2, by which the releasing portion 4 is elastically deformed in the same direction, and correspondingly, the engaging projection 3 integral with the releasing portion 4 deforms toward the inside. By this, the engaging projection 3 is disengaged from the main assembly driving portion 20.
As for the driving structure for the pushing member 21, it may be interrelated with the opening and closing operation of the front cover of the main assembly 100 of the apparatus such that when the front cover 15 is opened, the pushing member 21 moves in the direction of arrow a to effect disengagement between the sealing member 2 of the toner bottle 1 and the driving portion 20, and when the front cover 15 is closed, it is advanced in the direction of arrow b. Alternatively, a driving motor or the like is used to effect the disengaging operation independently. In another alternative, it is not interrelated with the front cover 15 of the main assembly 100 of the apparatus, but a manual lever is provided, which is manipulated by the user and is interrelated with the pushing member.
As described in the foregoing, according to the embodiments, the toner supply container can be locked in the main assembly of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus by a snap-fit type engagement with certainty by inserting the toner supply container. When it is to be taken out, the snap-fit type locking is easily released by pushing the releasing portion. Thus, the supplying operation from the toner supply container is accomplished with a very simple operation. Accordingly, a toner supply container of high operativity can be provided.
Referring to FIGS. 23-25, and 32, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The same reference numerals as with the first embodiment are assigned to the elements having the corresponding functions, and the detailed description of the common structure is omitted for simplicity.
FIG. 25(A) shows a state in which the toner supply is completed, and the opening 1 a of the toner bottle 1 is still open.
When the engagement between the main assembly driving portion 20 and the sealing member 2 is to be released, the pushing member 21 is advanced to the releasing portion 4, as shown in FIG. 25(B), so that releasing portion 4 is pressed inwardly by the inner surface of the pushing member 21. This displaces the releasing portion 4 inwardly (arrow d) by the elastic deformation of the supporting portion 2 f, and simultaneously, the engaging projection 3 is displaced inwardly together with the releasing portion 4. By this, the engaging projection 3 is disengaged from the main assembly driving portion 20. The releasing steps are carried out in interrelation with the opening operation of the front cover by the operator.
Thereafter, the pushing member 21 is advanced in the direction of arrow a, so that sealing member 2 is returned to the sealing position of the toner bottle 1, as shown in FIG. 25(C). Subsequently, the pushing member 21 is further advanced to slide the toner bottle 1 per se to a position facilitating the user who is going to take the toner bottle 1 out.
As described in the foregoing, according to this embodiment, by the provision of the releasing portion 4 on the outer surface of the cylindrical portion 2 c, the same advantageous effects as with the first embodiment described in the following can be provided. According to this embodiment, when the sealing member 2 is produced by injection molding of a resin material, the mold can be easily removed, thus improving the production property.
In the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 24, the engaging projection 3 and the releasing portion (releasing projection) 4 for the sealing member 2 are provided at the outer surface of the engaging portion 2 b. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 26, the engaging projection 3 and the releasing projection 4 are provided at each of four circumferentially equidistant positions on an inner surface of the engaging portion 2 b. Corresponding to such a structure of the sealing member 2, the main assembly driving portion 20 has a configuration shown in FIG. 27. The main assembly driving portion 20 comprises cylindrical portions including a free end portion 20 b, a small diameter portion 20 c, a large diameter portion 20 d and a rear end 20 e which have different outer diameters. It also comprises a through-hole 20 f through which the pushing member 21 is penetrated. The inner diameter of the through-hole 20 f is constant. The small diameter portion 20 c has a minimum outer diameter and is provided with an engaging rib 20 a extending in the longitudinal direction of the driving portion 20 at each of the diametrically opposite positions.
FIG. 28(A) shows a state in which the toner bottle 1 is inserted in a direction indicated by an arrow b for a user to install a new toner bottle 1 into the main assembly of the apparatus, in which the toner bottle 1 has not yet been locked with the driving portion 20 provided in the main assembly of the apparatus.
As shown in FIG. 28(B), when the toner bottle 1 is further inserted, the engaging projection 3 provided in the sealing member 2 is brought into contact with the main assembly driving portion 20 and is guided by the tapered surface 3 c formed at the free end portion of the engaging projection 3, and is gradually and elastically deformed.
With further insertion, the engaging projection 3 having passed by the straight portion 20 g, as shown in FIG. 28(C), the forced deformation is released by the space portion 20 h not having the engaging rib 20 a, and the engaging projection 3 is firmly locked with the main assembly driving portion 20.
In the state shown in FIG. 28(C), the engaging projection 3 is firmly engaged with the main assembly driving portion 20 such that position of the sealing member 2 in the thrust direction (axial direction) is fixed relative to the main body of the toner bottle 1. Therefore, when the toner bottle 1 is retracted thereafter, the sealing member 2 is not retracted together with the toner bottle 1 but is firmly fixed to the main assembly driving portion 20. On the other hand, only the toner bottle 1 is discarded, the sealing member 2 separates from the toner bottle 1 to unseal or open the opening 1 a. The retracting operation of the toner bottle 1 may be such that the toner bottle 1 is slid in interrelation with the opening and closing operation of the front cover 15 (FIG. 2).
When the sealing member 2 is to be disengaged from the main assembly driving portion 20, the pushing member 21 disposed at the central portion of the main assembly driving portion 20 is slid in the direction of arrow a, by which it is disengaged from the main assembly driving portion 20.
By advancing the pushing member 21 in the direction of arrow a relative to the releasing portion 4 provided in the inside of the sealing member 2, the part supporting the releasing portion 21, as shown in FIG. 29(B), deforms outwardly so that releasing portion displaces outwardly, and therefore, the engaging projection 3 displaces outwardly. By this, the engaging projection 3 is disengaged from the main assembly driving portion 20.
With further advancement of the pushing member 21 in the direction of arrow a, the sealing member 2 is press-fitted into the opening 1 a as shown in FIG. 29(C). In this position, the sealing member 2 unseals the opening 1 a of the toner bottle 1. By further advancement of the pushing member 21 in the direction of arrow a, the toner bottle 1 per se is slid backward to a position where the user can easily take the toner bottle 1 out.
As for the driving structure for the pushing member 21, it may be interrelated with the opening and closing operation of the front cover 15 of the main assembly 100 of the apparatus such that when the front cover 15 is opened, the pushing member 21 moves in the direction of arrow a to effect disengagement between the sealing member 2 of the toner bottle 1 and the driving portion 20, and when the front cover 15 is closed, it is advanced in the direction of arrow b. Alternatively, a driving motor or the like is used to effect the disengaging operation independently. In another alternative, it is not interrelated with the front cover 15 of the main assembly 100 of the apparatus, but a manual lever is provided, which is manipulated by the user and is interrelated with the pushing member.
In this embodiment, the releasing portion is not exposed to outside, and therefore, in case that toner supply container unintentionally falls, the releasing portion is not damaged, and therefore, the shock resistant property is high during the transportation.
The engaging projections 3 are connected with each other by a link 3 g through hinge portions 3 i. The link 3 g includes two members connected by a hinge which functions as a releasing portion 4.
From an inside of the movable arm 3 e fixed projections 3 f are projected opposed to each other at a central portion. A spring 3 j is compressed between the fixed projections 3 f. By the urging force provided by the spring 3 j, the movable arm 3 e is urged outwardly, so that engaging projection 3 is engageable with the main assembly driving portion 20 as shown in FIG. 30(A). The main assembly driving portion 20 suitable in this embodiment is for example that shown in FIG. 14.
With such a structure, when the toner bottle 1 is to be engaged with the main assembly driving portion 20 by the engaging projection 3, it is enough to insert the toner bottle 1 into the main assembly of the apparatus, similarly to Embodiment 1. More particularly, when the toner bottle 1 is inserted, the engaging projections 3 are brought into contact with the main assembly driving portion 20, by which the movable arms 3 e are tilted inwardly against the spring force of the spring 3 j together with the engaging projections 3. With further insertion, the engaging projections 3 are engaged with the main assembly driving portion 20 at a predetermined position by the spring force of the spring 3 j, and simultaneously, the movable arms 3 e restore the original position shown in FIG. 30(A).
On the other hand, when they are to be disengaged from each other, as shown in FIG. 30(B), the pushing member 21 is pushed against the releasing portion 4 in a direction indicated by an arrow a, the engaging projections 3 are easily tilted, so that they are disengaged.
In this embodiment, the elastic deformation is not used, the engaging projection 3 may be made of any material not exhibiting elastic deformation per se, and therefore, the choice of the material is very broad. For example, various materials such as aluminum, steel or magnesium, or wood, hard resin material or the like is usable. A higher engagement strength can be maintained, and durability is improved.
In this embodiment, the elastic deformation of the sealing member is not utilized unlike Embodiments 1-3, but a link type is employed. Therefore, durability is better, but the structure is rather complicated with the possible result of cost increase.
The present invention is not limited to the foregoing Embodiments. In Embodiment 5, the structures are the same as that of said embodiment shown in FIG. 20 except for the portions which will be described.
For example, as shown in FIG. 31, the opening 1 a of the toner bottle 1 may be provided in the cylindrical surface 1 d adjacent to the longitudinal end surface. In such a case, the coupling engagement portion 2 c is not provided in the sealing member 2 and may be mounted rotatably in an end surface of the main body 1A of the toner bottle. In this case, the opening 1 a is unsealably sealed by a shutter member S.
The coupling engagement portion 2 c performs a function of locking the main body 1A of the toner bottle with the main assembly (driving portion 20 shown in FIG. 20) of the image forming apparatus by a locking portion (locking surface of the engaging projection 3), a function of receiving a rotational driving force from the main assembly side of the image forming apparatus by a driving force receiving portion (a drive receiving surface of the engaging projection 3), a function of disengaging the main body 1A of the toner bottle from the main assembly (driving portion 20) of the image forming apparatus by a releasing portion 4, and a function of transmitting the driving force received by the driving force receiving portion to the coupling engagement portion 2 c and the toner feeding member fixed in the toner bottle. With this structure, a force of separating the toner bottle from the driving portion 20 of the main assembly of the apparatus for some reason or another, while the rotation is received from the main assembly of the apparatus, they are maintained engaged with each other, and therefore, it is avoided that transmission of the rotational driving force to the toner bottle is unintentionally disengaged.
In the foregoing embodiment, the locking mechanism, the releasing mechanism and the drive transmission mechanism are used between an image forming apparatus and a toner supply container (sealing member). In this embodiment, use is made of an image forming apparatus and an electrophotographic photosensitive member detachably mountable relative to the main assembly of the image forming apparatus, in which the photosensitive drum is exchanged with a new one after the service life. In the other aspects, the structures are the same as with Embodiment 1.
In FIG. 33, the coupling engaging portion 2 c provided at an end of a photosensitive drum 104 is engaged with a driving portion 20 of the main assembly of the image forming apparatus similarly to Embodiment 1, so that rotational driving force is transmitted from the driving portion 20 to the photosensitive member. The structures for the disengagement therebetween are similar to that of Embodiment 1.
In interrelation with an opening operation of the front cover by the operator, the main body of the toner bottle is advanced toward the sealing member with the engagement between the sealing member and the driving portion 20 maintained, by which the sealing member is press-fitted into the opening, thus accomplishing automatic sealing.
Thereafter, the pushing member 21 slides to be contacted into the releasing portion, and the engaging projection is disengaged from the driving portion 20. Furthermore, the pushing member 21 pushes the main body of the toner bottle together with the sealing member toward the front cover to a position where the operator can easily take the toner bottle out.
In this manner, the sliding movement (retraction, advancement) of the main body of the bottle used for unsealing the opening can be used for resealing the opening with a simple structure. In addition, the slide movement distance of the pushing member can be made shorter than in the foregoing embodiments, and therefore, complication of the apparatus at the main body side can be avoided.
In Embodiments 1-6, only by the movement of the releasing projection of the main assembly of the apparatus in a direction (axial direction, for example) of relative motion of the sealing member relative to the main body, the engaging projection or projections are moved in a direction or directions substantially perpendicular to the direction (radial direction, for example), and therefore, the structure for the disengagement is simple. Even when a plurality of engaging projections are provided, all the engaging projections are brought into disengaging positions by a force applied substantially at one position, and therefore, the structure for the disengagement is simple. In Embodiments 1, 4, 5 and 6, the releasing force receiving portion of the sealing member is disposed substantially at the free end portion of the sealing member, so that releasing force receiving portion can be engaged with the main assembly at a relatively early stage after the start of insertion of the toner bottle.
In Embodiments 1-4, the driving portion 20 provided in the main assembly of the image forming apparatus is provided with a locking hole and an engaging rib, and the sealing member 2 is provided with an engaging projection portion 3 engageable with the locking hole and the engaging rib of the driving portion 20, but the projection and recess relationship 15 may be reversed. In other words, the driving portion 20 of the main assembly of the apparatus is provided with the engaging projection and the releasing portion (releasing projection), and the sealing member 2 is provided with the locking hole and the engaging rib. With such a structure, the same advantageous effects are provided.
As described in the foregoing, according to these embodiments, the toner accommodating container and the main assembly of the image forming apparatus are locked in a snap-fit type engagement, and the sealing member can be automatically engaged into or disengaged from the opening of the toner accommodating container, wherein the locking engagement can be released with a simple structure without effort by the user.
Therefore, the toner supply operation can be carried out by the user with much less effort.
Patent CitationsCited PatentFiling datePublication dateApplicantTitleUS4060105Oct 22, 1976Nov 29, 1977Xerox CorporationToner loading apparatus with replenishing supply containerUS4342282Jul 30, 1981Aug 3, 1982Hitachi Metals, Ltd.Toner cartridgeUS4981218Jan 24, 1990Jan 1, 1991Canon Kabushiki KaishaDeveloper cartridgeUS5177539Oct 16, 1991Jan 5, 1993Sharp CorporationDeveloping deviceUS5177540Mar 17, 1992Jan 5, 1993Canon Kabushiki KaishaDeveloper container, developer unit and process cartridge having the developer unitUS5235389Apr 3, 1991Aug 10, 1993Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd.Replaceable toner cartridge with internal stirring member, and electrophotographic printer employing the sameUS5268722Apr 2, 1991Dec 7, 1993Canon Kabushiki KaishaDetachable developer supply container having means for selectively prohibiting detachmentUS5296900Oct 11, 1991Mar 22, 1994Minolta Camera Kabushiki KaishaSubstantially cylindrical developer supplying container for supplying approximately constant amounts of developerUS5351728Dec 1, 1993Oct 4, 1994Canon Kabushiki KaishaDeveloper cartridgeUS5513679Mar 7, 1994May 7, 1996Canon Kabushiki KaishaDeveloper replenishing cartridge and developer receiving apparatus within which such cartridge is mountedUS5515143May 16, 1995May 7, 1996Sharp Kabushiki KaishaToner cartridge with seal body capped unitUS5528349Sep 28, 1994Jun 18, 1996Minolta Co., Ltd.Developer container for stably replenishing developer to developing deviceUS5579101Dec 28, 1994Nov 26, 1996Canon Kabushiki KaishaDeveloper cartridge and developing apparatusUS5794108Jan 9, 1997Aug 11, 1998Ricoh Company, Ltd.Development device of an image forming apparatus and a driven toner bottle for use in the development deviceUS5828935Oct 11, 1996Oct 27, 1998Ricoh Company, Ltd.Image forming apparatus, toner supply unit, and toner bottle attached theretoUS5852760Nov 10, 1997Dec 22, 1998Xerox CorporationToner container with snap-on torque bearing adaptorUS5870652Dec 28, 1994Feb 9, 1999Canon Kabushiki KaishaDeveloper cartridge featuring a developer replenishment hole and removable cap having a gripping member for sealing the hole and a remanufacturing method using the sameUS5890040Jan 12, 1998Mar 30, 1999Konica CorporationDeveloper cartridge and developer replenishing apparatusUS5907756Aug 4, 1997May 25, 1999Minolta Co., Ltd.Toner replenishment device and toner bottleUS5909610Jun 10, 1997Jun 1, 1999Ricoh Company, Ltd.Toner container enclosed in a protective armoring memberUS5918095Jul 29, 1998Jun 29, 1999General Plastic Industrial Co., Ltd.Developer dispensing containerUS6032013May 12, 1999Feb 29, 2000Minolta Co., Ltd.Developing agent supply apparatus and developing agent container used in the sameUS6049685Jun 18, 1998Apr 11, 2000Canon Kabushiki KaishaToner supply container detachably mountable to a main assembly of an image forming apparatusUS6064846Aug 11, 1999May 16, 2000General Plastic Industrial Co., Ltd.Developer container including flange for supporting container on flat surfaceUS6067432Jan 20, 1999May 23, 2000General Plastic Industrial Co., Ltd.Developer containerUS6075963May 6, 1999Jun 13, 2000Ricoh Company, Ltd.Developer replenishing device and developer container for use therewithUS6091912Jan 26, 1999Jul 18, 2000Ricoh Company, Ltd.Tower supplying device and image forming apparatus using same toner supplying deviceUS6118951Jan 12, 1998Sep 12, 2000Ricoh Company, Ltd.Image forming apparatus and toner replenishing device thereforUS6128453Jun 18, 1998Oct 3, 2000Canon Kabushiki KaishaToner supply container detachably mountable to a main assembly of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus and a sealing member usable with the toner supply containerUS6131008Nov 3, 1998Oct 10, 2000Canon Kabushiki KaishaDeveloper cartridge featuring a stirring member with free stirring blade end portionsUS6137972Aug 30, 1999Oct 24, 2000Xerox CorporationImaging material dispensing systemUS6151432Jul 14, 1997Nov 21, 2000Seiko Instruments Inc.Universal optical fiber connectors and basic plugs thereofUS6151471May 25, 1999Nov 21, 2000Ricoh Company, Ltd.Toner supplying device, method and image forming apparatus using the same toner supplying device or methodUS6185401Sep 29, 1998Feb 6, 2001Canon Kabushiki KaishaToner bottle, toner supply system and image forming apparatus using sameUS6224270Aug 26, 1999May 1, 2001Seiko Instruments Inc.Universal optical fiber connectors and basic plugs thereofUS6259874Jun 18, 1998Jul 10, 2001Canon Kabushiki KaishaToner accommodating container part, toner supply container and electrophotographic image forming apparatusUS6266505Jun 18, 1998Jul 24, 2001Canon Kabushiki KaishaToner supply container and electrophotographic image forming apparatusUS6289193Jun 23, 1999Sep 11, 2001Canon Kabushiki KaishaToner supply container and toner receiving container for receiving toner from sameUS6292644Sep 21, 1999Sep 18, 2001Canon Kabushiki KaishaToner replenishing container and toner replenishing apparatusUS6314261Mar 10, 2000Nov 6, 2001Canon Kabushiki KaishaToner container and toner replenishing mechanismUS6334037Feb 18, 2000Dec 25, 2001Toshiba Tec Kabushiki KaishaImage forming apparatusUS6533468Feb 7, 2001Mar 18, 2003Seiko Instruments Inc.Universal optical fiber connectors and basic plugs thereofUS6766133Mar 27, 2000Jul 20, 2004Canon Kabushiki KaishaToner supplying container with shutter and related rotatable member feature and image forming apparatus using sameUS6879789Feb 19, 2002Apr 12, 2005Canon Kabushiki KaishaSealing member, toner accommodating container and image forming apparatusUS6920298May 6, 2003Jul 19, 2005Canon Kabushiki KaishaSealing member, toner accommodating container and image forming apparatusUS6944417Mar 22, 2004Sep 13, 2005Canon Kabushiki KaishaToner supply container and image forming apparatusUS6950621Nov 19, 2003Sep 27, 2005Mitsubishi Chemical America, Inc.Developer cartridge including RIM configured to open and to close a shutter or an image forming apparatusUS6990301May 6, 2003Jan 24, 2006Canon Kabushiki KaishaSealing member, toner accommodating container and image forming apparatusUS6990302Nov 19, 2003Jan 24, 2006Canon Kabushiki KaishaProcess cartridge and electrophotographic image forming apparatus regulating the positions of creases on a flexible member in accordance with pivotal movement of a support memberUS6993273Jan 22, 2004Jan 31, 2006Canon Kabushiki KaishaDeveloper supply container, and coupling-driving member for developer supply containerUS7127193Aug 10, 2005Oct 24, 2006Canon Kabushiki KaishaSealing member, toner accommodating container and image forming apparatusUS7245852Jun 8, 2004Jul 17, 2007Kabushiki Kaisha ToshibaToner supply device and image forming apparatusUS7324777Dec 7, 2006Jan 29, 2008Canon Kabushiki KaishaSealing member, toner accommodating container and image forming apparatusUS7376369Dec 7, 2006May 20, 2008Canon Kabushiki KaishaSealing member, toner accommodating container and image forming apparatusUS7382997Aug 10, 2005Jun 3, 2008Canon Kabushiki KaishaSealing member, toner accommodating container and image forming apparatusUS7386251Dec 7, 2006Jun 10, 2008Canon Kabushiki KaishaToner supply container including a coupling member for engaging and receiving a driving force from a cylindrical memberUS7430384Aug 10, 2005Sep 30, 2008Canon Kabushiki KaishaSealing member, toner accommodating container and image forming apparatusUS7433633Dec 7, 2006Oct 7, 2008Canon Kabushiki KaishaToner supply container having a coupling member for engaging and receiving a rotational force from a cylindrical memberUS7469113Oct 13, 2004Dec 23, 2008Canon Kabushiki KaishaSealing member, toner accommodating container and image forming apparatusUS7474866Nov 9, 2005Jan 6, 2009Canon Kabushiki KaishaSealing member, toner supply container, and toner supply systemUS7505718Jul 13, 2006Mar 17, 2009Ricoh Company, Ltd.Container, toner container, image forming apparatus, and image forming processUS7647012 *Jul 9, 2008Jan 12, 2010Canon Kabushiki KaishaSealing member, toner accommodating container and image forming apparatusUS20040009017Apr 14, 2003Jan 15, 2004Masahiro YoshinoPowder container, powder contained product, powder container manufacturing method, powder contained product reusing method, toner container and toner contained productUS20050047818Oct 13, 2004Mar 3, 2005Canon Kabushiki KaishaSealing member, toner accommodating container and image forming apparatusUS20050169674Apr 4, 2005Aug 4, 2005Masahiro YoshinoPowder container, powder contained product, powder container manufacturing method, powder contained product reusing method, toner container and toner contained productUS20070134021Dec 7, 2006Jun 14, 2007Canon Kabushiki KaishaSealing member, toner accommodating container and image forming apparatusCA2300202A1Aug 19, 1998Feb 25, 1999Itsac N.V.Toner cartridge and opening and closing mechanism for pass-through of sameCN1237405CFeb 19, 2002Jan 18, 2006佳能株式会社Sealing element, toner container and imaging deviceEP0853260A2Jan 13, 1998Jul 15, 1998Konica CorporationDeveloper cartridge and developer replenishing apparatusEP0897137A1Jun 19, 1998Feb 17, 1999Canon Kabushiki KaishaToner supply container, sealing member and electrophotographic image forming apparatusEP0897138A1Jun 19, 1998Feb 17, 1999Canon Kabushiki KaishaToner accommodating container part, toner supply container and electrophotographic image forming apparatusEP0905577A2Sep 29, 1998Mar 31, 1999Canon Kabushiki KaishaToner container, toner supply system, developer cartridge and image forming apparatus using sameEP1006415A1Aug 19, 1998Jun 7, 2000Itsac N.V.Toner cartridge and mechanism for opening and closing communication port of the sameEP1041454A1Mar 28, 2000Oct 4, 2000Canon Kabushiki KaishaToner supplying container detachably mountable to an image forming apparatusGB2287100A Title not availableJP2002042384A Title not availableJP2002318490A Title not availableJPH112744A Title not availableJPH0575768A Title not availableJPH1048936A Title not availableJPH1063076A Title not availableJPH1063084A Title not availableJPH1068076A Title not availableJPH1173000A Title not availableJPH1173001A Title not availableJPH1173002A Title not availableJPH03256058A Title not availableJPH04112474A Title not availableJPH08211719A Title not availableJPH09222786A Title not availableJPH09274366A Title not availableJPH11102109A Title not availableJPS6429745A Title not availableJPS63135359A Title not available* Cited by examinerNon-Patent CitationsReference1Australian Patent Office Examiner's First Report, for Australian Patent Application No. 2005201134, dated Sep. 18, 2006.2Austrian Patent Office Written Opinion dated Dec. 18, 2008 in Singapore Application No. 200602933-4.3Canadian Patent Office Search Report, dated Feb. 20, 2004, for Canadian Application No. 2,372,419.4Communication dated Dec. 15, 2010, forwarding a European Search Report dated Dec. 6, 2010, in counterpart European Patent Application No. 101829661.1 - 2209/2270607.5European Search Report dated Dec. 6, 2010, in counterpart European Patent Application No. 10 16 2683.6European Search report dated Mar. 24, 2009 in European Application No. 09151710.2-2209.7European Search report dated Nov. 17, 2008 in European Application No. 08163935.3-2209/1993003.8European Search Report, dated Jan. 18, 2006, issued in European Application No. 02 003 651.3-2209.9European Search Report, dated Sep. 3, 2007, issued in European Application No. 02 003 651.3-2209.10Examination Report dated Dec. 10, 2009, prepared by the Austrian Patent Office and forwarded with a Search and Examination Report dated Jan. 8, 2010, in counterpart Singapore Application No. 200602933-4.11Extended European Search Report dated Feb. 18, 2010, in counterpart European Application No. 08163934.6-2209/1993002.12Invitation to Respond to Written Opinion from the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore, dated Apr. 17, 2007, for Singapore Patent Application No. 200407942-2, which forwards Australian Search Report and Written Opinion, both dated Mar. 15, 2007, prepared for the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore.13Invitation to Respond to Written Opinion from the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore, dated Jan. 14, 2008, for Singapore Patent Application No. 200602933-4, which forwards Austrian Search Report and Written Opinion, both dated Dec. 14, 2007, prepared by the Austrian Patent and Trademark Office.14Japanese Office Action, dated Mar. 17, 2007, issued in Japanese Application No. 2006-211509 (English excerpt translation provided).15Konica Parts Catalog, Model 7020, 1st Edition, Feb. 2000, CMPC-7020, Konica Business Technologies, Inc., and seven (7) sheets of annotated illustrations and photographs of Konica 7020 and 8050 toner bottles along with a cover sheet.16Letter from the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore, dated Apr. 18, 2006, for Singapore Patent Application No. 200201079-1, which forwards Austrian Patent Office Supplementary Search Report, dated Mar. 9, 2006.17Notification of the First Office Action from the State Intellectual Property Office of the People's Republic of China, dated Jul. 13, 2007, for Chinese Application No. 2005100702734.18Notification of the First Office Action from the State Intellectual Property Office of the People's Republic of China, dated Jul. 13, 2007, for Chinese Application No. 2005100702749.19Notification of the First Office Action from the State Intellectual Property Office of the People's Republic of China, dated Jul. 13, 2007, for Chinese Application No. 2005100702753.20Rejection Decision dated Feb. 12, 2010, in counterpart Chinese Application No. 200510070274.9.21Search and Examination Report from the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore, dated Apr. 26, 2007, for Singapore Patent Application No. 200602934-2, which forwards Danish Search and Examination Reports, both dated Apr. 11, 2007, prepared by the Danish Patent and Trademark Office.22Search and Examination Report from the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore, dated Jan. 31, 2004, for Singapore Patent Application No. 200201079-1, which forwards Austrian Patent Office Search Report and Written Opinion, both dated Dec. 22, 2003, prepared by the Austrian Patent Office.23Search and Examination Report from the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore, dated Jul. 23, 2009, for Singapore Patent Application No. 200604752-6, which forwards Austrian Search Report and Written Opinion, both dated Jun. 22, 2009, prepared by the Austrian Patent and Trademark Office.24Third-Party Observation filed in corresponding Japanese Laid-Open Publication No. 2002-318490, laid open Oct. 31, 2002 (Application No. 2002-42384).Classifications U.S. Classification399/262International ClassificationB41J27/16, G03G15/08Cooperative ClassificationY10S222/01, G03G15/0837, G03G15/0881, G03G2215/0668, G03G2215/0678, G03G15/0839, G03G15/0886, G03G2215/0692, G03G2221/1657, G03G15/0834, G03G15/0868, G03G15/0872, G03G15/0877European ClassificationG03G15/08H3C1, G03G15/08H3D, G03G15/08H3BLegal EventsDateCodeEventDescriptionJul 2, 2014FPAYFee paymentYear of fee payment: 4RotateOriginal ImageGoogle Home - Sitemap - USPTO Bulk Downloads - Privacy Policy - Terms of Service - About Google Patents - Send FeedbackData provided by IFI CLAIMS Patent Services