Sealing element, toner container and imaging device

Sealing element, toner containing container and imaging device

Field of the Invention and Prior Art: The present invention relates to a toner containing container, a sealing member, and an image forming apparatus, suitable for image forming apparatuses such as copiers, printers, and facsimile machines.

In conventional electrostatic imaging devices, such as in electrostatic imaging copiers or printers, fine-particle toner is used as a developer. When the toner in the main components of the electrostatic imaging device is used up, the toner is transported from the toner accommodating container (toner supply container) to the main components of the imaging device.

Here, the electrostatic imaging device is a device that forms an image on a recording medium by an electrostatic image imaging operation. Electrostatic imaging devices include electrostatic copiers, electrostatic printers (such as laser printers, LED printers), fax machines, word processors, and so on.

Since the toner is a very fine particle, it is well known that during the toner supply operation, the toner supply container is put into the main assembly of the imaging device, and the toner is gradually supplied through a small opening to avoid toner The agent spreads everywhere.

All the above-mentioned toner supply containers receive a driving force from the main components of the image forming apparatus to drive the supply member in the toner supply container or the main body itself, thereby discharging the toner. There are several methods for such a drive transmission mechanism. For example, Japanese Published Utility Model Application Hei 05-75768 discloses that a gear part is mounted on the outer surface of a toner bottle (toner supply container), and The gear meshes with a drive gear, thereby rotating the toner bottle.

Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application Hei 10-63084 discloses that a protrusion is provided on the end surface of the toner bottle, and the protrusion is engaged with a groove formed on the driving portion of the main assembly of the image forming apparatus, thereby transmitting the driving force.

Japanese Published Patent Application Hei 10-63076 discloses another type. The rotational force transmission portion of the main assembly of the image forming apparatus has an inner diameter that provides a plurality of engaging grooves, and the toner container is equipped with protrusions that engage with these engaging grooves. The rotational driving force is transmitted through the meshing between them.

As described above, various drive transmission methods for driving the toner supply container have been proposed.

However, the traditional structure has some problems.

In the case of Japanese Published 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 part on the outer surface of the toner bottle the same as the main assembly of the image forming apparatus. The drive gear part of the gearbox is properly engaged, and this proper engagement requires the user to be particularly careful. In addition, since the toner bottle rotates through the meshing between the gears, the driving force received by the toner bottle deflects the toner bottle in a direction perpendicular to the axis. Therefore, due to incorrect rotation, the toner bottle may rise or shift laterally. In addition, in order to avoid this shift, it is required to seal the entire outer surface of the toner bottle. This increases the difficulty in the installation and installation operations of the toner bottle. In addition, the supply system becomes complicated and inexpensive.

In the methods disclosed in Japanese Laid-open Patent Application Hei 10-63084 and Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application Hei 10-68076, when the toner bottle is inserted so that the protrusion (or groove) provided on the end surface of the toner bottle is the same as the main When the base part (or protrusion) of the drive part on the component side is properly engaged, an indexing operation in the direction of rotation is required. This reduces the operability of the developer supply, and even a slight deviation may cause an inoperability.

In order to avoid this improper engagement, a guide rib is required on the outer surface of the toner bottle to determine the position of the toner bottle in the direction of rotation during insertion, or to control the engagement groove of the driving part of the main assembly The rotation operation is so as to stop at the predetermined rotation position whenever it stops. This will also lead to complex structures and increased costs.

In most coupling drive transmissions with projection/groove engagement, when a phase shift occurs between the toner bottle and the main assembly drive part, the main assembly drive part is required to retract with respect to the spring force, and when the phase is calibrated When determining the engagement position. According to such a structure, even if there is a phase difference when the toner bottle is inserted, the main assembly driving part is retracted, and when the bottle is rotated in this state, the surface deviation will be eliminated sooner or later, and thus the engagement is established. . However, the structure of the main component driving part is complicated. In addition, when the main component driving part must be moved backward, this requires additional space and prevents the downsizing of the main components of the device.

In the conventional example, it is not disclosed how to disengage the protrusion from the groove. If the operator forcibly pulls out the toner supply container, or the operator pushes the small protrusion with his fingers, the usability is not good, or the driving part of the image forming apparatus or the toner supply container may be damaged.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, the main object of the present invention is to provide a sealing member in which a sealing member is locked with the imaging device to open or unseal the toner discharge opening of the toner containing container, and the sealing member can also be used The simple structure is released from the imaging device.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a toner accommodating container, wherein the locking part of the toner accommodating container is locked with the imaging device, and the locking part and the imaging device can be locked with a simple structure. The device is separated.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a toner container in which a sealing member is locked with the imaging device to open or unseal the toner discharge port of the toner container, and the sealing member can be used simply The structure is separated from the imaging device.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus in which the locking part of the toner container is engaged with the part to be locked of the mounting mechanism, and the locking part can be locked with a simple structure. The parts are separated.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus in which the locking portion of the sealing member engages with the portion to be locked of the mounting mechanism to open or unseal the toner discharge port of the toner containing container, and the lock The closing part can be separated from the part to be locked with a simple mechanism.

The present invention provides a sealing element for sealing a toner discharge opening of a toner accommodating container that is detachably mounted on an imaging device. The sealing element includes: a sealing element for mounting on the imaging device. The part to be locked is a partially locked locking part, the locking part is adapted to move with the relative closing movement with respect to the part to be locked, wherein the toner discharge opening is from a closed state Into the open state, it is carried out by following the relative movement of the locking part with respect to the sealing element of the toner container, the locking part is in engagement with the part to be locked State, and a release force receiving portion that receives a release force from the imaging device that releases the engagement between the lock portion and the portion to be locked by moving the lock portion.

The present invention provides a toner accommodating container that is detachably mounted on an imaging device. The toner accommodating container includes: a main body for accommodating toner; Partially locked locking part, the locking part is adapted to move with the relative closing movement with respect to the part to be locked; a release force receiving part, receiving a passing movement from the imaging device The locking part releases the releasing force of the engagement between the locking part and the part to be locked.

The present invention provides an image forming apparatus, including: a mounting mechanism for detachably mounting a toner accommodating container. The toner accommodating container includes a main body for accommodating toner and a mounting mechanism connected to the mounting mechanism. The partially locked locking portion to be locked, wherein the locking portion can be moved by the mounting mechanism along with the relative closing movement relative to the portion to be locked; and a releasing force receiving portion that receives a The releasing force of the engagement between the locking part and the part to be locked is released by moving the locking part; and a force applying mechanism that applies a releasing force to the releasing force receiving part.

According to the present invention, by the movement of the toner supply container in the mounting and detachment directions, the engagement and separation between the main body of the image forming apparatus and the engagement protrusion of the toner supply container can be smoothly performed.

These and other objectives, features and advantages of the present invention will be more apparent through the following description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings: Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an imaging device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the imaging device shown in Fig. 1.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of mounting the toner supply container into the image forming apparatus.

Fig. 4 is a front view of the imaging device of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a side view of the imaging device of Fig. 1.

Figure 6 is a top view of the image forming apparatus in which the toner container exchange cover is shown in an open position.

7 is a cross-sectional view of the installation operation of the toner supply container, in which (A) shows the initial stage of the installation operation, (B) shows the state during the installation operation, and (C) shows the installation operation The state after completion.

Figure 8 is a partially cut-away perspective view of a toner supply container according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 9 is a partial enlarged view of a drive transmission portion according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which a drive shaft is installed on the main body side of the toner supply container.

Figure 10 is a partially broken perspective view of a toner supply container according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 11 is a partial enlarged view of a drive transmission part according to another embodiment of the present invention, in which the drive shaft is installed on the sealing member side.

12 is a side view of a sealing element according to an embodiment of the present invention, where (A) is a front view, (B) is a side view from the X direction of (A), and (C) is from (A) The side view looking in the Y direction.

Fig. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the sealing element taken along line XX of Fig. 12(B).

Fig. 14 is a perspective view of a driving force transmission part and a driving force receiving part according to an embodiment of the present invention.

15 is a partial cross-sectional view of the engagement action of the driving force transmission portion of the toner bottle, in which (A) shows the state before the toner is inserted, (B) shows the state during the insertion, and (C) Shows the state after the insert operation is completed.

Fig. 16 is a perspective view of a driving force receiving portion according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 17 is a cross-sectional view of the sealing element of Fig. 16.

Figure 18 shows the phase alignment when the toner bottle is inserted into the main assembly of the device, in which (A) shows the state when the engaging rib and the engaging protrusion are aligned with each other, and (B) shows the state after being rotated to a certain extent The engagement ribs are not aligned with the engagement projections. (C) shows the condition when the engagement ribs abut the engagement projections to ensure the transmission of the driving force.

Fig. 19 shows a sealing element according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which: (A) is a left view, (B) is a front view, and (C) is a right view.

FIG. 20 is a perspective view of a driving force transmission part and a driving force receiving part according to still another embodiment of the present invention, in which a phase control operation is not required.

FIG. 21 shows the driving force transmission portion of FIG. 20 at the time of the toner bottle insertion operation, in which (A) shows the state before the toner bottle is inserted, and (B) shows the state during the insertion operation , (C) shows the state after the insert operation is completed.

FIG. 22 shows the separation operation of the driving force transmission part of the toner bottle, where (A) is before separation, (B) is in the separation process, and (C) is after the separation operation is completed.

Fig. 23 is a cross-sectional view of a sealing element according to still another embodiment of the present invention, wherein (A) is a side view, (B) is a front view, and (C) is a cross-sectional view.

Fig. 24 is a cross-sectional view of the sealing element of Fig. 23 engaged with the driving part.

FIG. 25 shows the separation action at the drive transmission portion of the toner bottle, where (A) is before separation, (B) is during separation, and (C) is after separation is completed.

Fig. 26 shows a sealing element according to still another embodiment of the present invention, wherein (A) is a side view and (B) is a cross-sectional view along line XX.

Fig. 27 shows a driving part that can be engaged with the sealing element shown in Fig. 26 according to another embodiment of the present invention, wherein (A) is a front view, (B) is a side view, and (C) is an edge (B) ) Is a cross-sectional view along the CC line, and (C) is a cross-sectional view along the DD line of (A).

Fig. 28 shows the engagement action of the sealing member shown in Fig. 26 with the driving part shown in Fig. 27, in which (A) shows the state when the toner bottle is being inserted, and (B) shows the state when the toner bottle is being inserted. The state during the operation, (C) shows the state after the insertion operation is completed.

Fig. 29 shows the separation action after the engagement shown in Fig. 28, in which (A) shows before the engagement, (B) is at the time of engagement, and (C) is after the separation operation is completed.

Fig. 30 is a cross-sectional view of a sealing element according to still another embodiment of the present invention, wherein (A) is before separation and (B) is in the process of separation.

Figure 31 is a perspective view of a toner supply container according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 32 shows a sealing element according to a modified embodiment of Embodiment 2. FIG.

Figure 33 is a perspective view of drive transmission of a photosensitive drum according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Description of Preferred Embodiments The sealing member, toner accommodating container, and image forming apparatus of preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

(Embodiment 1) Referring to FIG. 1, an electrostatic imaging apparatus is first described, which is an exemplary imaging apparatus incorporating a toner supply container (toner accommodating container) according to an embodiment of the present invention.

(Electrophotographic apparatus) Fig. 1 shows an electrostatic copying machine. The original 101 in the main assembly (main assembly of the device) 100 is placed on the original supporting plate glass 102. The optical image corresponding to the image information of the original 101 is imaged on one electrostatic photosensitive drum 104 (image bearing element) through a plurality of mirrors M and lenses Ln of the optical section 103. According to the user's selection of the operating portion 100a shown in FIG. 2 or the automatic selection of the paper size of the original 101, a most suitable recording sheet P is selected from the cassettes 105, 106, 107, and 108. The recording material is not limited to paper, but may be, for example, an OHP recording sheet.

A single recording sheet P fed from one of the separation devices 105A, 106A, 107A, 108A is fed to the registration roller 110 through the feeding section 109, and the recording sheet P is driven by the rotation of the photosensitive drum 104 and the scanning of the optical section 103 The clock-synchronized registration roller 110 is conveyed to the transfer part. In this transfer part, the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 104 is transferred to the recording sheet P by a transfer discharger 111. The recording sheet P to which the toner image is transferred is separated from the photosensitive drum 104 by the separation ejector 112.

The recording sheet P is conveyed to the fixing section 114 through the feeding section 113. In the fixing section 114, the toner image is fixed on the recording sheet P by heat and pressure. Thus, in the case of the one-sided copy mode, the recording sheet P passes through a discharge paper turning portion 115 and is discharged into the paper discharge tray 117 by a paper discharge roller 116. In the double-sided copy mode, the recording sheet P is fed to the registration roller 110 again through the paper refeeding passages 119 and 120 under the control of a flapper 118 provided in the discharge paper turning portion 115. Then, the recording sheet is fed in a similar manner to the one-sided copy mode, and is finally discharged into the paper discharge cassette 117.

In the case of the superimposition copy mode, the recording sheet P is temporarily partially discharged by the paper discharge roller 116 through the discharge paper turning portion 115. After that, when the trailing edge of the recording sheet passes the flapper 118 and is still nipped by the paper ejection roller 116, the flapper 118 is controlled and the paper ejection roller 116 rotates in the opposite direction so that it is fed to the main assembly 100 again. in. Then, the recording sheet is fed into the registration roller 110 via the paper re-feeding portions 119, 120, and then the recording sheet is processed in a similar manner to the single-sided copy mode. Finally, the recording sheet is discharged into the paper discharge cassette 117.

In the main assembly 100 of the apparatus, a developing device 201 (developing mechanism), a cleaning device 202, a primary charger 203, and the like are installed around the photosensitive drum 104.

The electrostatic latent image is formed by uniformly exposing the photosensitive drum 104 with image light corresponding to the image information of the original 101 twice. This electrostatic latent image is developed by toner through the developing part 201. In order to supply toner (developer) into the developing device 201, a toner supply container 1 is detachably mounted by the user to the main assembly 100 of the device. The present invention needs to be adapted to the case where only toner is supplied from the toner supply container into the image forming apparatus and the case where the toner and the carrier are supplied therefrom. In this embodiment, it is the former case.

The developing device 201 includes a toner hopper 201a (supply device) and a developing device 201b. The toner hopper 201a is installed with a stirring element 201e for stirring the toner designated to be supplied from the toner supply container 1. The toner stirred by the stirring member 201c is supplied to the developing device 201b by a magnetic roller 201d. The developing device 201b includes a developing roller 201f and a supply member 201e. The toner supplied from the toner hopper 201a by the magnetic roller 201d is supplied to the developing roller 201f by a supply member 201e, and is supplied to the photosensitive drum 104 by the developing roller 201f.

The function of the cleaning device 202 is to remove the toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 104. The function of the first charger 203 is to charge the photosensitive drum 104.

When the user opens the front cover 15 to replace the toner supply container (front cover) that is part of the housing shown in FIG. 2, the container receiving tray 50 that is part of the mounting mechanism is pulled out by a drive system not shown in the figure To the predetermined location. The user places the toner supply container 1 on the container receiving tray 50. When the user takes out the toner supply container 1 from the main assembly 100 of the apparatus, the container receiving box 15 is pulled out, and the toner supply container 1 is taken out of the tray 50.

The front cover 15 is separately installed for the attachment and detachment (replacement) of the toner supply container 1, and is therefore opened and closed only for this purpose. When the maintenance of the main assembly 100 of the device is performed, the front cover 100c is opened.

The toner supply container 1 can be directly mounted on the main assembly 100 of the apparatus, and can be removed.

(Toner Supply Operation) Referring to FIGS. 7(A) and 7(C), the operation of supplying toner from the toner supply container (toner bottle) in this embodiment will be described. 7(A)-(C) show the toner supply process, in which the toner bottle 1 of this embodiment is inserted in the main assembly 100 of the apparatus.

As shown in the figure, the main assembly 100 of the device is provided with a toner supply device 400, and the toner supply device 400 has a driving part (driving force transmission part) 20 to collect and rotate the toner bottle 1. The driving part 20 is rotatably supported by a bearing 23 and is driven by a driving motor not shown installed on the main assembly 100 of the apparatus.

The main assembly 100 of the apparatus also has a partition plate 25 that constitutes a toner supply passage 24 connected to the funnel 201a, and is used to rotatably support a part of the toner bottle 1 and inner and outer bearings for sealing the toner supply passage 24 26a and 26b are fixed to the partition 25. In addition, a screw 27 is provided in the toner supply passage 24 for supplying toner to the hopper 201a.

FIG. 7(A) illustrates the insertion of the toner bottle 1 into the main assembly 100 of the apparatus. One end of the toner bottle 1 has a toner supply opening 1a, simply called "opening", which is formed by a cylindrical member in this embodiment, and the opening 1a is sealed by a sealing member 2 at the free end of the cylindrical body.

Figure 7(B) shows a state in which the toner bottle 1 has been further inserted, and the engaging protrusion 3 (locking protrusion) mounted on the free end of the sealing member 2 is installed with a key hole (holding) on the main assembly. The driving part 20 is engaged. The engagement between the driving part 20 and the sealing element 2 is achieved in the following manner. The user inserts the toner bottle 1 into the main assembly, and thereby, the driving portion 20 comes into contact with the upper surface of the engaging protrusion (the locking force receiving portion). The toner bottle 1 is further inserted, and the driving portion 20 presses down the engaging protrusion to move it. Then, when the pressing action of the driving portion 20 is released, the portion supporting the locking protrusion is restored under its own elastic force, thus completing the engagement.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the engagement is essentially a "quick fit" type.

Since the locking surface 3b (locking portion) in the engaging protrusion 3 moves relative to the thrust direction (axial direction), it is locked with the locking hole (the portion to be locked) and therefore, as long as the lock is maintained, although a small gap is allowed , But the sealing element 2 will still be held in a fixed position by the driving part 20.

It can be seen from FIG. 7(C) that after the sealing element 2 and the driving element 20 are engaged, a slidable member 300 is pulled back in the direction indicated by the arrow b in the figure, and is used to close the front cover 15 of the bottle. Operations are related. As a result, the toner bottle 1 is also pulled back, but the sealing member is locked with the main assembly side of the image forming apparatus, and therefore the sealing member 2 is separated from the toner bottle 1, thereby opening the opening 1a for toner removal. supply.

When the drive shaft 1b attached to the main body 1A of the toner bottle 1 is not completely disengaged from the sealing member 2, even in the state where the opening 1a is sealed by the sealing member, the sealing member The engaging portion (hole portion) of the same also remains engaged with the drive shaft 1b (the portion to be engaged). The driving shaft 1b has a non-circular cross-sectional structure, for example, a rectangular or triangular shape that allows driving force transmission. Correspondingly, the hole (engagement portion) has a complementary structure that can be slidably fitted.

When an unshown motor is driven in this state, the rotational driving force is transmitted from the main assembly driving portion 20 (the driving portion mounted on the main assembly) to the driving force receiving surface of the engaging protrusion of the sealing member 2 (driving force receiving Part), and the driving force is transmitted from the sealing member 2 to the driving shaft 1b for rotating the toner bottle 1 to supply and discharge the toner.

Therefore, the sealing member 2 has the function of sealing the opening 1a, has the function of receiving the rotational driving force from the main assembly side of the image forming apparatus, and is related to the transmission of the rotational driving force to the toner bottle 1 side.

The toner bottle 1 is rotatably supported by a bottle receiving roller 23 provided on a container receiving platform 50, and therefore, can be smoothly rotated by a small driving torque. The bottle receiving roller 23 is placed at each of four positions formed in a saddle shape with respect to the main body 1A at the bottom. The bottle receiving roller 23 is rotatably supported on the toner supply device 400 of the main assembly 100 of the device. By the rotation of the toner bottle 1, the toner contained in the toner bottle 1 is gradually discharged through the opening 1a, and the screw member 27 installed in the toner supply passage 24 supplies the toner to the In the funnel 201a in the main assembly 100 of the device. Thus, the toner supply is completed.

(Replacement method of toner supply container) The replacement method of the toner bottle will be described below. In the operation of image formation, the toner in the toner bottle 1 is consumed. When all the toner in it is basically used up, the detection device (not shown) installed in the main assembly 100 of the device detects "no toner", and then this event is detected by a display device such as a liquid crystal display. 100b (Figure 2) informs the user.

In this embodiment, the toner bottle 1 is easily replaced by the user through the following steps.

First, the front cover 15 in the closed state is rotated along the pin shaft 18 to the open position shown by the dashed line in FIG. 6. In association with the action of opening the front cover 15, the main body 1A of the bottle that occupies the position shown in FIG. 7(C) passes through the opening and closing device of the toner supply portion to be described later, and is shown in the direction opposite to the arrow b. Move in the direction shown by arrow a shown in 7(A). By this operation, the sealing member 2 in the open position (away from the main body 1A of the bottle to open the toner supply opening 1a) is pressed into the toner supply opening 1a, so that the toner supply opening 1a is closed tightly. (Figure 7(B)). At this time, the sealing element still remains engaged with the main components of the imaging device. Then, the release ring applies a release force to the release protrusion, which presses the release protrusion and the engagement protrusion together, thereby releasing the engagement. By retracting the body 1A of the bottle in the radial direction of the bottle, the release operation between the sealing element and the main components of the imaging device is completed.

Then, the user pulls out the air conditioning that has been released from the device main assembly 100 in the direction indicated by the arrow b opposite to the arrow a (Figure 7(A) arrow a) (Figure 7(C)) from the device main assembly 100 Toner bottle 1.

Then the user inserts a new toner bottle 1 into the main assembly 100 of the device along the direction of arrow a, and then closes the front cover 15. In conjunction with the closing action of the front cover 15, the sealing member 2 locked with the main assembly of the image forming apparatus is removed from the main body of the container by the toner supply portion opening and closing mechanism, so that the toner supply opening 1a is not sealed (Figure 7(C)). The above is the replacement procedure of the toner supply container.

(Toner Bottle) The toner bottle will be described below with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9.

The toner bottle 1 is generally cylindrical, and one end thereof is provided with an opening 1a at a substantially center position by a protruding portion. The diameter of the opening 1a is smaller than the diameter of the cylindrical portion 1A as the main body of the bottle. The opening 1a is plugged with a sealing member 2 to seal the opening 1a. At the same time, it can be understood in conjunction with the description of FIGS. 7(A) to 7(C) that the opening 1a is formed by the sealing member relative to the toner bottle 1 in the toner bottle 1. Sliding in the radial direction (arrow b) of the bottle 1 automatically opens and reseals.

At the free end of the sealing member 2, there is formed a cylindrical portion having an engaging portion 3 and a release force receiving portion 4 for disengaging from the driving portion mounted on the main body of the device, and this cylindrical portion supporting the engaging protrusion and the releasing protrusion is elastically deformable (In order to enhance or assist the elastic deformation, a notch is formed on the lateral side of the area so as to extend to the free end of the cylindrical part, which is described below).

The engaging protrusion 3 is engaged with the driving force portion 20 and serves to transmit rotation to the toner bottle 1. The structure and release force of the engaging protrusion 3 will be described below.

As described above, the toner bottle 1 is generally cylindrical and is generally placed horizontally in the main assembly 100 of the device. It is rotated by the main assembly 100 of the device. The inner side of the toner bottle 1 has a rib-like protrusion 1c extending spirally. When the toner bottle 1 rotates, the toner is supplied along the spiral protrusion 1c in the axial direction, and the toner is discharged through an opening 1a formed at one end of the toner bottle 1.

The internal structure of the toner bottle 1 according to the present invention is not limited, and may have any structure and structure, as long as the toner can be discharged by the rotation of the toner bottle 1. The main body of the toner bottle 1 is not limited to the above description. For example, it may have a rotating screw or other structure for supplying toner, and the rotating screw is rotated by the rotational driving force received from the sealing member of the imaging device, while the main body is fixed (not rotating) on the main assembly of the imaging device. )of.

The feature of this embodiment lies in the structure of the driving force transmission part connected to the main assembly 100 of the device. Therefore, the internal structure of the toner bottle may be any type, and the inner surface of the bottle may have spiral protrusions 1c.

For example, the internal structure of the bottle can be changed as in Fig. 10. In this modified example, there is a buffle element 40 that is generally disk-shaped in the body of the bottle. The surface of the buffle element 40 has a plurality of inclined protrusions 40 a inclined with respect to the axial direction of the toner bottle 1 on one surface. One end of one of the inclined protrusions 40a extends to the side of the opening 1a. Finally, the toner is discharged from the inclined protrusion 40a through the opening 1a. Through the rotation of the toner bottle 1, the toner is scraped by the buffle element 40 and then slides down onto the surface of the buffle element 40. Due to the inclination of the inclined protrusion 40a, the toner advances to the front side of the toner bottle 1. By repeating this action, the toner in the toner bottle is gradually supplied to the opening 1a and discharged from there while being stirred.

The driving type of the present invention is not limited to the rotary driving type in the embodiment or the modified embodiment. The toner may be vibrated, oscillated, or moved in other ways to supply the toner. In other words, the driving may be rotation, swing, vibration or other other means, as long as the main assembly 100 of the device moves the toner bottle so that the toner is discharged from the bottle.

In the above-mentioned modified example, the disc-shaped buffle element 40 is a separate element from the toner bottle 1, and the rotation driving force is transmitted to the buffle element 40 through the sealing element 2 to indirectly rotate the toner bottle 1.

In this way, the present invention is applicable when the toner bottle 1 is directly or indirectly driven through the sealing member 2.

In Figures 8 and 9, the bottle body 1A has an opening 1a on its radial end surface, and the drive shaft 1b (the part to be engaged) extends from the opening 1a, and the drive shaft 1b is integrated with the bottle body 1A and installed In the opening 1a. The drive shaft 1b is provided substantially coaxially with the opening 1a, and is slidably engaged with an engaging hole 2a (engaging portion) formed in the sealing member 2. As shown in FIG. 9, the end of the engaging hole away from the drive shaft is closed, so that the toner leakage through the engaging hole is prevented.

The driving shaft 1b is used to transmit the rotational driving force from the main assembly 100 of the device to the main body 1A of the bottle via the sealing element 2. The cross-sectional shape of the driving shaft 1b is non-circular, for example, rectangular, H-shaped, D-shaped or other The shape that transmits the driving force of rotation. The drive shaft 1b is fixed to the main body 1A of the bottle by a suitable mechanism.

The drive shaft 1b may not be fixed to the main body 1A of the bottle but should be integrated with the sealing element 2 as shown in FIG. 11. In this case, the engagement hole 2a for transmitting the rotational force from the drive shaft 1b is provided on the toner bottle 1 side, and an opening is formed to maintain the engagement with each other after the toner bottle is unsealed. In the modified example, the member defining the engaging hole 2a is supported by the member 1c installed inside the opening 1a, but allows the toner to be discharged.

In this embodiment, the drive shaft 1b is fixed to the main body 1A of the bottle.

(Sealing element) Referring to Figs. 12 and 13, the sealing element 2 (drive receiving element) will be described below.

In FIGS. 12 and 13, the sealing member 2 includes a sealing portion 2b for releasably sealing the opening 1a of the toner bottle 1, and a cylindrical coupling and engaging portion 2c that can be engaged with the driving portion 20 of the main assembly portion of the device. (Cylinder column part). The outer diameter of the large-diameter portion of the sealing portion 2b is somewhat larger than the inner diameter of the opening 1a. The sealing portion 2 b is press-fitted into the opening 1 a, whereby the sealing opening 1 a (toner supply opening) is sealed by the sealing member 2.

As described above, the sealing member 2 has an engaging hole 2a for transmitting the driving force received from the main assembly 100 of the apparatus to the driving shaft 1b by engaging with the driving shaft 1b. The engaging hole 2a continues to extend at the engaging portion 2b and the engaging portion 2c. The engaging hole 2a has a cross-sectional structure complementary to that of the drive shaft 1b and is slightly larger than that of the drive shaft 1b. Therefore, the drive shaft 1b fits loosely in the engaging hole 2a. The engaging hole 2a and the drive shaft 1b have complementary polygonal configurations. In this embodiment, it is square.

Because of the loose assembly of the drive shaft 1b in the engaging hole 2a having such a cross section, the body 1A of the bottle and the sealing element 2 can slide relative to each other in the axial direction while preventing relative rotation between them. According to this structure, when the toner bottle 1 is mounted (locked) on the toner supply device 400, the sealing member 2 moves relative to the body 1A of the bottle, that is, the opening (toner supply opening) 1a may not be seal.

The length of the engagement between the engagement hole 2a and the drive shaft 1b is determined so that the relative movement between the sealing member 2 and the main body 1A of the bottle is not performed during the relative movement between them for unsealing. Through these, even if the sealing element 2 is relatively moved away from the main body 1, the drive shaft 1 b can receive the driving force through the sealing element 2.

The engaging protrusion 3 (locking protrusion) which is one of the features of the present invention will be described below.

The coupling and engaging portion 2c of the sealing member 2 has an engaging protrusion 3 for receiving the driving force from the main assembly 100 of the device. The engaging protrusion 3 projects radially outward from the circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion of the coupling engaging portion 2c. The engaging protrusion includes a driving receiving surface 3a (driving force receiving portion) for receiving the rotational driving force from the main assembly of the device; and a locking surface 3b (locking portion) for the sealing member 2 When the toner bottle 1 and the toner bottle 1 are removed from each other (from the closed state to the open state), the sealing member 2 is quickly assembled into a key hole (part to be locked) provided in the main assembly of the device. Therefore, by driving the receiving surface 3a, the engaging hole 2a, and the locking surface 3b, the engaging protrusion 3 performs three different functions, namely, for receiving coupling kinetic energy from the rotation driving force of the main assembly of the device, and transmitting the toner bottle 1 The transmission function of transmitting rotation, and the locking function (retention function) for allowing relative sliding between the sealing member 2 and the main body of the toner bottle 1 to automatically open and close the opening.

When the driving force is transmitted by the locking surface 3b locked with the driving part 20 of the main assembly, the surface 3b effectively maintains a constant distance between the sealing member 2 and the toner bottle 1. In this way, the formation of the toner passage between the toner bottle 1 and the sealing member 2 is ensured, so that the discharged amount of toner remains constant. In this way, a toner bottle with excellent quantitative discharge performance can be obtained. In addition, the sealing element 2 is definitely locked with the driving part 20 of the main assembly of the device. Therefore, the sealing element 2 cannot be separated from the driving shaft during the toner discharging operation, which further ensures the discharge of the toner.

According to this structure, the automatic opening and closing operation and the driving force transmission operation of the sealing member 2 can be realized by a single sealing member, and therefore, an inexpensive and compact toner supply container can be provided.

From the perspective of reducing the number of structural parts, the engagement protrusion 3 is usually best to be together with the sealing element 2, but separate parts of the engagement protrusion 3 may be installed on the sealing element 2. An example of this will be described below in conjunction with the fourth embodiment.

The engaging protrusion 3 has a driving force receiving function and a locking function, and therefore, it has a certain degree of rigidity. Based on this, notches 2e and the like are formed at the lateral ends of the engaging protrusions 3. Therefore, only a part of the coupling engaging portion 2c provided with the engaging protrusions 3 can be relatively freely elastically deformed inward. This is because the engagement protrusion 3 is replaced by the main assembly 100 of the device to perform engagement and separation with respect to the main assembly of the device. This will be described below.

In this embodiment, the engaging protrusion 3 is integrated with the sealing member 2 in this embodiment.

The free end portion of the engaging protrusion 3 has a taper portion (locking force receiving portion) to allow smooth insertion of the sealing member 2 when inserted into the driving portion 20 of the main assembly 100 of the device. The tapered surface 3c receives a locking force from the inner surface of the driving portion 20. Therefore, when the tapered surface 3c relatively approaches the locking hole 20h of the driving portion 20, the engaging protrusion 3 (locking portion) moves inwardly to Lock into the keyhole. When the locking surface further approaches the locking hole to the extent that the tapered portion 3c is in contact with the inner surface of the driving portion 20, that is, the locking force is released, and the portion supporting the engaging protrusion (locking portion) is restored from the moving position, and this is done The sealing element (locking part) and the main component of the imaging device (the part to be locked) are locked.

After the locking action is completed, the relative movement between the sealing element and the main body of the bottle automatically acts in the direction away from each other, and the opening is opened by this action to allow the toner to be discharged. In this embodiment, the sealing element is engaged with the main components of the device, which prevents movement in the sliding direction, and in this state, the body of the bottle is retracted or advanced to automatically open or close the opening.

Referring to FIGS. 12 and 13, the structure of the releasing force receiving portion, which is another feature of the present invention, will be described below.

The above-mentioned engaging protrusion 3 is installed at each of two positions diametrically opposed to each other, and the two engaging protrusions 3 are connected by a connecting portion as the releasing force receiving portion 4. When the release force receiving portion 4 (release portion) receives a force in the direction indicated by the arrow b from the main components of the original device, the engaging protrusion 3 is elastically deformed as shown by the dashed-dotted line in FIG. 13. If the action of the force stops, it returns to the original position. The release portion 4 has a relatively small thickness to allow elastic deformation, and this elastic deformation is taken into consideration when selecting a material.

Preferably, the sealing element 2 is made by injection molding from a plastic resin material or the like, but other materials or other manufacturing methods may also be used. They can also be provided by connecting separate elements. Since the sealing element 2 is press-fitted into the opening 1a to seal the opening, it is preferable that it has appropriate elasticity. The best material is low-density polyethylene, and the preferred materials are polypropylene, normalchain polyamide, nylon (trade name), high-density polyethylene, polyester, ABS, HIPS (shock-resistant polystyrene) Rare) Wait.

Using elastically deformable elastic elements for the parts supporting the engaging protrusion 3 and the releasing part 4, by using elastic deformation and recovery, the locking and releasing between the driving part 20 and the engaging protrusion 3 can be completed by a simple structure. The above-mentioned materials have appropriate elasticity, and therefore, the engagement and separation of the driving portion 20 and the engagement protrusion 3 can be easily and effectively realized for a long time.

The releasing portion 4 is in the shape of a bridge connecting the engaging protrusions 3, so such a plurality of engaging protrusions can be moved uniformly by pushing one releasing portion.

The engaging protrusions are inevitably connected integrally, but a release portion may be provided for each engaging protrusion, as shown in FIGS. 16 and 17.

(Drive force receiving portion) Referring to FIG. 14, the structure of the coupling and engaging portion 2c installed in the sealing member 2 as another feature of the present invention will be described below.

In this embodiment, the sealing member 2 has a cylindrical coupling and engaging portion 2c. As described above, it also serves as a driving force receiving member to receive the driving force from the driving force transmission portion 20 installed in the toner supply device 400.

In the cylindrical coupling and engaging portion 2c of the sealing element 2, the two parts provided with the corresponding engaging protrusions 3 are elastically deformable, so that these parts can be pressed by the taper portion 3c of the engaging protrusion 3 under the pressure of the driving portion 20. Easily deforms elastically. The releasing portion 4 is provided to connect the engaging protrusion 3, and the engaging protrusion 3 and the releasing portion 4 are integrated with each other.

On the other hand, the locking hole 20h of the driving part 20 installed on the side of the main assembly 100 of the apparatus is configured to be locked with the engaging protrusion 3 (locking surface) of the sealing member 2. When the sealing element 2 is inserted into the driving part 20, its smooth insertion is achieved by providing the driving part 20 with a tapered surface 20b, which defines that the tapered surface 20b has a gradually decreasing inner diameter at the end of the driving part 20. Since the tapered surface 20b is provided, the sealing member 2 can be smoothly inserted into the driving portion 20.

The driving portion 20 is provided with an engaging rib 20a for rotating the toner bottle 1, and after the engaging protrusion is engaged with the key hole 20h, the engaging rib 20a abuts against the driving receiving surface 3a for transmitting the rotational driving force to the sealing member.

Referring to FIG. 15, the engagement between the driving part 20 and the sealing element 2 in this embodiment will be described below.

In FIG. 15, (A) shows a state where the user sets a new toner bottle in the direction indicated by arrow a so as to install it into the main assembly 100 of the device, in which the toner bottle 1 is still There is no engagement with the driving part 20 in the main assembly of the device.

When the toner bottle 1 is further inserted, the tapered portion 3c of the engaging protrusion 3 of the sealing member 2 comes into contact with the tapered surface 20b of the driving portion 20, as shown in FIG. 15(B), and the engaging protrusion 3 is inward. It is guided by the tapered surface 20b during the elastic deformation.

As the toner bottle 1 is further inserted, the engaging protrusion 3 passes through the straight portion 20g from the tapered surface 20b, and because the hollow portion 20h (key hole) is provided without the engaging rib 20a, the engaging protrusion 3 is restored, thereby The engaging protrusion 3 is locked with the driving part 20, as shown in FIG. 15(c). In this state, the engaging protrusion 3 is tightly locked with respect to the driving portion 20, and the position of the sealing element 2 in the thrust direction (axial direction) is substantially fixed with respect to the main components of the device.

Therefore, even if the toner bottle 1 is retracted in the direction shown by the arrow b in FIG. 7(C), the sealing member 2 does not move in the same direction, but is tightly fixed to the driving portion 20. On the other hand, since the toner bottle 1 is instructed, it is believed that the sealing member 2 is separated from the toner bottle 1, so that the opening 1a is unsealed or opened. The sliding and retracting operation of the toner bottle 1 may be related to the opening or closing operation of the front cover 15 installed in the main assembly 100 of the device.

As for the sliding operation, the toner bottle 1 can be slid while the sealing member 2 is fixed, or the sealing member 2 can be slid while the toner bottle 1 is fixed, or the two can be slid relatively separately.

When the toner in the toner bottle is used up, take out the empty toner bottle and replace it with a new toner bottle. The disassembly operation is performed in the reverse of the above-mentioned steps.

Specifically, when the operator opens the front cover, the following occurs. First, while the sealing element is locked in the main assembly of the device, the main body of the toner bottle advances toward the sealing element, and the sealing element that opens through this process is automatically sealed. By the pushing member 21 which will be described later, the releasing protrusion is actuated to release the engaging protrusion from the key hole. Then, the main body of the toner bottle is retracted together with the sealing member that is newly press-fitted into the opening, and therefore, the sealing member is separated from the main assembly of the device. Through this process, the toner bottle is ready to be removed from the main assembly of the device.

(Structure for eliminating phase alignment necessary for elimination) Described below is a structure for eliminating the phase alignment necessary for elimination when the toner bottle 1 and the main assembly drive portion 20 are brought into engagement.

In a conventional transmission mechanism using a combined coupling drive of a protrusion and a groove, the groove and the protrusion must be engaged in phase alignment. According to this embodiment, there is no need to do so. Refer to Figure 18 to describe this situation.

FIG. 18 shows the positional relationship of the rotating direction of the engaging protrusion 3 and the engaging rib 20a when the sealing member 2 is inserted into the driving portion 20. As shown in FIG. The engaging rib 20a is provided at one position, and the engaging protrusion 3 is provided at two positions (3A, 3B).

When the user inserts the toner bottle 1, it is assumed that the engagement rib 20a and the engagement protrusion 3 are not aligned with each other. When the toner bottle 1 is inserted into a predetermined position, the sealing member 2 is locked with the driving portion 20, and when adjusted When the toner bottle 1 is retracted, the sealing member 2 is separated from the toner bottle 1 to establish a dischargeable state of the toner.

However, according to the position of the toner bottle 1 in the rotation direction during the insertion of the toner bottle 1, as shown in FIG. 18(A), the engaging protrusion 3A is aligned with the engaging rib 20a. In this case, even if the toner bottle 1 is inserted into the predetermined position, the engaging protrusion 3A interferes with the engaging rib 20a so that it cannot be released outward. The locking is not completed. If the toner bottle 1 is retracted in this state, the toner bottle 1 is retracted together with the sealing member 2 because the lock with the main assembly driving portion 20 is not completed. The opening 1a cannot be unsealed or opened.

To avoid this, the number of the engaging protrusions 3 is at least one more than the number of the engaging ribs 20a, so that not all the engaging ribs are aligned with the engaging protrusions.

In the case shown in FIG. 18(A), one of the engaging protrusions 3A interferes with the engaging rib 20a, and therefore cannot be locked with the main assembly driving portion 20. However, the other of the engaging protrusions 3B does not interfere with the engaging rib 20a, and therefore, it can be locked with the driving portion 20 correctly. In this way, even if one engaging protrusion 3A is not properly locked and the other engaging protrusion 3B is properly locked, therefore, the toner bottle 1 is separated from the sealing member 2 without difficulty, so that the opening 1a is unsealed. After the opening 1a is unsealed, the engaging ribs 20a that are not fully engaged will disengage from the interference sooner or later by the rotation of the main assembly driving part 20 in the direction indicated by the arrow c, and thus the correct locking of the engaging protrusion 3A is established. With further rotation, as shown in FIG. 18(C), the engaging rib 20a engages with the engaging protrusion 3B so that the rotation is transmitted to rotate the toner bottle 1.

By providing a certain number of engaging protrusions 3 at least one more than the number of engaging ribs 20a, at least one of the engaging protrusions engages with the lock hole regardless of the position of the toner bottle 1 in the rotation direction and the different engaging ribs 20 interfere with each other. In this way, the toner bottle 1 can be accurately set in the device.

As in this embodiment, the number of engaging protrusions 3 may be four instead of two. In this case, the number of engaging ribs cannot exceed three.

In this case, even if the number of engaging ribs and the number of engaging protrusions are the same, the distance (phase) between the engaging ribs can be made different from the distance (phase) between the engaging protrusions, so that during the toner bottle insertion process At least one of the engaging protrusions is aligned with the engaging ribs, so that the correct locking can be achieved.

When a plurality of engaging ribs are provided at different circumferential positions, the engaging ribs are preferably arranged at equal intervals in consideration of drive transmission performance.

Fig. 20 shows another example of phase alignment necessary for cancellation. In this modified example, a hollow lock groove 20e extends over the entire inner circumference of the engaging portion 20d of the main assembly driving portion 20, and an engaging hole 20d for engaging with the engaging protrusion 3 is formed in the lock groove 20e. This lock groove 20e does not completely engage with the engaging protrusion 3 in depth, but shallowly engages halfway to allow automatic unsealing action.

Referring to Fig. 21, the meshing operation in this modified embodiment will be described below.

In FIG. 21, (A) shows the state when the toner bottle 1 has not been inserted into the main assembly driving device 20, and the engaging hole 20d and the engaging protrusion 3 of the main assembly driving device 20 are in the rotation direction. The position of is not aligned, as shown in section XX. As the toner bottle 1 is inserted, the state shown in FIG. 21(B) is reached, in which the engaging protrusion 3 is half-engaged with the lock groove 20e. In this state, when the toner bottle 1 is retracted, since the sealing member 2 is locked with the lock groove 20e, only the toner bottle 1 is retracted in the direction indicated by the arrow b, so that the sealing member 2 and The toner bottle 1 is surely separated to unseal the opening 1a. When the main assembly driving portion 20 rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow c, the engaging hole 20d and the engaging protrusion 3 are aligned as shown in FIG. 21(C), and the engaging protrusion 3 is now fully engaged with the engaging hole 20d to allow transmission of the rotational driving force .

In this way, according to the present embodiment, the toner bottle 1 can be correctly set in the main assembly 100 of the device simply by inserting the toner bottle 1 into the main assembly 100 without having to adjust the toning. The position of the bottle 1 in the direction of rotation. Therefore, the replacement operation is simple and easy.

In addition, since the opening and closing operations of the opening of the toner supply container are automatically performed in the main assembly of the image forming apparatus, there is no need for a user to open and close the opening. This eliminates the possibility of dirtying the user's hands.

(Release method) Referring to FIG. 22, the description about the release between the engaging protrusion 3 and the main assembly driving portion 20 will be described.

When the toner supply is completed, the toner bottle 1 becomes empty, the current toner bottle 1 is removed, and a new toner bottle is placed.

At this time, the sealing member 2 must be released from the driving part 20.

As shown in Fig. 22, a pusher 21 is installed inside the main components of the device, more specifically, inside the driving part 20. The pusher 21 is movable in the same direction as the direction of the axis of the rotation shaft 1b of the toner bottle 1.

In FIG. 22, (A) shows a state when the toner supply is completed, and the opening 1a of the toner bottle 1 is in an open state.

When the locking of the driving part 20 and the sealing element 2 is released, the pusher 21 is announced to the release part 4 at the free end of the sealing element 2 in the direction shown by arrow a, so that the release part 4 is elastic in the same direction. Deformed, and correspondingly, the engaging protrusion 3 is integrally formed with the release portion 4 toward the inner side. Thereby, the engaging protrusion 3 leaves the main assembly driving portion 20.

The pushing member 21 is further advanced in the direction of arrow a, so that the sealing member 2 is press-fitted into the opening 1a, thereby sealing the opening 1a of the toner bottle 1 again. The pushing member 21 is pushed forward in the direction of arrow a, so that the toner bottle 1 retracts by itself to slide to a position that is convenient for the user to remove.

As for the driving structure of the pusher 21, it may be linked to the opening and closing operations of the front cover 15 of the main assembly 100 of the device. In this way, when the front cover 15 is opened, the pusher 21 moves in the direction of arrow a to realize the toner bottle. When the sealing element 2 of 1 is separated from the driving part 20, and the front cover 15 is closed, it moves forward in the direction of arrow b. Alternatively, a drive motor or the like may be used to perform the separate operation separately. In another alternative, it has nothing to do with the opening and closing operations of the front cover 15 of the main assembly 100 of the device, but a manual lever controlled by the user and associated with the pushing element is provided.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the toner supply container can be locked in the main assembly of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus by inserting the toner supply container in a precise quick-fit type engagement. When it needs to be taken out, the quick-fit type lock is easily released by pushing the release part. Therefore, the supply operation from the toner accommodating container can be completed with a very simple operation. Therefore, a toner supply container with high operability can be obtained.

In addition, the separation of the drive transmission for the toner supply container is performed simultaneously, and the opening and closing operations of the opening can be performed simultaneously.

These beneficial effects can be provided through simple actions with a low-cost, compact structure and reliable drive transmission.

When the toner is in a dischargeable state, it is not necessary to provide a mechanism for rotatably supporting the drive shaft 1b on the side of the toner bottle main body. This simplifies the structure, avoids toner leakage, increased torque, and coarse particles.

(Embodiment 2) Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described with reference to Figs. 23 to 25 and 32. The same reference numerals as in Embodiment 1 indicate elements with corresponding functions, and for the sake of simplification, a detailed description of the common structure is omitted.

As shown in FIG. 23, in this embodiment, the release protrusion 4 (release portion) is installed on the outer surface instead of being installed inside the cylindrical coupling engaging portion 2c of the sealing member 2 as in the first embodiment. In this embodiment, the engaging protrusion 3 and the releasing protrusion 4 are installed in a pair at each of 4 circumferentially equidistant positions. The structure of the driving portion 20 that is locked to the engaging protrusion of the sealing member is the same as that of the first embodiment.

Accordingly, the shape of the pusher 21 is a cylindrical shape covering the outer circumferential surface of the driving portion 20 as shown in FIG. 24 and is slidably engaged with the release portion 4, rather than a sliding rod as in Embodiment 1. The inner surface of the free end of the pusher 21 (cylinder element) is tapered to increase the inner diameter, that is, the thickness of the cylinder decreases toward the free end, so that the tapered portion 21a engages with the apex of the release portion 4 during the engagement process. A cutout 2e is formed on the lateral side of the supporting portion 2f of the engaging protrusion 3 and the releasing portion 4 to facilitate the elastic deformation and restoration of the engaging protrusion 3 and the releasing portion 4 inward.

According to this embodiment, the entire sealing element can be integrally molded, and therefore, the production performance of the sealing element is greatly improved, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

In FIG. 25, (A) shows a state where the toner supply is completed and the opening 1a of the toner bottle 1 is still open.

When the engagement between the main assembly driving part 20 and the sealing element 2 is to be released, the pusher 21 advances to the release part 4, as shown in FIG. 25(B), so that the release part 4 is pressed inward by the inner surface of the pusher 21 under. This moves the release portion 4 inward (arrow d) by the elastic deformation of the support portion 2f, and at the same time, the engaging protrusion 3 moves inward together with the release portion 4. In this way, the engaging protrusion 3 is disengaged from the main assembly driving portion 20. Perform the release procedure related to the opening operation of the replacement cover by the operator.

Therefore, the pusher 21 advances in the direction of arrow a, so that the sealing member 2 returns to the sealing position of the toner bottle 1, as shown in FIG. 25(C). Then, the pushing member 21 further advances to slide the toner bottle 1 itself to a position convenient for the user to take out the toner bottle 1.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, by providing the release portion 4 on the outer surface of the cylindrical portion 2c, it is possible to have the same beneficial effects as those described in the following embodiment. According to this embodiment, when the sealing element 2 is injection molded from a resin material, the mold can be easily removed, and therefore, the production performance is improved.

The width of the engaging protrusion is greater than that of the releasing protrusion, so that when the main body of the toner bottle is retracted for the automatic opening opening, the engagement between the engaging protrusion (locking surface) and the driving portion 20 is maintained. The release protrusion does not have this function, and therefore, the width is reduced to reduce the cost of the resin material in the manufacturing process.

Optionally, a thin portion 2y as shown in FIG. 32 may be provided so that the base portion of the supporting portion 2f (supporting the engaging protrusion and the releasing protrusion) is easily deformed. Due to this structure, the separating action is ensured while maintaining sufficient rigidity of the sealing member including the engaging protrusion that receives the rotational driving force.

(Embodiment 3) Referring to FIGS. 26 to 29, Embodiment 3 of the present invention will be described below.

In Embodiment 2, as shown in FIG. 24, the outer surface of the engaging portion 2b is provided with an engaging protrusion 3 and a releasing portion 4 (release protrusion) for the sealing member 2. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 26, the engaging protrusion 3 and the releasing portion 4 are provided at each of four circumferentially equidistant positions on the inner surface of the engaging portion 2b.

Corresponding to this structure of the sealing member 2, the main assembly driving portion 20 has a structure as shown in FIG. 27. The main assembly driving portion 20 is composed of a cylindrical portion including a free end portion 20b, a small diameter portion 20c, a large diameter portion 20d, and a tail portion 20e having different outer diameters. It also includes a through hole 20f passing through the pusher 21. The inner diameter of the through hole 20f is a constant, and the small-diameter portion 20c has the smallest outer diameter and is provided with an engaging rib 20a extending in the radial direction of the driving portion 20 at each diametrically opposed position.

Referring to FIG. 28, the engagement between the driving portion 20 and the sealing member 2 in this embodiment will be described.

In FIG. 28, (A) shows a state in which the user inserts the toner bottle 1 in the direction indicated by the arrow b in the figure to install a new toner bottle 1 on the main assembly of the device, where the adjustment The toner bottle 1 has not been locked with the driving part 20 installed in the main assembly of the device.

As shown in Figure 28(B), when the toner bottle 1 is further inserted, the engaging protrusion 3 mounted on the sealing member 2 starts to come into contact with the main assembly driving portion 20 and is formed by the tapered surface formed on the free end of the engaging protrusion 3. 3c guides and gradually undergoes elastic deformation.

With further insertion, as shown in FIG. 28(C), the engaging protrusion 3 has passed the straight portion 20g, the forcibly deformed portion is released by the space portion 20h without the engaging rib 20a, and the engaging protrusion 3 is tightly aligned with the main assembly driving portion 20 locked together.

In the state shown in FIG. 28(C), the engaging protrusion 3 is tightly engaged with the main assembly driving portion 20 so that the position of the sealing member 2 in the forward pushing direction (axial direction) is relative to the toner bottle 1. The main body is fixed. Therefore, when the toner bottle 1 is subsequently retracted, the sealing member 2 does not retract together with the toner bottle 1 but is tightly fixed to the main assembly driving part 20. On the other hand, only if the toner bottle 1 is damaged, the sealing member 2 will be separated from the toner bottle 1, unsealing or opening the opening 1a. The retracting operation of the toner bottle 1 allows the toner bottle 1 to slide in relation to the opening or closing operation of the front cover 15 (FIG. 2 ).

Referring to Fig. 29, the release or disengagement action in this embodiment will be described below.

When the sealing element 2 is about to be disengaged from the main assembly driving part 20, the pusher 21 placed in the central part of the main assembly driving part 20 slides in the direction shown by arrow a, and only through this will it drive the part 20 from the main assembly. Disengaged.

As the pusher 21 advances in the direction indicated by arrow a relative to the release portion 4 provided inside the sealing member 2, the parts supporting the release portion 21 deform outwardly as shown in FIG. 29(B), so that the release portion moves toward Move outward, so that the engaging protrusion 3 moves outward. By this, the engaging protrusion 3 is disengaged from the main assembly driving portion 20.

As the push member 21 further forwards in the direction indicated by the arrow a, the sealing member 2 is press-fitted into the opening 1a as shown in FIG. 29(C). In this position, the sealing member 2 unseals the opening 1a of the toner bottle 1. By moving the pushing member 21 further forward in the direction of arrow a, the toner bottle 1 itself slides backward to a position where the user can easily take out the toner bottle 1.

Regarding the driving structure of the push rod 21, it can be associated with the opening and closing operations of the front cover 15 of the main assembly 100 of the device, so that when the front cover 15 is opened, the push rod 21 moves in the direction of arrow a to perform color adjustment. The sealing element 2 of the drug bottle 1 and the driving part 20 are disengaged, and when the front cover 15 is closed, it advances in the direction of arrow b. In addition, the drive motor or the like is used solely for the disengagement operation. In another option, it has nothing to do with the operation of the front cover 15 of the main assembly 100 of the device, but a manual lever is provided, which is controlled by the user and is related to the pusher.

In this embodiment, there is no release part that is not exposed to the outside, and therefore, if the toner supply container is accidentally dropped, the release part is not damaged, and therefore, its vibration damping performance is high during transportation. .

In addition, through the very simple sliding of the push rod in the front and rear directions, the drive transmission of the toner bottle can be easily disengaged, and at the same time, the opening and closing of the opening of the toner bottle can be completed.

These excellent effects can be provided at low cost through very simple actions with a compact structure and reliable drive transmission.

(Embodiment 4) Referring to Fig. 30, Embodiment 4 of the present invention will be described.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 30, the sealing member 2, the engaging protrusion 3, and the releasing portion 4 mounted on the opening 1a of the toner bottle 1 are manufactured separately from each other, and then assembled.

As shown in this figure, two movable arms 3e are mounted on the end surface of the sealing element 2 by two hinge parts 3h so that they are opposed to each other. Each of the two movable arms 3e is mounted on its free end portion together with the engaging protrusion 3 to achieve the same engagement as in the first embodiment.

The engaging protrusions 3 are connected to each other by a hinge portion 3i through a link 3g. The connecting rod 3g includes two elements connected by a hinge, and serves as the release portion 4.

The protrusion 3f fixed from the inside of the movable arm 3e protrudes relatively in the middle part. The spring 3j is compressed between the fixing protrusions 3f. The pushing force provided by the spring 3j causes the moving arm 3e to be pushed outward so that the engaging protrusion 3 engages with the main assembly driving portion 20, as shown in FIG. 30(A). The main component driving part 20 suitable for this embodiment is shown in FIG. 14 as an example.

According to this structure, when the toner bottle 1 is to be engaged with the main assembly driving portion 20 by the engaging protrusion 3, it is sufficient to insert the toner bottle 1 into the main assembly of the apparatus, similar to the case of Embodiment 1. In particular, when the toner bottle 1 is inserted, the engaging protrusion 3 comes into contact with the main assembly driving portion 20, so that the moving arm 3e and the engaging protrusion 3 are tilted inwardly by the spring force of the spring 3j. With further insertion, the engaging protrusion 3 is engaged with the main assembly driving portion 20 at a predetermined position by the spring force of the spring 3j, and at the same time, the moving arm 3e returns to the initial position shown in FIG. 30(A).

On the other hand, when they are disengaged from each other, as shown in FIG. 30(B), the pushing member 21 is pushed on the release portion 4 in the direction indicated by arrow a, and the engaging protrusion 3 is easily inclined so that they are disengaged.

Similar to the following embodiments, the structure of this embodiment also provides the same excellent effects.

In this embodiment, elastic deformation is not utilized, and the engaging protrusion 3 may be composed of any material instead of exhibiting its own elastic deformation, and therefore, the selection range of materials is very wide. For example, various materials such as aluminum, steel, or magnesium, or wood, hard resin materials, etc. can be used. It can ensure higher meshing strength and improve durability.

The parts are connected by a link mechanism, which provides a movable range greater than elastic deformation, and therefore, can have a larger meshing range. Therefore, the engagement is very firm and highly reliable.

In this embodiment, the elastic deformation of the sealing element is not used as in the embodiment 1-3, but a connecting rod type is used. Therefore, the durability is better, but the structure is more complicated and may increase the cost.

(Embodiment 5) The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment. In Embodiment 5, the structure is the same as that of the above-mentioned embodiment (FIG. 20) except for the following parts.

For example, as shown in FIG. 31, the opening 1a of the toner bottle 1 may be provided adjacent to the cylindrical surface 1d of the radial end surface. In this case, the coupling engagement portion 2c is not provided on the sealing member 2 and is rotatably mounted on one end surface of the main body 1A of the toner bottle 1. In this case, the opening 1a cannot be sealed by the shutter element S.

The function of the coupling and engaging portion 2c is to lock the main body 1A of the toner bottle with the main components of the imaging device (the driving portion 20 shown in FIG. 20) with a locking portion (the locking surface of the engaging protrusion 3), A driving force receiving part (the driving force receiving surface of the engaging protrusion 3) receives the rotational driving force from the main assembly side of the image forming apparatus, and a release part 4 releases the toner bottle from the main assembly (driving part 20) of the image forming apparatus The main body 1A of 1 and the driving force received by the driving force receiving portion is transmitted to the coupling engagement portion 2c and to the toner supply member fixed on the toner bottle. With this structure, a force that separates the toner bottle from the main assembly driving portion 20 of the device. For some reason, when the rotation is received from the main assembly of the device, they remain engaged with each other, and therefore, unintentional The transmission of the rotational driving force of the toner bottle is disengaged.

(Embodiment 6) Embodiment 6 will be described with reference to FIG. 33.

In the above-described embodiment, the lock mechanism, the release mechanism, and the drive transmission mechanism are used between the image forming apparatus and the toner supply container (sealing member). In this embodiment, it is used between the main assembly of the imaging device and an electrophotographic photosensitive element detachably mounted on the main assembly of the imaging device, in which the photosensitive drum is replaced with a new photosensitive drum after the expiration date. In other respects, the structure is the same as the first embodiment.

In Figure 33, the coupling engaging portion 2c installed at one end of the photosensitive drum 104 is engaged with the driving portion 20 of the main assembly of the image forming apparatus. This is the same as in Embodiment 1, so the rotational driving force is transmitted from the driving portion 20 to the photosensitive drum element. . The disengagement structure in the meantime is similar to that of the first embodiment.

It is easy to understand that the drive transmission mechanism of the present invention is not limited to the toner supply container or the imaging device, but is suitable for transmission of rotation, swing or overturning motion about a rotation axis.

The automatic sealing operation of the opening is realized in the following manner.

In connection with the opening operation of the replacement cover by the operator, the main body of the toner bottle is advanced toward the sealing element by maintaining the engagement between the sealing element and the driving part 20, so that the sealing element is press-fitted into the opening, thereby completing the automatic sealing. .

Then, the push rod 21 is slid to come into contact with the release portion 4, and the engaging protrusion is disengaged from the driving portion 20. Moreover, the push rod 21 pushes the main body of the toner bottle and the sealing member toward the replacement cap to a position where the operator can easily take out the toner bottle.

In this way, the sliding movement (retracting, forwarding) of the main body of the bottle for unsealing the opening can re-seal the opening with a simple structure. In addition. The sliding movement distance of the pusher can be shorter than in the above-mentioned embodiment, and therefore, the complication of the device on the main body side can be avoided.

The engagement or disengagement structure between the main components of the image forming apparatus and the toner bottle or photosensitive element can be used in the second, third, and fourth embodiments.

In Embodiments 1-6, only when the release protrusion of the main assembly of the device moves in the direction of relative movement (for example, axial direction) with respect to the sealing element of the main body, the engagement protrusion or protrusion can move in the direction substantially perpendicular to the direction (for example, radial direction). Move in the direction of ), and therefore, the disengagement structure is simplified. Even when a plurality of engagement protrusions are arranged, all the engagement protrusions are brought into the disengaged position by a force that basically acts on one position, and therefore, the disengagement structure is simplified. In Embodiments 1, 4, 5, and 6, the releasing force receiving portion of the sealing member is basically provided at the free end portion of the sealing member, so that the releasing force receiving portion can be synchronized at an earlier timing after the toner bottle starts to be inserted. The main components are engaged.

In Embodiments 1-4, the driving portion 20 disposed in the main assembly of the image forming apparatus is provided with a key hole and an engaging rib, and the sealing member 2 has the key hole of the driving portion 20 and the engaging protrusion 3 engaged with the engaging rib. , But the relationship between the protrusion and the groove can be reversed. In other words, the main assembly driving portion 20 of the device has an engaging protrusion and a releasing portion (release protrusion), and the sealing member 2 has the locking hole and the engaging rib. With this structure, it also has the same excellent effect.

As described above, according to these present embodiments, the toner accommodating container and the main components of the image forming apparatus are locked in a quick-fit type engagement manner, and the sealing member can be automatically engaged in or disengaged from the opening of the toner accommodating container , Among them, the lock engagement can be made up of a simple structure, but not increase the load on the user.

Therefore, the toner supply operation can be performed by the user with less force.

Such a sealing member, toner accommodating container, and image forming apparatus can be provided at low cost.

The present invention has been described with reference to the structure disclosed herein, but is not limited to the detailed description made above, and this application covers such modifications or changes within the improvement purpose or scope of the following claims.