JP2011064835A - Medium storage container and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a medium storage container formed from a flexible member that has excellent operability in recovery, is highly effectively recovered in a compact size and has improved recyclability and recovery efficiency. <P>SOLUTION: The medium storage container 600 storing image forming medium therein includes: a medium storage portion 601 at least part of which is made of a flexible material; a medium discharging portion 602 connected to a medium receiving portion 91 arranged in the image forming device side and used to discharge the image forming medium stored in the container; and a binding member 603 provided at least for the medium storage portion and restricting the medium storage portion so that this portion is compressed toward the inside from the outside. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a medium storage container made of a flexible member and an image forming apparatus using the same.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known an image forming apparatus that forms an image using powder toner (hereinafter simply referred to as toner) serving as a powdery image forming medium. For example, there is an electrophotographic image forming apparatus that develops an electrostatic latent image into a toner image by a developing device. Examples of the image forming apparatus include a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile, or a complex machine of these. In addition, for example, there is a so-called direct recording type image forming apparatus that forms an image by attaching toner, which has been ejected in a dot shape from a toner flying apparatus, onto recording paper or the like. Some of these image forming apparatuses replenish new toner that becomes a new medium from a medium replenishing device to a developing device or toner flying device that consumes toner.

  Such a new toner is stored in a medium storage container as a supply source, and a flexible material as described in Patent Document 1 has been used for the medium storage container.

  As an advantage of forming the medium storage container with such a flexible material, the flexible material (made of resin sheet material such as nylon or paper) is easily folded and thus light weight so that it is used after use. It can be said that this is a material with good recyclability from the viewpoints of processing, recovery and transport.

  In Patent Document 2, a folding line is formed on a flexible medium storage container to fold a base part that discharges toner in the container, and the base part side is folded and folded by the folding line. The structure which provides the container with the adhesive tape which hold | maintains a state is described.

  In the configuration of Patent Document 2, when the toner is used and emptied, it is possible to fold the base part side to the main body side with a fold line so that the toner discharge port is not directly held by hand and the adhesive tape is provided. The container can be held in a folded state. However, there is room for improvement in workability because the adhesive tape may adhere to the hand or may stick to a part of the container other than planned due to the unexpected bending of the container.

  It is an object of the present invention to propose a medium storage container and an image forming apparatus that are formed of a flexible member that has good workability during collection, can be collected more compactly, and can improve recyclability and collection efficiency. And

  In order to achieve the above object, a medium storage container detachably attachable to an image forming apparatus main body according to the present invention includes a medium storage portion at least partially made of a flexible material, and a medium receiving unit disposed on the image forming apparatus side. And a binding member that is provided at least in the medium storage unit and is constrained so as to compress the medium storage unit from the outside to the inside. It is characterized by having.

  In the medium storage container according to the present invention, the bundling member extends in the longitudinal direction of the medium storage unit, and a part thereof is locked to the medium discharge unit or the medium storage unit.

  For this reason, when the binding member is operated at the time of container recovery or disposal, the container is deformed from the longitudinal direction side of the medium storage container, so that the volume can be efficiently reduced and the binding is also performed when the container is removed from the image forming apparatus. By pulling the member, it can be removed, and it is possible to avoid soiling the operator's hand.

  In the medium storage container according to the present invention, the bundling member extends in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the medium storage portion, and a part thereof is locked to the medium storage portion. For this reason, when the binding member is operated at the time of container recovery or disposal, the container is deformed from the side intersecting the longitudinal direction of the medium storage container. It is possible to collect and improve recyclability and recovery efficiency.

  In the medium storage container according to the present invention, the binding member is provided in the medium storage portion so as to be wound around the displacement portion when the medium discharge portion side is displaced to the medium storage portion side. . For this reason, when the bundling member is operated by displacing the medium discharge section side to the medium storage section during container collection or disposal, the medium storage section is deformed while covering the medium discharge section with the medium storage section, so the volume of the container is reduced. However, the medium discharge part is not exposed and can be collected in a compact manner, improving the recyclability and the collection efficiency, and avoiding dirtying the hands of the operator.

  The medium storage container according to the present invention is characterized in that the medium storage container is movably attached to the medium storage portion, has a covering member that is large enough to cover the medium discharge port, and the binding member is provided on the covering member. Yes. Media storage container. For this reason, if the binding member is operated while the cover member is moved and the medium discharge port is covered at the time of container recovery or disposal, the medium accommodating part is deformed while the medium discharge part is covered with the cover member. The medium discharge part is not exposed while being small, and it is possible to collect it in a compact manner, improving the recyclability and recovery efficiency, and avoiding dirtying the hands of the operator.

  In the medium storage container according to the present invention, at least a part of the binding member is made of the same material as that of the medium storage unit. For this reason, since the amount of physical change due to the environment is the same as that of the medium storage unit itself, separation processing at the time of recycling is not required, transportation and processing are facilitated, and energy is also saved during manufacturing.

  In the medium storage container according to the present invention, the binding member is characterized in that at least a part thereof is made of an elastic member. For this reason, the stretchability of the bundling member is increased, and the state in which the medium storage portion is pressed by the bundling member is less susceptible to fluctuations, and therefore the condition that the volume of the medium storage container is reduced by external force during transportation and recycling processing after use. Can be prevented, and the volume can be increased, or the binding member can be removed and the medium discharge port can be exposed and toner scattering can be prevented.

  According to the present invention, in the image forming apparatus in which the medium storage container storing the image forming medium to be replenished to the developing device is detachable from the image forming apparatus main body, the medium storage container includes the restraining member having the above-described configuration. It is a feature.

  In the image forming apparatus according to the present invention, the image forming apparatus main body is movable between a drawing position pulled out from the image forming apparatus main body and a set position pushed in, and can store the medium storage container from above. It is characterized by having a tray.

  According to the present invention, the bundling member that restrains the medium accommodating portion to be compressed from the outside toward the inside is provided. Therefore, by constraining the container with the bundling member at the time of container recovery or disposal, the volume is reduced. At the same time, it can be kept in a small state, can be collected compactly, and can improve recyclability and collection efficiency.

1 is a schematic view of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention, and is a perspective view showing a state in which a tray for a medium storage container is pulled out. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an overall configuration of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention. It is an enlarged view which shows the structure of a medium conveying apparatus. It is a perspective view which shows one form of a medium storage container. It is a partial expanded sectional view which shows the structure of the medium storage container which has a belt part, and a medium receiving part. It is a figure which shows one of the conveyance forms of the medium storage container by an operator. It is a figure which shows another example of another form of the belt part provided in the medium storage container, and the conveyance form of the medium storage container by an operator. It is a figure which shows another example of the further another form of the belt part provided in the medium storage container, and the conveyance form of the medium storage container by an operator. It is a perspective view which shows another form of a medium storage container. FIG. 10 is a partial enlarged cross-sectional view illustrating the configuration of the medium storage container illustrated in FIG. 9 and the corresponding medium receiving units. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows schematic structure of the tray for medium storage containers, and a movement promotion means. It is a top view which shows schematic structure of the tray for medium storage containers, and a movement promotion means. It is a side view which shows schematic structure of a movement promotion means. FIGS. 4A and 4B are diagrams illustrating a process of storing a medium storage container in a tray, where FIG. 5A illustrates a state in which the tray is pulled out to a maximum drawer position, FIG. 5B illustrates a state in which the medium storage container is placed in the tray, A state in which the storage container and the medium receiving unit are engaged, and (d) shows a state in which the tray occupies the set position. It is a figure which shows the relationship between a medium storage container and a tray when a tray is pulled out. It is a figure which shows movement of a tray and operation | movement of a movement promotion means, (a) is the state of the movement promotion means when the tray is pulled out, (b) is the state of the movement promotion means when the tray is pushed in, (c ) Shows the state of the movement promoting means when the tray occupies the set position. It is a figure which shows another form and operation | movement of a movement promotion means, (a) is the state of the movement promotion means when the tray is pulled out, (b) is the state of the movement promotion means when the tray is pushed in, (c) ) Shows the state of the movement promoting means when the tray occupies the set position. It is an expansion perspective view for demonstrating the structure of the tubular member accommodating part provided in the back surface of the tray, and the accommodation operation | movement of a tubular member. It is a top view explaining the structure and operation | movement of the joint part provided in the tubular member accommodating part, the habit imparting member, and the control member. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a state of a tray installed to be inclined with respect to the image forming apparatus main body and a medium storage container set in the tray. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the state of the medium storage container when the tray shown in FIG. 20 has occupied the set position. It is the schematic which shows the state of the horizontally moving tray which provided the inclination part, and the medium storage container set to this tray. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the state of the medium storage container when the tray shown in FIG. 22 occupies the set position. It is a side view which shows the structure of the aggregation suppression means which gives a vibration to a medium storage container. FIG. 4 is a side view showing the configuration and operation of agglomeration suppressing means for applying vibration to the medium storage container, where (a) is a state when the medium storage container is lifted when the tray occupies the set position, and (b) is a medium storage container. The rear end of each is shown depressed. The configuration and operation of the agglomeration suppressing means for applying vibration to the medium storage container are shown, (a) is a state when the tray occupies the set position, (b) is a state where the rear end of the medium storage container is lifted, (C) shows the state in which the rear end of the medium storage container is pushed down. 2 shows the configuration and operation of agglomeration suppression means that applies a horizontal vibration to the medium storage container. (A) shows the state when the tray occupies the set position, and (b) shows the vibration of the medium storage container in the container longitudinal direction. Each state is shown. The configuration and operation of the agglomeration suppressing means for applying horizontal vibration to the medium storage container are shown. (A) shows the state when the tray occupies the set position, and (b) shows the vibration of the medium storage container in the container width direction. Each state is shown. 2 shows the configuration and operation of agglomeration suppression means that applies horizontal rotational vibration to the medium storage container. (A) shows the state when the tray occupies the set position, and (b) shows that the rear end of the medium storage container rotates. (C) shows a state in which the end portion of the medium storage container is rotated and widened, and (d) shows a state in which the end portion of the medium storage container is rotated and further expanded. It is a figure which shows the form which has arrange | positioned the aggregation suppression means to the downward side of a medium storage container, (a) is a state when a tray occupies the setting position, (b) is a vibration given to the rear end of a medium storage container. Each state. It is a perspective view which shows another form of the tray which accommodates a medium storage container. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of 1st Embodiment of the medium storage container provided with the restraint member. FIG. 33 is a perspective view showing a state of the medium storage container when the restraining member shown in FIG. 32 is operated. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the attachment form of a restraint member. It is a conceptual diagram which shows another attachment form of a restraint member. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of 2nd Embodiment of the medium storage container provided with the restraint member. FIG. 37 is a perspective view showing a state in which the medium discharge portion is displaced in the medium storage container shown in FIG. 36. FIG. 38 is a perspective view showing a state of the medium storage container when the restraining member is operated in the state shown in FIG. 37. It is a perspective view which shows the state of the medium storage container when the restraint member is further operated from the state shown in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of 3rd Embodiment of the medium storage container provided with the constraining member in the coating | coated member. It is a perspective view which shows the state which covered the medium discharge part with the coating | coated member shown in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the state of a medium storage container when a restraint member is operated in the state of FIG. FIG. 44 is a perspective view illustrating a state of the medium storage container when the restraining member is further operated from the state illustrated in FIG. 43. It is a schematic block diagram which shows another form of a movement promotion means. It is the schematic which shows the structure of the movement promotion means by which the pressing member was pressed on the image storage container. It is the schematic which shows the form of the movement promotion means which shifted and arrange | positioned the pressing member to the container longitudinal direction. It is the schematic which shows the form of the movement promotion means which arranged the pressing member side by side in the container longitudinal direction, (a) is the pressing state of the pressing member of the rear end side, (b) is the pressing state of the pressing member of the center side, (C) is a figure which shows the pressing state of the pressing member of the front-end side. It is the schematic which shows the form of the movement promotion means which arranged the pressing member side by side in the container longitudinal direction, (a) is the pressing state of the pressing member of the rear end side and the center part, (b) is pressing of all the pressing members. It is a figure which shows a state. It is the schematic which shows the form of the movement promotion means to which a pressing member moves to a medium discharge | emission direction. It is the schematic which shows the movement state of the pressing member shown in FIG. It is the schematic which shows another form of the movement promotion means to which a pressing member moves to a medium discharge | emission direction. It is the schematic which shows another form of the movement promotion means to which a pressing member moves to a medium discharge | emission direction. It is the schematic which shows another form of the movement promotion means to which a pressing member moves to a medium discharge | emission direction, (a) shows the state before an operation | movement, (b) shows the state after an operation | movement. It is the schematic which shows the form of the movement promotion means which has shifted and arrange | positioned the pressing member which can move to a medium discharge direction to a container longitudinal direction. It is the schematic which shows another form of the movement promotion means to which a pressing member moves to a medium discharge | emission direction, (a) shows the state before an operation | movement, (b) shows the state after an operation | movement. It is the schematic which shows the form of the movement promotion means to which a pressing member rotates and moves to a medium discharge | emission direction, (a) shows a pressing state, (b) shows a non-pressing state. It is the schematic which shows the form of the movement promotion means to which a pressing member rotates in the medium discharge | emission direction. It is the schematic which shows the structure of the movement promotion means to which a pressing member rotates in the medium discharge | emission direction. It is the schematic which shows another form of the movement promotion means in which a pressing member rotates in the medium discharge | emission direction. It is the schematic which shows the form of the movement promotion means to which a pressing member rotates in the medium discharge | emission direction. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the medium storage container provided with the holding part. It is an enlarged view which shows the specific structure of an aggregation suppression means. It is an enlarged view which shows the specific example of another structure of an aggregation suppression means. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the medium storage container provided with the holding part. It is a perspective view which shows another structure of the medium storage container provided with the holding part.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. First, the overall configuration of the image forming apparatus will be described, and then the characteristic configuration of each unit will be described.

  1 and 2 are schematic views showing a color copying machine which is an embodiment of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention. In this color copying machine, a copying machine main body 100 serving as an image forming apparatus main body is disposed at the center, and a sheet feeding unit 200 configured in a table shape is disposed below the copying machine main body 100. The automatic document feeder 400 is arranged in the front. The paper feeding unit 200 is connected to the copying machine main body 100 and largely constitutes a part of the copying machine main body 100. Note that the sheet feeding unit 200 may have a form stored in the copying machine main body 100 instead of a table-like configuration.

  A tray 1 for storing a toner container 70 serving as a medium storage container is disposed in a paper feeding unit 200 that is a part of the copying machine main body 100 in this embodiment. Of course, the tray 1 may be arranged not in the paper feeding unit 200 but in the copying machine main body 100. The tray-related configuration will be described later.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the copying machine main body 100 is provided with an intermediate transfer belt 19 as an image carrier composed of a flexible endless belt wound around a plurality of rollers 14, 15, 16. ing. In the intermediate transfer belt 19, one of the plurality of rollers 14, 15, and 16 is rotationally driven by a driving device (not shown), whereby the intermediate transfer belt 19 is driven to run in the clockwise direction indicated by an arrow. The roller rotates. Black, cyan, magenta, and yellow image forming units 18 are arranged side by side on the upper traveling side of the intermediate transfer belt 19 that travels in this manner. That is, the tandem image forming unit 20 is configured by arranging four image forming units 18 of different colors on the running side between the roller 14 and the roller 15.

  Each of the four image forming units 18 includes a photosensitive drum 40 as a latent image carrier in contact with the intermediate transfer belt 19. Around these photosensitive drums 40, a charging device, a developing device 58, a cleaning device, a static eliminator, and the like are arranged. Further, a transfer is performed inside the intermediate transfer belt 19 at a position where the photosensitive drum 40 contacts the intermediate transfer belt 19. A device 57 is provided. In the case of this embodiment, the four image forming units 18 have the same structure, but the color of the toner serving as the image forming medium housed in the developing device 58 is four colors of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black. It is divided. Further, an exposure device 21 for irradiating the surface of each photosensitive drum with light-modulated laser light is disposed above each image forming unit 18, and this laser light is provided between the charging device and the developing device 58. Irradiate each. Although the exposure apparatus 21 may be provided in each image forming unit 18, using the common exposure apparatus 21 is advantageous in terms of cost.

  On the other hand, a secondary transfer device 22 is provided on the opposite side of the intermediate transfer belt 19 from the tandem image forming unit 20. The secondary transfer device 22 is arranged so that a secondary transfer belt 24, which is an endless belt, is wound around a plurality of rollers 23, and the belt is pressed against the rollers 16 via the intermediate transfer belt 19. In FIG. 1, a fixing device 25 for fixing a transfer image (toner image) carried on a sheet is provided on the left side of the secondary transfer device 22.

  The secondary transfer device 22 is also provided with a sheet transport function for transporting the image-transferred sheet to the fixing device 25. Of course, a non-contact charger may be arranged as the secondary transfer device 22. In such a case, it is necessary to separately provide a sheet conveying device for conveying the transferred sheet to the fixing device 25. In the illustrated example, a sheet reversing device for reversing the sheet so as to record images on both sides of the sheet is provided below the secondary transfer device 22 and the fixing device 25 in parallel with the tandem image forming unit 20 described above. 28.

  When making a copy using the color copying machine having such a configuration, a document is set on the document table 30 of the automatic document feeder 400. Alternatively, the automatic document feeder 400 is opened, a document is set on the contact glass 32 of the scanner 300, and the automatic document feeder 400 is closed and pressed by it.

  When a start switch (not shown) is pressed, when the document is set on the automatic document feeder 400, the document is transported and moved onto the contact glass 32, and then the document is set on the other contact glass 32. When this happens, the scanner 300 is immediately driven to travel on the first traveling body 33 and the second traveling body 34. Then, the first traveling body 33 emits light from the light source and further reflects the reflected light from the document surface toward the second traveling body 34, and is reflected by the mirror of the second traveling body 34 and passes through the imaging lens 35. The document is placed in the reading sensor 36 and the contents of the document are read.

  In addition, when the start switch is pressed, the intermediate transfer belt 19 is also instructed to start running and starts rotating. At the same time, the photoreceptors 40 are rotated by the individual image forming units 18 to form black, yellow, magenta, and cyan single color images on the photoreceptors 40, respectively. As the intermediate transfer belt 19 travels, the monochrome images are sequentially transferred to the belt to form a composite color image on the intermediate transfer belt 19. On the other hand, when the start switch is pressed, the sheet feeding unit 200 is also instructed to start operation. One of the paper feed rollers 42 of the paper feed unit 200 is selectively rotated, and the sheet is fed out from one of the paper feed cassettes 44 provided in multiple stages in the paper bank 43, and is separated one by one by the separation roller 45. 46, transported by the transport roller 47, guided to the paper feed path 48 in the copying machine main body 100, hits the registration roller 49 and stops. Alternatively, when manual feed is selected, the sheet feed roller 50 is rotated to feed out the sheets on the manual feed tray 51, separated one by one by the separation roller 52, and put into the manual feed path 53. Stop at 49.

  Then, the registration roller 49 rotates in synchronization with the composite color image on the intermediate transfer belt 19, and a sheet is fed between the intermediate transfer belt 19 and the secondary transfer device 22, and transferred by the secondary transfer device 22. A full color image is recorded on the sheet at once. The sheet after the image transfer is conveyed by the secondary transfer device 22 and sent to the fixing device 25. After fixing the transferred image by applying heat and pressure by the fixing device 25, the sheet is conveyed by the switching claw 55. The path is switched and stacked on the discharge tray 27 by the discharge roller 26. Alternatively, the sheet is switched by the switching claw 55 and enters the sheet reversing device 28, where it is reversed and guided to the transfer position again. After the image is recorded on the back surface, the sheet is discharged onto the sheet discharge tray 27 by the discharge roller 26. The On the other hand, the residual toner remaining on the intermediate transfer belt 19 after the image transfer is removed from the intermediate transfer belt 19 after the image transfer by the intermediate transfer body cleaning device 17 to prepare for the image formation by the tandem image forming unit 20 again.

  FIG. 3 shows a schematic configuration of a toner supply device 10 as a medium supply device according to the present invention. In FIG. 3, reference numeral 58 denotes a developing device. The developing device 58 is a so-called two-component developing device in which a developer mixed with toner and carrier is stored. In such a developing device 58, toner serving as a medium is consumed as the image is formed. Therefore, it is necessary to replenish that much toner. Various methods have been proposed for toner replenishment control. In general, the toner / carrier mixing ratio is detected, or the density of the pattern image formed on the photosensitive drum 1 is detected and detected. Based on the result, a toner replenishment signal is output.

  On the developing device 58, a uniaxial eccentric screw pump (hereinafter referred to as a powder pump 80) which is a suction means for sucking the toner stored in the toner storage container 70 and is one of the medium transport pumps. Is provided. This powder pump 80 is made of a metal threaded stator 82 which is rotatably inserted into the stator 82 and has a female threaded stator 82 formed with a double pitch spiral groove made of an elastic member such as rubber. And an externally threaded rotor 81. The rotor 81 is connected to the drive shaft 84 by a spring pin or the like, and is driven to rotate when the drive shaft 84 is rotated. The periphery of the stator 82 is covered with a holder 83 fixed to the case 85, and a gap is provided between the inner peripheral surface of the holder 83 and the outer peripheral surface of the stator 82.

  The toner to be supplied to the developing device 58 is stored in a toner storage container 70, and the powder pump 80 and the toner storage container 70 are communicated with each other by a toner tube 86 as a tubular member constituting a supply path. Instead of the powder pump 80 and the toner tube 86, a medium conveying device 300 is configured. The toner tube 86 may be of any type as long as it is a pipe having a slack that is greater than or equal to the amount that the tray 1 is pulled out. The restriction of the arrangement relationship with the device 58 is eliminated, and the degree of freedom in design is greatly increased. As the flexible tube, it is preferable to use a rubber material excellent in toner resistance, such as polyurethane, nitrile, EPDM or the like. A toner suction nozzle 91 serving as a medium receiving portion coupled to a base member 71 serving as a medium discharge portion provided in the toner storage container 70 is provided at an end portion of the toner tube 86 located on the toner storage container 70 side. Yes.

  The arrangement of the powder pump 80 is not limited to the form provided in the developing device 58, and may be arranged in the middle of the toner tube 86. Therefore, the powder pump 80 is arranged in the toner suction nozzle 91 side and the tray 1. May be. That is, the middle of the toner tube 86 includes the developing device 58 and the tray 1.

  In the toner replenishing device 10 having such a configuration, when the toner of the developing device 58 is consumed, the powder pump 80 rotates and generates a suction pressure. The suction pressure is transmitted to the toner storage container 70 via the toner tube 86, and the toner is sucked into the powder pump 80 through the toner tube 86, the toner suction nozzle 91, and the toner tube 86 and is replenished to the developing device 58. At this time, if the space between the powder pump 80 and the toner container 70 is substantially sealed, the suction pressure can be transmitted to the toner without waste. Here, although one toner replenishing device 10 has been described as an example, the toner replenishing device 10 includes toner storage containers 70Y, 70M, 70C, and 70K that respectively store yellow, magenta, cyan, and black toners. It is arranged between the developing devices 58 of the respective colors. Since the configurations of the toner supply devices 10 and the toner storage container 70 are the same, the description of Y, M, C, and K for identifying the color of the toner is omitted. In FIG. 2, only the toner replenishing device 10 corresponding to yellow is shown, and the others are omitted in order to avoid the complexity of the drawing.

  According to such a configuration of the toner replenishing device 10, toner can be transported from a position away from the developing device 58 by the powder pump 80 and the toner tube 86, and the degree of freedom in the arrangement of the toner storage container 70 is increased. In addition, it is possible to reduce the arrangement of the toner storage container 70 at a place unfavorable for the replacement work, to reduce the burden on the user, and to easily set the large capacity toner storage container 70 on the tray 1. Further, since the toner tube 86 is slackened, the base member 71 of the toner storage container 70 and the toner suction nozzle 91 provided on the tray 1 remain connected even when the tray 1 is pulled out and pushed. Can be maintained, and toner leakage can be prevented. As the medium transport pump, a known diaphragm pump may be used instead of the uniaxial eccentric screw pump.

  Next, a characteristic configuration of the color copying machine according to the present invention will be described.

The color copying machine according to the present invention is movable between a drawing position pulled out with respect to the copying machine main body 100 and a set position pushed in, and a toner storage container 70Y in which toner of each color is stored. , 70M, 70C, and 70K from above, a toner suction nozzle 91 that is disposed on the set position side of the tray 1 and is coupled to a cap member 71 provided in each toner storage container, and the tray 1 A movement accelerating means 2 is provided for moving the toner in each toner storage container toward the cap member 71 by contacting the stored toner storage container from below.
The toner suction nozzle 91 and the movement promoting means 2 are provided on the tray 1.

  The tray 1 is covered on its four sides with side walls 1A to 1D, and the bottom is disposed with a bottom plate 1E. Only the upper part in FIG. 1 is open. The tray 1 is detachably inserted in a horizontal direction with respect to a tray storage space portion 101 formed in the horizontal direction in the copying machine main body 100. In the figure, an arrow C indicates a setting direction in which the tray 1 is pushed into the tray storage space 101 to move the tray 1 to a setting position, an arrow D indicates a drawing direction in which the tray 1 is pulled out from the tray storage space 101, and a symbol E indicates Indicates the tray depth direction. On the side wall 1A located on the drawing direction D side, a handle 89 on which a worker M to be described later applies is formed. In this embodiment, the side on which the handle 89 is located is the front side of the tray 1, and the side on which the side wall 1C is located is the back side of the tray. Further, the direction in which the side wall 1B and the side wall 1D are positioned is the tray width direction F that is orthogonal to the drawing direction D in plan view.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the inside of the tray 1 is divided into four parts by partition walls 8, 8, 8 arranged on the back side of the tray. In the divided areas R1 to R4, the front end sides of the toner storage containers 70Y, 70M, 70C, and 70K are stored, respectively. In the divided areas R1 to R4, toner suction nozzles 91 corresponding to the respective toner storage containers are respectively arranged. Each toner suction nozzle 91 is disposed at a position where at least the tip of the tray 1 is exposed when the tray 1 is pulled out.

  In this embodiment, since the image forming apparatus is a full-color device, the four toner storage containers 70Y, 70M, 70C, and 70K are stored in the tray 1. However, in the case of a monochrome image forming apparatus that prints in black. In other words, only the toner storage container 70K storing black toner is stored (set) in the tray 1, and the tray 1 can be narrowed in the width direction E. For this reason, in the case of a single-color image forming apparatus, the toner storage container may be stored in an excess space of a paper feed tray that stores a small size sheet, and the toner storage container and the sheet may be shared. Alternatively, two small-size trays may be provided in the same row, with one being a toner storage container tray and the other being a sheet tray. Since the configuration of each toner container is the same, the following description will be made by omitting the symbols Y, M, C, and K for identifying the color of the toner.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the toner storage container 70 includes a medium storage portion 72 that is at least partially a bag shape made of a flexible material and has a rectangular shape when the toner is stored, and a tray 1 positioned on the copier body side. A base member 71 that is coupled to the toner suction nozzle 91 disposed on the back side 1A of the toner, and a belt portion that is provided in the medium storage portion 72 and corresponds to a gripping portion that is gripped by the worker M shown in FIGS. 73 and a cap 74 that engages with the base member 71 to prevent toner scattering when the toner container 70 is a single unit. The cap 74 is removed when the toner storage container 70 is placed on the tray 1 and stored. In FIG. 4, the arrow A indicates the container longitudinal direction of the toner storage container 70, and the arrow B indicates the width direction of the toner storage container 70.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the base member 71 is provided at a front end 72 a (a front end of the toner storage container) serving as one end of the medium storage unit 72. The base member 71 has a cylindrical portion 71B formed on a base portion 71A having an L-shaped cross section. A discharge port 71C is formed at the center of the cylindrical portion 71B. A male screw 71D is formed. A cap 74 shown in FIG. 4 having a female screw formed inside is fastened to the male screw 71D.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the front end 72 a of the medium accommodating portion 72 is a container side surface that is positioned on the set direction side, that is, on the back side of the tray 1 when mounted on the tray 1. An opening 72 c that communicates with the inside of the medium accommodating portion 72 is formed at the tip 72 a. The base member 71 is fixed to the tip 72a so that the discharge port 71D and the opening 72c overlap. A valve case 75 formed on the base member 71 is inserted into the opening 72c. A valve body 76 for opening and closing the opening 72c is inserted into the valve case 75. The valve body 76 is supported by a valve case 75 so as to be able to reciprocate, and is urged by a spring 77 in a direction to close the opening 72c.

  For this reason, when the toner suction nozzle 91 is inserted from the discharge port 71 </ b> C, the valve body 75 is pushed into the medium accommodating portion 72 by the tip of the toner suction nozzle 91 and the opening 72 c is opened. When the toner replenishing device 10 operates in this state, the toner inside the medium accommodating portion 72 can be sucked. Reference numeral 71E denotes a seal member formed of a sponge or the like so as not to form a gap with the toner suction nozzle 91 when the nozzle is inserted.

  The belt portion 73 shown in FIG. 4 includes a first belt 73A provided on the rear end 72b side which is the other end portion of the medium accommodating portion 72 which is one end side positioned in the container longitudinal direction A, and a container longitudinal direction. A second belt 73B extending from the front end 72a, which is the other end side, to the rear end 72b side, is provided.

  The belt 73 </ b> A is a short belt extending in the width direction B of the toner storage container 70 and having both ends fixed to the medium storage portion 72. The belt 73B is a long belt that is long in the container longitudinal direction A of the toner storage container 70, one end of which is on the rear end 72a side and the other end is close to the rear end 72b, and is fixed to the medium storage unit 72.

  As the resin material of the base member 71, there are polystyrene, high impact polystyrene, polypropylene, PET, ABS, metal, etc., but if they are made of the same material or the same material as the bag part, both are easily fixed, and also by material recycling. It becomes easy to reuse.

  As a material for the medium accommodating portion 72 and the belts 73A and 73B, a resin sheet made of polyester, polyethylene, polyurethane, polypropylene, nylon, or the like, a paper sheet, or the like can be used. As the material of the container main body, a single layer or a material obtained by processing different types into a plurality of layers, or a milk pack in which a resin is coated on paper can be used.

  In the case where both layers are made of resin, those which are not easily torn by an external pressure or the like are preferable, and those having a soft inner side such as polyethylene and a hard outer side such as nylon resin are preferable.

  Furthermore, it is possible to take measures against static electricity by depositing aluminum on the flexible material or containing an antistatic agent. The thickness of the flexible material is not particularly limited, but if it is too thick, it is difficult to obtain the above-mentioned advantages due to its flexibility, and if it is too thin, the portion filled with the toner will sag and the toner will be discharged sufficiently. About 20 μm to 200 μm, and more preferably about 80 μm to 150 μm.

  The medium accommodating portion 72 has a joint formed by bonding a plurality of flexible material pieces prepared in advance by a heat seal method or the like so as to form a predetermined container, and when the flexible material is a plastic resin. Is a seamless one that is formed into a predetermined shape by integral molding using a tube extrusion method. As described above, the medium containing portion 72 includes a case where the entire portion is not formed of a flexible material but is partially formed of a rigid material.

  Further, the medium storage container is not limited to the toner storage container 70, and is described in, for example, paragraphs “0026” to “0035” of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-178187. The bag member is a toner container having a welding layer made of an easily weldable material, an airtight layer made of a material having excellent airtightness, and a rigid layer made of a material having excellent rigidity. A toner container 80 may be used.

  The toner storage container 70 having such flexibility is good in recyclability, but has a problem that the rigidity of the toner storage container 70 is low and it is difficult for the operator M to hold the container shape by hand. Therefore, there is an advantage that even if the container shape is deformed, it can be easily held and the storing operation in the tray 1 can be easily performed.

  That is, when the operator M who is the user uses the toner storage container 70, when transporting, as shown in FIG. 6, as shown in FIG. 73B can be grabbed and lifted. Therefore, the toner can be easily transported even when the toner storage volume is 2 liters or more (the toner weight is about 1.2 kg when the toner density is about 0.6 g / cc), and particularly a heavy capacity of 5 liters or more (about 3 kg). From the viewpoint of toner dischargeability, it is necessary to reduce the density by including air as it is in order to increase the fluidity. However, the volume of the container itself must be increased. If it does so, it will become difficult to carry in a messy state without being fixed, but it becomes easy to carry by providing belts 73A and 73B. In particular, the belt 73A, which is a long belt, is transported by changing the gripping position when transporting and aligning the base member 71 with the toner suction nozzle 1 in the tray 1 (having the vicinity of the toner discharge port when positioning). And compatibility can be achieved.

  The configuration of the belt portion 73 is not limited to the arrangement or combination of the belt 73A (short belt) and the belt 73B (long belt) as shown in FIG. For example, in the form shown in FIG. 7, a belt 73A (short belt) is provided in the vicinity of the front end 72a and the rear end 72b of the toner storage container 70, respectively. That is, the belt portion 73 shown in FIG. 7 has a configuration in which a belt 73A (short belt) is provided on both the front end 72a and the rear end 72b side which are both ends of the medium accommodating portion 72 located in the container longitudinal direction A. For this reason, the toner storage container 70 made of a flexible material has good recyclability, but is difficult to hold by hand because of its low rigidity and difficulty in determining the shape of the container, but the shape can be reduced by providing belts 73A at both ends of the container. Even if it is deformed or has a large capacity and weight, it can be easily held and can be easily stored in the image forming apparatus. Further, by utilizing the flexibility of the toner storage container 70 in reverse, the toner storage container 70 that is long in the longitudinal direction of the container can be buckled on purpose to make it about the shoulder width and carried in an easy state with the elbow extended. It becomes possible.

  As a configuration of the belt portion 73, as shown in FIG. 8, only the belt 73B which is a long belt may be used. In this case, both ends of the belt 73B are fixed to the front end 72a and the rear end 72b which are both ends of the medium accommodating portion 72 located in the container longitudinal direction.

  In such a configuration, the toner storage container 70 made of a flexible material has good recyclability. However, the rigidity of the toner storage container 70 is low, and the shape of the container is difficult to determine. By fixing to both ends, the belt 73B can be carried by the worker M from the shoulder with one hand, and is easy to carry even when the shape is deformed or the capacity is large and heavy. Further, since one hand can be freely used, when the tray 1 is pulled out, the operation can be performed without lowering the toner container 70, and the storing operation can be easily performed. Further, when set on the tray 1, the belt 73 </ b> B is located near both ends, and the base member 71 on the front end 72 a side is aligned with the toner suction nozzle 91 while the rear end 72 b is floated in the tray and the toner storage container 70 is shifted. (See FIG. 14). Of course, the toner container of FIG. 6 can also be transported with the long belt 73B on the shoulder. If necessary, halve the long belt halfway, adjust the length like a belt that passes through trousers, multiple holes to pass through the buckle needle, and place it on the shoulder or set it in the tray You may be able to adjust the length.

  Next, the configuration of the toner suction nozzle 91 will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 11, four toner suction nozzles 91 are arranged on the back side of the tray 1 in the setting direction C so as to correspond to the cap members 71 of the toner storage containers 70 of the respective colors. Since each toner suction nozzle 91 has the same configuration, one nozzle configuration will be described with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the toner suction nozzle 91 protrudes from the bottom plate 1 </ b> E serving as a mounting surface of the tray 1 into the tray and is inserted into the base member 71 to be engaged with a nozzle main body 911 that is engaged. A joint portion 912 that is rotatably supported with respect to the nozzle main body 911 is provided on the outer side of the bottom plate 1E that is opposite to the nozzle main body 911. The nozzle body 911 is a pipe material, and includes a base portion 911A that is substantially perpendicular to the bottom plate 1E, and an insertion portion 911B that is bent at a substantially right angle to the base portion 911A and occupies a horizontal state. It is fixed. The joint portion 912 is a so-called nip portion, and is attached with an end portion of the toner tube 86 inserted and prevented from being removed by a rubber band or the like.

  The insertion portion 911B is arranged in the tray pulling direction indicated by the arrow C of the tray 1. A cap 98 serving as an engaging portion with the base member 71 is inserted through the insertion portion 911B, and the cap 98 is rotatably fixed around the insertion portion 911B. The insertion portion 911 </ b> B is formed with stoppers 911 </ b> C that restrict the position of the cap 98 in the setting direction D before and after the cap 98. The cap 98 has a female screw having the same diameter and the same pitch as that of the cap 74 when it is a single unit.

  According to such a configuration, the toner storage container 70 is placed on the tray 1 and moved in the setting direction D, and the insertion portion 911 B is inserted into the discharge port 71 C of the base member 71. The toner storage container 70 is fixed on the tray 1 by tightening the cap 98 in the thread groove 71D.

  With such a configuration of the toner suction nozzle 91, even if the toner presses the inside of the nozzle by the push-up member 3 to be described later, and the reaction causes the toner storage container 70 to come out of the toner suction nozzle 91, Since the base member 71 is held on the tray 1 by being fastened to the cap 98, the scattering of the toner due to the deviation of the toner storage container 70 can be prevented.

  Further, since the joint portion 912 is rotatable, when the tray 1 is pushed into the set position, the loose toner tube 86 does not stretch between the joint portion 912 and the tray 1 can be satisfactorily improved. It can be moved and has good operability.

  9 and 10 show toner storage containers having different cap member configurations. The toner container 701 is basically configured as the toner container 80 described in paragraphs “0026” to “0035” of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-178187.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the base member 710 of the toner storage container 701 has a discharge port 711 </ b> A communicating with the inside of the medium storage portion 72 having an L-shaped cross section. It is configured to open and close the discharge port 711A by moving it orthogonally. In other words, the discharge port 711A includes a toner introducing portion 711Aa that communicates with the inside of the medium storage portion 72 and a toner dropping portion 711Ab that communicates with the toner introducing portion 711Aa. In this embodiment, the toner introduction portion 711Aa is formed to be substantially horizontal when the toner storage container 701 is placed on the tray 1, and the toner dropping portion 711Ab is formed to be substantially vertical. A valve case 75 is formed above the toner dropping part 711Ab so as to be connected to the toner dropping part 711Ab. A shaft-like valve body 76 is supported on the valve case 75 and the toner dropping part 711Ab so as to be movable in the vertical direction, and the toner introduction part 711Aa and the toner dropping part 711Ab are connected by a spring 77 inserted into the valve case 75. It is biased in the closing direction. The stroke amount of the valve body 76 is set such that the toner introduction portion 711Aa and the toner suction nozzle can communicate with each other when the valve body 76 is pushed by the toner suction nozzle 91 and moves upward in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the toner suction nozzle corresponding to the toner container 701 having such a cap member 711 is not provided with the insertion portion 911B shown in FIG. 5, and is directed upward from the bottom plate 1E of the tray 1. Thus, the nozzle suction nozzle 91 </ b> A having a nozzle main body 911 </ b> D having a partially opened pipe shape as an insertion portion is formed.

  In such a configuration, when the toner storage container 701 is set in the tray 1, the toner storage container 701 is placed on the tray 1 from above by aligning the positions of the nozzle body 911D and the toner dropping portion 711Ab. Then, the base nozzle main body 911D enters the toner dropping portion 711Ab and pushes up the valve body 76 to communicate with the toner introducing portion 711Aa, the toner dropping portion 711Ab, and the opening of the nozzle main body 911D. In the case of this embodiment, the engaging portion that protrudes at an angle with respect to the medium moving direction at the connecting portion between the medium accommodating portion 72 and the base member 711 is constituted by a nozzle body 911D.

  With such a configuration of the toner suction nozzle 91A and the base member 711, the toner presses the inside of the nozzle by the push-up member 3 which will be described later, and the reaction causes the toner storage container 701 to come out of the toner suction nozzle 91A. Even if it occurs, since it is held on the tray 1 by fastening by the insertion state of the base member 711 and the nozzle main body 911D, toner scattering due to the deviation of the toner storage container 701 can be prevented. In the nozzle configuration shown in FIG. 10 as well, as in the case shown in FIG. 5, the joint portion that is rotatably supported with respect to the nozzle body 911 </ b> D outside the bottom plate 1 </ b> E opposite to the nozzle body 911 </ b> D. 912 may be provided.

  In the case of the toner storage container 701 shown in FIG. 10, the belt 73A may be attached to the valve case 75 and the rear end 72b of the container. In this case, it becomes easy to set when the nozzle member 711 is dropped while aiming at the nozzle body 911D standing in the tray 1 from above.

  Regarding positioning of the toner container 701 in the tray 1, semicircular arc-shaped grooves 715 and 715 are formed on the side surfaces 711a and 711b of the base member 711 located in the width direction F of the tray 1 shown in FIG. This can also be achieved by installing positioning pins 716 and 716 that can be inserted into the grooves 715 and 715 on the tray 1.

  Next, the structure of the movement promotion means 2 is demonstrated using FIGS. 11-14.

  The movement promoting means 2 can operate in the direction in which the medium storage portion 72 of the toner storage container 70 is pushed up from below on the front side of the tray opposite to the toner suction nozzle 91 in conjunction with the insertion of the tray 1 toward the set position. The push-up member 3, the compression coil spring 4 serving as an elastic member for applying a push-up force to the push-up member 3, and the push-up operation of the push-up member 3 are limited until the tray 1 is moved from the maximum pull-out position to the set position, When the tray 1 occupies the set position, there is provided a push-up operation control mechanism that releases the push-up operation in cooperation with the cam rails 103 and 103 arranged on the copying machine main body 100 side. The push-up member 3, the compression coil spring 4, and the push-up operation control mechanism are provided in the tray 1.

  The push-up member 3 is a push-up member disposed between the partition wall 8 located on the back side of the tray and the side wall 1A on the near side of the tray, and includes a base plate 3A and a pair of side plates 3B in the width direction E of the base plate 3A. , 3C is erected. Each toner storage container 70 is placed on the base plate 3A. The push-up member 3 is preferably made of metal, resin, or the like and does not deform when pressed by the compression coil spring 4.

  Pins 10A and 10B that are rotatably inserted into support holes 9A and 9B respectively formed in the side wall 1B and side wall 1D of the tray 1 are formed on the same axis on the upper side plates 3B and 3C located on the back side of the tray. ing. The push-up member 3 is supported by the tray 1 so as to be swingable up and down around the pins 10A and 10B by inserting the pins 10A and 10B into the support holes 9A and 9B.

  Projections 11A and 11B projecting in the width direction E from the base plate 3A are formed on the side of the rear end 3A1 located in front of the tray of the base plate 3A. Below these protrusions 11A and 11B, a crossing bar 12 extending in the width direction F is fixed to the base plate 3A. The crossover bar 12 is disposed behind the protrusions 11A and 11B in order to maintain the flatness of the base plate 3A. When the base plate 3A alone can increase the strength and the flatness can be ensured without generating twist. Can be omitted.

  Both ends of the projections 11A and 11B and the crossing bar 12 are inserted into arc-shaped elongated holes 13A and 13B formed in the side walls 1B and 1D facing each other of the tray 1 to restrict the swing range of the push-up member 3. is doing.

  As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, one end of the compression coil spring 4 is fixed to the bottom plate 1E of the tray 1 and is interposed between the bottom plate 1E and the base plate 3A, with the pins 10A and 10B as the center. The rear end 3A1 of the base plate 3A is disposed so as to be lifted upward as shown in FIG.

  In this embodiment, three compression coil springs 4 are arranged linearly in the width direction E, and the tray 1 occupies the set position even when the toner amount in the toner container 70 is full (when new). As shown in FIG. 15D, the spring force is set so that the toner storage container 70 is sufficiently lifted so that the medium storage portion 72 comes into contact with the main body-side ceiling surface 102 located above the tray storage space 101. ing. As long as this spring force is secured, the number and arrangement of the compression coil springs 4 can be freely set. That is, in this embodiment, since the spring force is set so that the push-up member 3 can be lifted even when all of the toner storage containers placed on the push-up member 3 are full, the amount of toner stored by the replenishment operation is gradually reduced. Following this, the medium storage portion 72 can be pressed against the main body side ceiling surface 102 located above the tray 1. The main body-side ceiling surface 102 is disposed above the tray 1 pushed into the copying machine main body 100 and constitutes a compression unit that compresses the medium storage unit 72 pushed up by the push-up member 3 with the push-up member 3 interposed therebetween. .

  As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, a pair of levers 61 and 62 that are long in the tray depth direction F are arranged on the side wall 1 </ b> B and side wall 1 </ b> D side of the tray 1. The levers 61 and 62 are provided at the leading ends 61A and 62A located on the back side of the tray so that guide pins 63A and 63B that contact the cam rails 103 and 103 (see FIG. 12) protrude in the width direction E. The levers 61 and 62 are swingably supported by the pins 10A and 10B of the push-up member 3 rotatably supported on the side wall 1B and the side wall 1D, respectively, and the rear ends of the levers 61 and 62 facing the front side of the tray 61B and 62B are arrange | positioned so that contact | abutting is possible above protrusion 11A, 11B which protrudes in the width direction E from long hole 13A, 13B. The levers 61 and 62 are applied with a biasing force that biases the levers 61 and 62 in a direction in which the protrusions 11A and 11B are pushed down by the rear ends 61B and 62B against the spring force of the compression coil spring 4. This urging force is applied by tension coil springs 64A and 64B serving as urging means having one end locked between the rear ends 61B and 62B and the swing center of the lever and the other end locked to the tray 1 side. ing.

  When the tray 1 is pulled out by the levers 61 and 62 and the biasing force applied to the lever, the push-up member 3 is held so that the rear end 3A1 side is positioned on the bottom plate 1E side as shown in FIG. ing. When the guide pins 63A and 63B at the end of the lever are pushed down by the cam rails 103 and 103, as shown in FIG. 14, the levers 61 and 62 are rotated in the releasing direction, so that the protrusions 11A and 11B by the rear ends 61B and 62B are The push-down action is released, and the rear end 3A1 side is lifted upward from the bottom plate 1E by the spring force of the compression coil spring 4. As shown in FIG. 12, the cam rails 103 and 103 are provided on the side surfaces 101A and 101B of the tray storage space 101 facing the side wall 1B and the side wall 1D, respectively. The release start timing of the lifting restriction of the push-up member 3 by the cam rails 103, 103, that is, the start position of the cam surface (inclined surface) of the cam rail 103 that contributes to the push-down of the guide pins 63A, 63B is the same as the base member 72 of the toner storage container 70 It is preferable to set so that it can be released immediately before or at the set position of the tray 1 to which the toner suction nozzle 91 is connected. In other words, if the push-up member 3 is lifted at a position that still leaves the set position, the distance that the tray 1 travels increases while the toner storage container 70 is pressed by the main body-side ceiling surface 102, and the toner storage container 70. Because it can damage it.

  In this embodiment, the push-up operation control mechanism is constituted by protrusions 11A and 11B, a crossing bar 12, levers 61 and 62, and tension coil springs 64A and 64B.

  In such a configuration, when the toner storage container 70 is newly set in the tray 1, as shown in FIG. 15A, the operator M handles the tray 1 pushed into the tray storage space 101. Hold the 89 and move in the pulling direction C to the maximum pulling position. The maximum pull-out position is a position where the front end of the tray 1 is located in the tray storage space 101 and is supported by the worker M without supporting the tray 1 by himself / herself. When the tray 1 occupies this position, the toner suction nozzle 91 is exposed to the outside of the tray storage space 101, so that the worker M can see from the outside. Therefore, the visibility of the engagement operation between the toner suction nozzle 91 and the base member 71 of the toner storage container 70 by the worker M from above the tray 1 is dramatically improved. Further, the guide pins 63A and 63B are not in contact with the cam surface 103A of the cam rail 103 as shown in FIG.

  As described above, since the toner container 70 is a flexible material, it is easy to loosen and it is difficult to engage the toner suction nozzle 91 and the base member 71. However, as shown in FIG. 15A, a belt 73B (long belt) attached to the toner storage container 70 substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the container and a belt 73A (attached to the end opposite to the base member 71). A short belt is easy to hold. Further, the tray 1 is in a position to be looked down from the worker M, and by providing the belt having the above arrangement and configuration, the worker M naturally grips the toner storage container 70 from above the container, and the tray 1 Can be stored easily. As shown in FIG. 15B, the stored toner storage container 70 is shifted toward the toner suction nozzle 91 while raising the rear end 72 b in the tray 1, and the base member 71 is engaged with the tip of the toner suction nozzle 91. Connect them together. At this time, it is easy to grip and move the vicinity of the toner discharge port of the belt 73B (long belt).

  The front end side of the toner storage container 70 stored in the tray 1 is directly placed on the bottom plate 1E in the sections R1 to R4 partitioned by the partition wall 8 shown in FIG. The side 72b is placed on the push-up member 3 pushed down by the levers 61 and 62 as shown in FIG. For this reason, since the toner container 70 is not hung when placed, the toner container 70 can be sat satisfactorily, and as shown in FIG.

  Next, when the tray 1 in which the toner storage container 70 is set is pushed in the setting direction C as shown in FIG. 15C, the tray 1 moves in the tray storage space 101. At this time, as shown in FIG. 16B, the push-up member 3 is pushed down until the guide pins 63A and 63B provided at the tips of the levers 61 and 62 come into contact with the cam rails 103 and 103. The toner storage container 70 is not caught on the main body side ceiling surface 102, and the tray 1 can be smoothly moved to the set position.

  As the movement of the tray 1 proceeds and the guide pins 63A and 63B engage with the cam rails 103 and 103 as shown in FIG. 16C, the guide pins 63A and 63B are pushed down by the cam surface 103A of the cam rail. By this action, the levers 61 and 62 are rotated in the direction of lifting the rear ends 61B and 62B. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 15 (d), the push-up member 3 whose upward movement is regulated by the rear end of the lever is provided. It is pushed up by the spring force of the compression coil spring 4. Then, the toner container 70 is pushed up mainly by the push-up member 3 in the latter half of the medium container 72. For this reason, the push-up member 3 is pushed upward by the compression coil spring 4 as the toner in the toner storage container 70 is discharged, so that the inclination of the push-up member 3 becomes steep toward the base member 71 and the stored toner is small. Even if it becomes, discharge property can be maintained.

  That is, when the tray 3 is pushed into the set position, the push-up member 3 is deformed so as to push up the medium storage portion 72 on the side opposite to the medium discharge portion from below and bend the medium storage portion 72 in the vertical direction. Since the toner in the medium storage unit 72 falls by its own weight, the toner can be moved to the base member 71 without using a conventional conveying means such as a screw. Even if it exists, the toner discharge performance is improved.

  Further, when the push-up member 3 is pushed up, the medium storage portion 72 is sandwiched between the push-up member 3 and the main body-side ceiling surface 102, and the internal pressure of the container is increased by utilizing the wall of the flexible medium storage portion 72. Therefore, the toner discharge performance can be further improved.

  On the other hand, even when the push-up member 3 is pushed up, the first half of the toner storage container 70 is placed on the bottom plate 1E in each of the sections R1 to R4, so that it remains in a substantially horizontal state. For this reason, when the toner is full, there is little movement of the toner with respect to the base member 71 side, there is no toner aggregation on the base member 71 side, and the occurrence of suction failure due to aggregation can be suppressed.

  In the movement promoting means 2 shown in FIGS. 11 to 14, the tension coil springs 64A and 64B for applying an urging force to the levers 61 and 62 are arranged between the rear ends 61B and 62B and the swing center of the lever. 17, the other ends of the coil springs 64 </ b> C and 64 </ b> D in which one end of the spring is locked between the tips 61 </ b> A and 62 </ b> A and the swing center of the lever may be arranged to be locked in the tray 1. In this case, the cam surface of the cam rail 103 is arranged upside down as in FIG. 16, and is formed so that the cam surface is lowered immediately before the set position.

  With such a configuration, as shown in FIG. 17A, when the tray 1 is pulled out, the guide pins 63A and 63B are riding on the cam rail 103, so that the levers 61A and 61B are pushed down. The surface on which the third toner storage container 70 is placed is kept horizontal. This facilitates setting of the toner storage container 70. When the toner storage container 70 is stored in the tray 1 and the tray 1 is pushed in as shown in FIG. 17B, the lever is started from when the guide pins 63A and 63B are hooked on the inclined surface where the cam surface just before the setting position is lowered. The rear ends 61B and 62B of 61 and 62 are raised upward by the pushing force transmitted from the tension coil springs 64A and 64B and the compression coil spring 4 installed below the push-up member 3 through the protrusions 11A and 11B on both sides of the push-up member 3. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 17C, when the tray 1 finally reaches the set position, the latter half of the medium storage portion 72 is sandwiched between the main body-side ceiling surface 102 and the push-up member 3. Thus, while the toner is moved to the base member 71 side, the levers 61 and 62 are not followed up, and the coil springs 64C and 64D raise the levers 61 and 62 thereafter.

  When the toner is consumed for image formation, the toner container 70 decreases in volume. Then, the push-up member 3 further pushes up the medium storage portion 72 of the toner storage container 70 by the action of the compression coil spring 4, but the levers 61 and 62 are lifted to the higher position by the tension coil springs 64A and 64B so that they do not interfere with each other. The levers 61 and 62 do not interfere with the protrusions 11A and 11B and obstruct the pushing-up action halfway. For this reason, even when the remaining amount of toner decreases, the toner can be moved to the base member 71, and the toner discharge performance can be maintained until the end of use.

  Next, the back surface structure of the tray 1 will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 18, a toner suction nozzle 91 is mounted on the bottom plate 1E of the tray 1, but the tray 1 is located on the back side of the divided areas R1 to R4 to which the toner suction nozzle 91 is attached. A tubular member storage portion 95 that stores the slack of the toner tube 86 when the set position is occupied is formed. The tubular member storage portion 95 is divided by three guide plates 96 to form four storage spaces P1 to P4. The storage spaces P1 to P4 are formed long in the tray depth direction F, and the upper side when the tray 1 is turned upside down is covered with the lid 97, respectively. For this reason, in the storage spaces P1 to P4, the joint portions 912 that are rotatably supported with respect to the nozzle main body 911 of the toner suction nozzle 91 are provided in the storage spaces P1 to P4 where the back side of the tray is opened. Is arranged.

  As described above, when the tubular member storage portion 95 is formed on the back surface of the tray 1, when the tray 1 is pushed from the pulled-out state to the set position, the joint portion 912 to which the toner tube 86 is connected is rotated and loosened. The toner tube 86 is stored while being wound in the storage spaces P1 to P4 of the tubular member storage portion 95. For this reason, the toner tube 86 is hardly caught and the tray 1 can be inserted and pulled out satisfactorily.

  The toner tubes 86 in the storage spaces P1 to P4 shown in FIG. 18 are shown in stages from the start to the end of winding from the left to the right for convenience of explanation. Actually, four are simultaneously wound in synchronization with the setting operation of the tray 1. The state of the toner tube 86 located in the storage space P1 is the state of the toner tube 86 when the tray 1 is pulled out, and is not slackened and is tightly stretched. The state of the toner tube 86 located in the storage space P2 is the state of the toner tube 86 when the tray 1 is pushed in a little, and the state of the toner tube 86 located in the storage space P3 is when the tray 1 is further pushed in. The state of the toner tube 86 is shown. The state of the toner tube 86 positioned in the storage space P4 indicates the state of the toner tube 86 when the tray 1 is pushed to the set position.

  Since the toner tube 86 is repeatedly wound and unwound in the storage spaces P1 to P4 in conjunction with the pulling and pushing operation of the tray 1, considering the durability, the toner tube 86 is loosely wound and stored. Is desirable. Further, it is desirable that the winding direction is always wound in one direction with respect to repetition. This is because the toner tube 86 is curled so that when the tray 1 is pushed in the setting direction C and taken up, the toner tube 86 naturally moves in the width direction and buckles.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 19, the tubular member storage portion 95 is provided with a torsion coil spring 87 serving as a behavior imparting member that gives the joint portion 912 a rotational behavior in the storage direction of the toner tube 86, and the tray 1 is pulled out. Then, when the joint portion 912 rotates in the pull-out direction against the rotational behavior of the torsion coil spring 87, a stopper 88 serving as a restricting member that restricts the rotation of the joint portion 912 in the pull-out direction may be provided. The stopper 88 is fixed in the storage spaces P1 to P4 so that the joint portion 912 is stopped in the direction of 7 o'clock in FIG. The torsion coil spring 87 is wound around the joint portion 912, one end 87A is locked to the joint portion 912, and the other end 87B is fixed in the storage spaces P1 to P4.

With such a configuration, when the tray 1 is pulled out from the set position, the toner tubes 86 stored in the storage spaces P1 to P4 are unwound and discharged from the storage spaces P1 to P4. The winding behavior in the direction, that is, the storing direction is imparted by the torsion coil spring 87, so that it does not loosen even if it is pulled out, and the tray 1 is not caught during the pulling operation. When the tray 1 occupies the maximum drawing position, the joint portion 912 contacts the stopper 88 and is held at the 7 o'clock position. When the push-in operation is performed on the tray 1 in this state, the joint portion 912 is disposed at the 7 o'clock position, so that the joint portion 912 is rotated clockwise by a spring force in the drawing regardless of the position of the toner tube 86. Rotate. Therefore, when the tray 1 is pushed in, the toner tube 86 is unwound while receiving tension according to the amount of movement of the tray 1 and stored in the storage spaces P1 to P4. For this reason, when the tray 1 is returned into the copying machine main body 100, the toner tube 86 is not loosened and is not caught when the tray 1 is pushed in. Thus, the tray 1 can be operated satisfactorily. The tray storage space 101 formed in the horizontal direction in the main body 100 is detachably inserted in the horizontal direction. For example, as shown in FIG. The front end side of the tray 1 to be mounted may be inclined and mounted. In this case, this can be achieved by forming the tray storage space 101 so as to be inclined downward toward the back side of the main body.

  With such a configuration, since the bottom surface 1E of the tray 1 becomes an inclined surface, the toner storage container 70 can be easily installed on the tray 1 by moving the toner storage container 70 along the bottom surface 1E. At the same time, since the toner in the toner storage container 70 moves toward the base member 71 due to its own weight, the toner discharge performance is improved even with the flexible toner storage container 70. In this case, when the tray 1 occupies the set position by arranging the cam rails 103, 103 shown in FIG. 16 in an inclined manner, as shown in FIG. Only the rear end 72b side is pushed up. For this reason, the toner discharge performance can be improved even with the flexible toner storage container 70 without using a conveying means like a screw.

  As another form, as shown in FIG. 22, the bottom plate 1 </ b> E is formed such that the front end of the tray 1 is lower than the rear end side of the tray 1. With such a shape, the load applied to the operator when the tray is pulled out can be reduced as compared with the case where the entire tray 1 is disposed obliquely, so that the workability at the time of replacing the toner storage container 70 is improved. Further, when the tray 1 occupies the set position as shown in FIG. 23, only the rear end side of the container is pushed up by the push-up member 3, so that a flexible means can be used without using a conveying means like a screw. Even in the toner container 70, the toner discharge performance can be improved.

  Next, the configuration of the toner aggregation suppressing means will be described with reference to FIGS.

  In FIG. 24, the color copying machine is provided with an aggregation suppressing means 150. The medium storage container vibrated by the aggregation suppressing means 150 is the toner storage container 70, but may be a toner storage container 701 shown in FIG.

  The aggregation suppression means 150 is moved to the toner cap member 71 provided on the front end 72 a side of the toner storage container 70 by applying vibration to the toner storage container 70 stored in the tray 1 occupying the set position. The aggregation suppressing means 150 is located on the side of the toner container 70 in the tray drawing direction D when the tray 1 drawn from the copying machine main body 100 shown in FIG. 24 occupies the set position shown in FIG. It has a movable member 151 that abuts the rear end 72b from above, and a drive motor 152 that serves as drive means for moving the movable member 151 in the vertical direction. Since the tray 1 includes the push-up member 3 that is pushed upward by the compression coil spring 4 from the state where the toner storage container 70 is placed, the compression coil spring 4 is directed from the side facing the movable member 151 toward the movable member. Thus, it functions as an urging means for urging the toner storage container 70.

  The movable member 151 is a screw rod that applies a torsional force to the upper wall surface of the toner container by rotating while pressing the toner storage container 70 as will be described later, and the toner storage container 70 extends in the vertical direction of the tray. It is arranged above. One end 151 a of the movable member 151 contacts the upper surface of the rear end 72 b of the toner storage container 70 stored in the tray 1 when the tray 1 is in the set position, and the other end 151 b of the movable member 151 is engaged with the drive motor 152. is doing. The movable member 151 moves upward or downward when the rotation direction is changed by the drive motor 152.

  The drive motor 152 is capable of rotating in the forward and reverse directions, and is fixed to the main body-side ceiling surface 102 located at the upper part of the tray storage space 101, for example. If the movable member 151 is positioned in the tray storage space 101 when the tray 1 is pulled out, it may interfere with the toner storage container 70 when the tray 1 is moved to the set position. For this reason, it is desirable that the movable member 151 is retracted to a position that does not interfere with at least the upper surface of the toner storage container 70 until the tray 1 occupies the set position.

  Position detecting means 153 for detecting that the tray 1 occupies the set position is disposed inside the tray storage space 101, and when the position detecting means 153 detects that the tray 1 has occupied the set position. Then, the drive motor 152 is actuated to lower the end 151 a of the movable member 151 to a position where it abuts against the upper surface of the toner container 70. This descending amount may be set in advance. In the case of this embodiment, when the tray 1 occupies the set position, the rear end 72b side of the toner storage container 70 is moved upward by the compression coil spring 4 via the push-up member 3, and therefore the rear end 72b of the movable member is rearward. The end 72b comes into pressure contact, and the rear end position is fixed. A correction member 154 is attached to a portion of the toner container 70 where the one end 151a of the movable member 151 abuts.

  The operation of the aggregation suppressing means 150 having such a configuration will be described.

  After the toner storage container 70 is stored in the tray 1 drawn out as described above and the toner suction nozzle 91 and the base member 71 are engaged, the tray 1 is pushed in the setting direction C. Then, as shown in FIGS. 25A and 26A, when the tray 1 occupies the set position, the drive motor 152 operates to lower the movable member 151 by a predetermined amount. In parallel with this, the rear end 72 b of the toner container 70 is also moved upward, that is, toward the movable member 151 by the compression coil spring 4 and the push-up member 3. For this reason, the rear end 72b of the toner container 70 is elastically sandwiched and fixed by the one end 151a of the movable member 151 and the push-up member 3 from above and below.

  In this state, for example, when the drive motor 152 is rotated forward, the movable member 151 moves up to escape from the contact position as shown in FIG. 26B, but the rear end 72b of the toner storage container 70 has a spring force. The contact of the screw rod is maintained by being pushed up. A torsional force in the forward rotation direction is applied to the toner container 70 from the outside, and as a result, the wall surface on the upper surface of the container is wrinkled so as to vortex around the contact position of the screw rod. The effect of wrinkle formation on the wall surface is transmitted to the inside of the container, and the toner moves and loosens. When the drive motor 152 is reversed, the movable member 151 is lowered as shown in FIGS. 25B and 26C, and the rear end 72b of the toner container 70 is pushed down by the movable member 151. In this case, vortex wrinkles in the opposite direction to the above occur, and the forming action is transmitted to the inside of the container, so that the toner moves and loosens.

  As described above, when the drive motor 152 is operated, a torsional force is applied to the rear end 72b of the toner storage container 70, so that the toner attached to the inner wall surface of the toner storage container 70 is peeled off and the fluidity is increased. As a result, the toner is easily conveyed to the mouth side member 71 on the medium discharge portion side of the toner storage container 70, the toner discharge performance is improved, and the medium discharge performance can be stably exhibited.

FIG. 27 shows another configuration of the aggregation suppressing means.
Aggregation suppressing means 160 shown in FIG. 27A vibrates the toner storage container 70 in the horizontal direction within the same plane. When the tray 1 occupies the set position, the aggregation suppressing unit 160 causes the movable member 161 contacting the upper end 72b of the toner storage container 70 and the toner storage container 70 to move and vibrate in the same plane. A drive motor 162 serving as a drive means for moving the movable member 161 is provided.

  The movable member 161 is disposed above the toner storage container 70 so as to extend in the tray vertical direction. One end 161 a of the movable member 161 is in contact with the upper surface of the rear end 72 b of the toner storage container 70 stored in the tray 1 when the tray 1 is in the set position, and the other end 161 b is engaged with the drive motor 162. When the movable member 161 is rotated by the drive motor 162, the movable member 161 moves in the direction in which the toner container 70 is extended, and moves in the same plane so as to generate vibration in the horizontal direction.

  For example, the drive motor 162 is fixed to the main body side ceiling surface 102 located at the upper part of the tray storage space 101. If the movable member 161 is positioned in the tray storage space 101 when the tray 1 is pulled out, it may interfere with the toner storage container 70 when the tray 1 is moved to the set position. For this reason, it is desirable that the movable member 161 is retracted to a position that does not interfere with at least the upper surface of the toner container 70 until the tray 1 occupies the setting position, and is interlocked with the setting operation by a mechanism similar to the push-up member 3. Down / up. According to the aggregation suppressing means 160 having such a configuration, when the drive motor 162 is operated in a state where the tray 1 in which the toner storage container 70 is stored occupies the set position, the movable member 161 rotates to extend the toner storage container 70. In the same direction, the rear end 72b of the toner container 70 is vibrated in the horizontal direction. As described above, when the drive motor 162 is operated, the rear end 72b of the toner storage container 70 is vibrated in the horizontal direction, so that the toner storage container 70 is tensioned, so that the toner attached to the inner wall surface is removed. Further, the toner fluidity is further improved and the toner is easily transported, the toner discharge performance is improved, and the medium discharge performance can be stably exhibited.

  In FIG. 27, the aggregation storage means 160 moves the toner storage container 70 in the extending direction to generate horizontal vibration. However, as shown in FIG. 28, the aggregation suppression means 160 causes the rear end of the toner storage container 70 to move. 72b may be translated in the width direction F to apply horizontal vibration to the rear end 72b of the toner container 70.

  A specific configuration of the aggregation suppressing means 160 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 62, the movable member 161 of the aggregation suppressing means 160 is composed of an arm member whose other end 161b is swingably supported by a shaft 16c. A pin 166 that contacts the cam 165 is provided at the center of the movable member 161. In this embodiment, the tip of the arm member is in pressure contact with the upper surface 72 c of the medium storage portion 72 as the tip 161 a of the movable member 161. The cam 165 is rotationally driven by the drive motor 162. When the cam 165 rotates and pushes the pin 166, the movable member 161 moves in the left direction in the figure in this embodiment. One end of a return spring 167 as an urging means for urging the movable member 161 to the opposite side to the pressing direction by the cam 165 is engaged with the movable member 161. The other end of the return spring 167 is fixed to the tray storage space 101, for example.

  According to such a configuration, when the drive motor 12 is driven, the cam 165 rotates and the movable member 161 moves to the left in the drawing via the pin 166. When the cam 165 rotates and the contact (engagement) state with the pin 166 is released, the movable member 161 moves to the right in the figure by the action of the return spring 167. By such a swingable movement of the movable member 161, the upper surface 72c of the medium storage portion 72 is rubbed in a pressed state.

  In the example shown in FIG. 62, the movable member 161 is moved in the width direction B. However, by arranging the similar configuration movable member 161 to swing in the container longitudinal direction A, the movable member 161 is movable in the container longitudinal direction A. Vibration can be applied by the member 161.

  FIG. 29 shows still another configuration of the aggregation suppressing means.

  Aggregation suppressing means 170 shown in FIG. 29A vibrates the toner storage container 70 in the rotational direction within the same plane. When the tray 1 occupies the set position, the aggregation suppressing unit 170 causes the movable member 171 that contacts the rear end 72b of the toner storage container 70 from above and the toner storage container 70 to rotate and vibrate in the same plane. As described above, a drive motor 172 is provided as drive means for moving the movable member 171.

  The movable member 171 is disposed above the toner storage container 70. One end 171 a of the movable member 171 contacts the upper surface of the rear end 72 b of the toner storage container 70 stored in the tray 1 when the tray 1 is in the set position, and the other end 171 b is engaged with the drive motor 172. When the movable member 171 is rotated by the drive motor 172, the toner storage container 70 is moved so as to vibrate by rotating in the same plane.

  The drive motor 172 is capable of forward and reverse rotation, and is fixed to the main body side ceiling surface 102 located at the upper part of the tray storage space 101, for example. If the movable member 171 is positioned in the tray storage space 101 when the tray 1 is pulled out, it may interfere with the toner storage container 70 when the tray 1 is moved to the set position. Therefore, it is desirable that the movable member 171 is retracted at least to a position where it does not interfere with the upper surface of the toner storage container 70 until the tray 1 occupies the set position, and the position detection unit 153 disposed inside the tray storage space 101 is used. When it is detected that the tray 1 has occupied the set position, the drive motor 162 is operated to lower the end 171a of the movable member 171 to a position where it abuts on the upper surface of the rear end 72b of the toner storage container 70. .

  When the drive motor 171 is operated in such a configuration, the rear end 72b of the toner storage container 70 is moved horizontally in the same plane as shown in FIGS. 29 (a) to 29 (d) by the operation of the movable member 171. Rotates and vibrates, causing the toner in the toner storage container 70 to move more vigorously, improving the toner fluidity and facilitating transport, improving the toner discharging performance, and stably exhibiting the medium discharging performance. can do.

  A specific configuration of the aggregation suppressing unit 170 will be described with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 63, the movable member 171 of the aggregation suppressing means 170 is composed of a shaft that is rotatably supported by a bearing member 173. A transmission gear 176 is fixed to the other end 171 b of the movable member 171. The transmission gear 176 meshes with a pinion gear 175 that is rotationally driven by a drive motor 172. A disc 174 serving as a base member is fixed to the movable member 171 so as to be positioned in the tray storage space 101. The disc 174 is formed with a projecting piece 177 that extends toward the upper surface 72c of the medium storage portion 72 and press-contacts, and the tip of the projecting piece 177 functions as the tip 171a of the movable member 171. The projecting piece 177 is arranged eccentrically with respect to the rotation center of the movable member 171 and is attached to the disc 174 so as to be inclined so as to be in pressure contact with the upper surface 72c from obliquely above. In this embodiment, only one protruding piece 177 is arranged on the disc 174, but two or more protruding pieces 177 may be arranged in consideration of the degree of vibration applied to the rear end 72b of the toner container 70.

  With such a configuration, the front end 171a rotates and moves on the same plane at the rear end 72b of the toner container 70. Since the rotational movement imparts vibration to the rear end 72b of the toner storage container 70, the movement of the toner in the toner storage container 70 becomes intense, and the fluidity of the toner is improved and the toner is easily transported. Further, the toner discharge performance is improved, and the medium discharge performance can be stably exhibited.

  In each of the above aggregation suppressing means, the toner storage container 70 stored in the tray 1 is moved to the side of the movable member disposed above the container by the push-up member 3 that also serves as a component of the movement promoting means 2 and the compression coil spring 4. However, the form of the aggregation suppressing means is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 30A, the movable members 151, 161, 171 and the drive motors 152, 162, 172 of the respective aggregation suppressing means are arranged below the toner storage container 70, and the movable members 151, 161, The drive motors 152, 162, and 172 may be operated by bringing the ends 151 a, 161 a, and 171 a of 171 into contact with the lower surface of the rear end 72 b of the toner storage container 70. Even in such a configuration, the movable members 151, 161, 171 can be moved by the operation of the drive motors, so that vibration can be applied to the rear end 72b of the toner container 70 as shown in FIG. In addition, the toner fluidity is improved and the toner is easily transported, the toner discharging property is improved, the medium discharging performance can be stably exhibited, and the necessity of using the compression coil spring 4 is eliminated, thereby reducing the cost. Can be planned.

  Further, when the ends 151a, 161a, 171a of the movable members 151, 161, 171 are brought into contact with the lower surface of the rear end 72b of the toner storage container 70, the configuration of the push-up member 3 is not necessary, and as shown in FIG. A tray 180 that does not include the movement promoting means 2 can also be used.

  In each of the above embodiments, when the tray 1 occupies the set position, each drive motor is operated to vibrate the rear end 72b of the toner storage container 70. However, the aggregation suppressing unit does not need to be always operated. You may make it operate | move the drive motor of each form of an aggregation suppression means only at the time of image formation. With this configuration, the movement of the toner in the toner storage container 70 to the base member 71 is not excessively promoted, and toner clogging in the vicinity of the base member 71 can be reduced.

  As the medium storage container, a medium storage container including the restraining members shown in FIGS. 32 to 43 can be used in addition to the above.

  A first embodiment of the medium storage container provided with the restraining member will be described with reference to FIGS.

  A toner storage container, which is a medium storage container denoted by reference numeral 600 in FIG. 32, is detachable from the copying machine main body 100 shown in FIG. Specifically, as with the toner storage containers 70 and 701 described above, the tray 1 and the tray 180 can be stored and taken out.

  The toner storage container 600 is coupled to a medium storage portion 602 made of at least a part of a flexible material and toner suction nozzles 91 and 91A provided on the tray 1 and the tray 180, and the toner stored inside is discharged. A mouth-side member 601 serving as a medium discharge unit and a bundling member 603 provided in the medium storage unit 602 and restraining the medium storage unit 602 so as to be compressed from the outside toward the inside are provided. The configurations and materials of the mouth side member 601 and the medium storage portion 602 are the same as those of the toner storage containers 70 and 701 and the base members 71 and 711.

  The medium accommodating portion 602 has a box shape that is long in the container longitudinal direction indicated by the arrow A, and the width of the front end 602a located on the toner suction nozzle side is narrowed in the vertical direction as shown in the figure. The mouth side member 601 is disposed at the front end 602a.

  Here, the bundling member 603 is a single string and extends in the container longitudinal direction A, and a central portion 603 c that is a part of the binding member 603 is wound around the base member 602 and provided in the medium accommodating portion 602. When the binding member 603 is wound around the base member 602, both ends 603 a and 603 b of the binding member 603 have a length that protrudes from the rear end 602 b of the medium accommodating portion 602. Here, a single string is wound around the base member 602 and locked, and the portion is not fixed. However, for example, it is attached to the container outer surfaces 602c and 602d of the medium storage portion 602 so as to be partially movable. And may be locked.

  The toner in the toner storage container 600 having the binding member 603 having such a configuration is emptied, and the operator binds the binding member 603 when collecting the container to be removed from the tray 1 or the tray 180 or discarding the collected toner storage container 600. The both ends 603a and 603b of the two are crossed on the rear end 602b side, and an operation of pulling left and right by hand is performed. Then, the medium accommodating portion 602 made of a flexible material is crushed from the container longitudinal direction A as shown in FIG. That is, the medium accommodating portion 602 is constrained to be compressed by the binding member 603 from the outside toward the inside. For this reason, the volume of the toner storage container 600 is reduced. When the knot 604 is formed by performing the operation of tying the bundling member 603 at the rear end 602b in a state where the volume is reduced by being compressed in this way, the toner storage container 600 is held in a state where the volume is reduced by being compressed. The

  For example, as shown in FIG. 34, one end 605a, 606a of the restraining members 605, 606 made of two strings is fixed to the front end 602a in the vicinity of the base member 601, and the surface of the medium accommodating portion 602 is used. The other ends 605b and 606b may be crossed on the rear end 602b side, and the other ends 605B and 606B may be arranged so as to protrude to the opposite side.

  With such a configuration, the operator simply performs an operation of pulling the other ends 605b and 606b of the restraining members 605 and 606 to the left and right, and as shown in FIG. The container can be crushed from the container longitudinal direction A and compressed and deformed to reduce the volume.

  35. As shown in FIG. 35, the restraining member is mounted in such a manner that a restraining member 607 made of a single string is double-wrapped from the container longitudinal direction A so as to straddle the front end 602a and the rear end 602b of the medium accommodating portion 602. Alternatively, the loop portion 608 may be formed, the end portions 607a and 607b may be crossed on the rear end 602b side, and the other ends 607a and 607b may be arranged so as to protrude to the opposite side.

  Even in such a configuration, when the operator performs an operation of pulling the end portions 607a and 607b of the restraining member 607 to the left and right, the loop portion 608 is contracted, so that the medium accommodating portion 602 made of a flexible material is formed as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the container can be crushed from the container longitudinal direction A and compressed and deformed to reduce the volume. Further, in the case of this configuration, even if an operation of pulling either the end portion 607a or the end portion 607b is performed, the loop portion 608 wound around the medium accommodating portion 602 can be contracted, so that the medium accommodating portion 602 is placed in the container longitudinal direction. The volume can be reduced by crushing from A and compressively deforming.

  Thus, by pulling the restraining member, the entire volume of the toner storage container 600 is reduced, and the reduced state can be maintained by connecting the pulled restraining member portions. For this reason, the operator can discard the space, and the space can be narrowed. Since the space is small, the movement is facilitated, and the degree of influence on the environmental load such as transportation can be reduced. Therefore, it can collect | recover compactly and can aim at the improvement of recyclability and collection | recovery efficiency.

  32 to 35, when the end portions of the respective restraining members protrude from the container rear end 602b and are accommodated in the tray 1 or the tray 180, they can be removed by pulling the end portions when they are removed from the respective trays. it can. Accordingly, the cap member 601 serving as the toner outlet can be removed without touching the operator when the container is removed, and the operator's hand can be avoided from being soiled.

  A second embodiment of the medium storage container provided with the restraining member will be described with reference to FIGS.

  A toner storage container, which is a medium storage container denoted by reference numeral 610 in FIG. 36, is detachable from the copying machine main body 100 shown in FIG. Specifically, storage and removal from the tray 1 and the tray 180 can be performed in the same manner as the toner storage containers 70 and 701 described above.

  The toner storage container 610 is coupled to a medium storage portion 612 made of at least a part of a flexible material, and toner suction nozzles 91 and 91A provided on the tray 1 and the tray 180, and the toner stored inside is discharged. A mouth-side member 611 serving as a medium discharge unit and a bundling member 613 that is provided in the medium storage unit 612 and restrains the medium storage unit so as to compress from the outside toward the inside. The configurations and materials of the mouth side member 611 and the medium storage portion 612 are the same as those of the toner storage containers 70 and 701 and the base members 71 and 711.

  The medium accommodating portion 612 has a box shape that is long in the container longitudinal direction A, and the width of the front end 612a located on the toner suction nozzle side is narrowed in the vertical direction. The mouth side member 611 is disposed at the front end 612a.

  The binding member 613 is a one-step string, and is wound around the outer surface of the medium storage unit 612 from the width direction B intersecting with the container longitudinal direction A, and both ends 613a and 613b are connected to the side surface of the medium storage unit 612. It is arranged so as to protrude from the 612c side. In this case, a part of the binding member 613 is locked to the side surface 612d located on the side opposite to the side surface 612c.

  The direction in which the binding member 613 is arranged in the medium storage unit 612 is not limited to the width direction B, that is, the direction orthogonal to the container longitudinal direction A, and is arranged to be inclined with respect to the container longitudinal direction A. It may be.

  In such a configuration, at the time of container collection or disposal, the bundling member 613 is operated to cross both ends 613a and 613b on the side surface 613c side, and pull by hand in a direction crossing each other. Then, the medium accommodating portion 613 made of a flexible material is crushed from the width direction B of the container and is compressed and deformed, and the volume thereof is reduced. That is, the medium accommodating portion 612 is constrained to be compressed by the binding member 613 from the outside toward the inside. For this reason, the entire volume of the toner storage container 610 is reduced. When the binding member 613 is connected to the both ends 613a and 613b in a state where the volume is reduced by the compression as described above and the knot shown in FIG. 33 is formed, the toner storage container 610 is compressed and the volume increases. It is kept in a reduced state.

  Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 37, the front end 612a of the medium accommodating portion 612 is displaced so as to be pushed toward the rear end 612b so that the base member 611 enters the medium accommodating portion 612. That is, the base member 611 is displaced toward the rear end 612b side of the medium accommodating portion 612. Then, the medium accommodating portion 612 is deformed to form a space portion 614. The space 614 only needs to have a volume that can accommodate the cap member 611. In FIG. 37, the space portion 614 is formed by being pushed to the position where the binding member 613 is disposed. However, the space portion 614 may not be formed by being pushed so far. At this time, the bundling member 613 may be placed on the medium accommodating portion 612 so as to be wound around the base member 611 and the space portion 614 that are displaced. That is, the binding member 613 may be disposed at a position where at least the space 614 generated by the deformation can be crushed from the outside.

  In this case, when the both ends 613a and 613b of the binding member 613 are crossed on the side surface 613c side and pulled in a direction crossing each other by hand, the space 614 is crushed as shown in FIG. The front end 612a is deformed while the container 616 is formed so as to cover it. For this reason, the cap member 611 is not exposed while the volume of the medium accommodating portion 612 is reduced, and it is possible to collect it in a compact manner, and it is possible to avoid polluting the operator's hand while improving recyclability and recovery efficiency.

  When the bundling member 613 is further passed over the medium storage unit 622 in the container longitudinal direction A to the compressed medium storage unit 612 and operated in a direction crossing both ends 613a and 613b on the rear end 612b side, the medium storage unit 612 is operated. Is crushed from the longitudinal direction A of the container and compressed and deformed, and its volume is further reduced. That is, the medium accommodating portion 612 is constrained to be compressed by the binding member 613 from the outside toward the inside. For this reason, the entire volume of the toner container 610 is further reduced. When the knot 615 is formed by performing the operation of tying the binding member 613 on the rear end 612b side in a state where the volume is reduced by being compressed in this way, the toner storage container 610 is compressed and held in a state where the volume is reduced. Is done.

  As described above, the operation of pulling the restraining member 613 reduces the overall volume of the toner storage container 610, and the tied state of the pulled restraining member can be maintained. For this reason, the operator can discard the space, and the space can be narrowed. Since the space is small, the movement is facilitated, and the degree of influence on the environmental load such as transportation can be reduced. Therefore, it can collect | recover compactly and can aim at the improvement of recyclability and collection | recovery efficiency.

  A third embodiment of the medium storage container provided with the restraining member will be described with reference to FIGS. 40 to 43.

  A toner storage container, which is a medium storage container denoted by reference numeral 620 in FIG. 40, is detachable from the copying machine main body 100 shown in FIG. Specifically, storage and removal from the tray 1 and the tray 180 can be performed in the same manner as the toner storage containers 70 and 701 described above.

  The toner storage container 620 is coupled to the medium storage portion 622 made of at least a part of a flexible material and the toner suction nozzles 91 and 91A provided on the tray 1 and the tray 180, and the toner stored inside is discharged. A mouth-side member 621 serving as a medium discharge portion and a covering member 624 that is movably attached to the medium accommodation portion 622 and covers the mouth-side member 621 are provided. In this embodiment, the bundling member 623 that restrains the medium accommodating portion 621 to be compressed from the outside toward the inside is provided not on the medium accommodating portion 621 but on the covering member 624. The configurations and materials of the mouth side member 621 and the medium storage portion 622 are the same as those of the toner storage containers 70 and 701 and the base members 71 and 711. The medium accommodating portion 622 has a box shape that is long in the container longitudinal direction A, and the width of the front end 622a located on the toner suction nozzle side is narrowed in the vertical direction. The mouth side member 621 is disposed at the front end 622a.

  The covering member 624 has a shape similar to the general shape on the front end 622a side of the medium accommodating portion 622, and is formed in a bag shape having a half-opened opening in the base member 621 with respect to the medium accommodating portion 622. It is mounted on the front end 622a side of the medium accommodating portion 622 so that the base member 621 is exposed.

  The binding member 623 is a one-step string, and is wound around the outer surface of the covering member 624 from the width direction B intersecting the container longitudinal direction A, and both ends 623 a and 623 b are connected to the side surface of the medium storage unit 622. It is arranged so as to protrude from the 622c side. In this case, a part of the binding member 623 is locked to the side surface 624b side of the covering member 624 located on the side opposite to the side surface 622c.

  In such a configuration, when the container is collected or discarded, the operator holds the both ends 623a and 623b of the binding member 623 and moves the covering member 624 covering the front end 622a in a direction away from the front end 622a. As a result, as shown in FIG. 41, a folded space 625 including the base member 621 is formed. At this time, the binding member 623 is disposed on the folded space 625. In this state, the both ends 623a and 623b of the binding member 623 are crossed, and an operation of pulling in a direction crossing each other by hand is performed. Then, as shown in FIG. 42, the space portion 625 is crushed, and the containing portion 626 is formed so as to cover the base member 621 from the periphery. For this reason, the base member 621 is not exposed. Since the space 625 only needs to have a volume that can accommodate the cap member 621, it is not necessary to fold back all the covering members 624 as shown in FIG. Further, if it is not necessary to completely store the base member 621, that is sufficient.

  In this state, when the bundling member 623 is further passed over the medium storage portion 622 in the container longitudinal direction A and is operated in the direction crossing the both ends 623a and 623b on the rear end 622b side, the medium storage portion 622 is removed from the container longitudinal direction A. It is crushed and compressed and deformed, reducing its volume. That is, the medium accommodating portion 622 is restrained by the binding member 623 so as to be compressed from the outside toward the inside. For this reason, the entire volume of the toner storage container 620 is further reduced. When the binding member 623 is tied on the rear end 622b side and the knot 627 is made in a state where the volume is reduced by being compressed in this way, the toner storage container 620 is compressed and held in a state where the volume is reduced. Is done.

  As described above, the operation of pulling the restraining member 623 reduces the entire volume of the toner storage container 620 and can maintain the reduced state by connecting the pulled restraining member portions. For this reason, the operator can discard the space, and the space can be narrowed. Since the space is small, the movement is facilitated, and the degree of influence on the environmental load such as transportation can be reduced. Therefore, it can collect | recover compactly and can aim at the improvement of recyclability and collection | recovery efficiency.

  Since the toner storage containers 602, 612, and 622 described in each embodiment do not have any special folds or the like, as shown in FIGS. 33, 39, and 43 when compressed in the container longitudinal direction A by a restraining member. In addition, the container is crushed into an indeterminate shape due to the external force applied to the container and held in a `` craggy '' state, but by forming a fold or the like in the medium storage part or intentionally forming a part with low rigidity Also, it can be held in a regular folded state or in a roll shape.

  The binding member in each embodiment is not limited to a string, and for example, a rubber belt or a resin belt, at least a part of which is an elastic member, may be used. When such an elastic member is used as a binding member, the stretchability of the binding member is improved, and the state in which each medium storage portion is pressed by the binding member is less susceptible to fluctuations. For this reason, the conditions for reducing the volume of the container are changed due to external forces in transport and recycling during collection, and the volume increases, and the binding member is detached and the base member is exposed, causing toner scattering. It can be prevented from occurring.

  In addition, if the bundling member of each form is made of the same material as the material of the medium storage unit described in each form, the amount of change in physical properties due to the environment is the same as that of each medium storage unit itself. Processing becomes unnecessary, transportation and processing become easy, and energy is saved during manufacturing.

  When the above-described belt portion 73 is formed in the toner storage containers 600, 610, and 620 described in the respective embodiments, the toner can be collected in a compact manner, and can be collected on the tray 1 or the tray 180 while improving recyclability and collection efficiency. Workability can also be improved.

  As the movement promoting means, the movement promoting means shown in FIGS. 44 to 60 can be used in addition to the above.

  44 to 60 are pulled out in the horizontal direction with respect to the copying machine main body 100 of the color copying machine shown in FIG. 1, which is the main body of the image forming apparatus, and the movement promoting means 800, 800A, 800B, 800C, 800D, 800E, 800F. It is used to promote the movement of toner serving as a medium in a medium storage container installed on a tray that is movable between the pulled-out position and the pushed-in set position.

  44 to 60, the tray 1 shown in FIG. 1 is used as the tray, and the toner storage container 70 is used as the medium storage container. However, the tray 180 shown in FIG. 31 and the toner storage container 701 shown in FIG. Also good. The toner container 70 is formed long in the container longitudinal direction A, and includes a medium container 72 and a base member 71. The base member 71 is provided on the front end 72 a side of the medium storage portion 72. The toner storage container 70 is inserted and stored in the tray 1 from the front end 72a side. Therefore, the rear end of the toner storage container 70 is the rear end 72 b of the medium storage unit 72, and the surface of the toner storage container 70 is the surface of the medium storage unit 72. In the present embodiment, the medium discharge direction refers to the direction in which the toner in the medium storage unit 72 moves to the base member 71 side, and is indicated by the symbol G.

  The configuration and operation of the movement promoting means 800 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  The movement promoting means 800 contacts the medium storage portion 72 in the tray 1 to move the toner in the medium storage portion 72 toward the base member 71 serving as the medium discharge portion in the medium storage portion 72, that is, in the medium discharge direction. It is to be moved.

  The movement promoting means 800 includes pressing members 801 and 802 that contact the surface of the toner storage container 70 so that the rear end 72b side of the medium storage portion 72 located on the opposite side of the base member 71 is deformed inside the container. Yes.

  As shown in FIG. 45, the pressing member 801 is placed on the bottom plate 1E of the tray 1 so as to deform the lower surface 72d, which is the surface of the medium storage unit 72, into the inside of the container. It arrange | positions so that the upper surface 72c used as the surface of the storage part 72 may be changed inside a container. That is, the pressing member 801 is attached to the lower portion of the tray 1 so as to protrude into the tray 1 from the bottom plate 1 of the tray 1. Therefore, when the toner storage container 70 is stored on the tray 1, the rear end 72 b of the medium storage unit 72 is deformed from below into the container.

  The pressing member 802 is disposed in the upper part 102 of the tray storage space 101 in the copying machine main body 100 in which the tray 1 is stored. For this reason, when the tray 1 is located in the tray storage space 101, the rear end 72b is deformed into the container from above.

  That is, the movement promoting means 800 is configured such that toner is discharged by the pressing force when each pressing member is pressed against the lower surface 72d and the upper surface 72c of the medium container 72 from a direction different from the medium discharging direction. Has been.

  As described above, when the end 72d of the toner container 70 is deformed to the inside of the container by the pressing members 801 and 802, the moving force to the cap member 71 is transmitted to the toner inside the container through the flexible container outer wall. Therefore, even with the toner storage container 70 that extends horizontally, the toner moves to the base member 71 without using a conveying means such as a screw, and stable medium discharge performance can be exhibited.

  As shown in FIG. 45, when the compression coil springs 803 and 804 serving as a pressing mechanism for urging the pressing members 801 and 802 toward the inside of the container are arranged, the pressing members 801 and 802 are placed against the container lower surface 72d and the container upper surface 72c. It will be pressed elastically. Then, the medium storage unit 72 is pressurized and deformed by the pressing members 801 and 802, and the pressure in the medium storage unit 72 increases. For this reason, since the toner packed in the toner moves to the low pressure side where it is not pressed, even the toner storage container 70 arranged horizontally extends can exhibit stable medium discharging performance. . In addition, even if it is a pressing member demonstrated below, the thing of the structure pressed against the inner side of a container has the same effect.

  Further, since the pressing member 801 is disposed so as to come into contact with the lower surface 72 d of the medium storage portion 72 from the lower side of the tray 1, the toner stored in the tray 1 in a horizontal state and collected in the lower portion of the medium storage portion 72. On the other hand, the moving force from the pressing member 801 to the base member 71 is transmitted through the flexible outer wall of the container. For this reason, even if the toner storage container 70 is arranged to extend horizontally, stable medium discharge performance can be exhibited. In addition, even if it is a pressing member demonstrated below, the thing of the structure pressed from the downward side of the tray 1 toward the container inner side has the same effect.

  For example, the compression coil spring 803 may be attached to the lower portion of the tray 1, and the compression coil spring 804 may be disposed on the upper surface 102 side of the tray storage space 101. The pressing mechanism is not limited to the compression coil springs 03 and 804, and other means may be used.

  As for the arrangement of the pressing members 801 and 802, in FIGS. 44 and 45, the toner storage containers 70 are arranged in the vertical direction so as to face each other, but only one of them may be arranged. Alternatively, even when the pressing members 801 and 802 are installed, the pressing member 801 may be disposed closer to the base member 71 as shown in FIG. 46, for example. Thus, when the pressing member 801 and the pressing member 802 are displaced from each other in the container longitudinal direction A (medium discharge direction G), the balance of the pressure applied to the inside of the medium storage portion 72 can be changed and the toner near the base member 71 can be changed. Therefore, clogging of the base member 71 due to toner aggregation can be reduced.

  The arrangement and number of the pressing members may be appropriately changed and set according to the toner flow characteristics, the material of the medium storage portion 72, and the like so as to satisfy the required toner discharge performance.

  44 to 46, the contact surfaces 801a and 802a of the pressing members 801 and 802 with the container have a semicircular or parabolic shape, but may have a hemispherical shape, for example. In this case, the frictional resistance due to the contact between the upper surface 72c and the lower surface 72d can be reduced, and the durability of the toner storage container 70 and the occurrence of toner leakage due to the tearing of the container can be reduced.

  FIG. 47 shows a movement promoting means 800A in which pressing members 806, 807, and 808 formed of roller members that are long in the container width direction B (see FIG. 44) are arranged below the toner storage container 70 in the container longitudinal direction A. . The pressing members 806, 807, and 808 are disposed between the container rear end 72b and the front end 72a.

  The pressing members 806, 807, and 808 are pressed against the lower surface 72d by the pressing mechanisms 809, 810, and 811 so that the lower surface 72d of the medium storage unit 72 is deformed toward the inside of the container.

  The pressing mechanisms 809, 810, and 811 hold the normal pressing members 806, 807, and 808 so as to occupy positions separated from the lower surface 72 d of the medium storage unit 72, and release the holding at an arbitrary timing to press the pressing members 806 and 806. A function of raising 807 and 808 to a position for pressing the lower surface 72d of the medium storage portion 72 and a function of returning the raised pressing members 806, 807 and 808 to the separated positions are provided.

  In the movement promoting means 800A having such a configuration, when the pressing mechanism 809 is operated with the tray 1 occupying the set position, the pressing member 806 is lifted as shown in FIG. The rear end side of the lower surface 72d is pushed up. When the pressing mechanism 8810 is operated, the pressing member 807 is raised as shown in FIG. 47B, and the center of the lower surface 72d of the medium storage portion 72 is pushed up. When the pressing mechanism 811 is operated, the pressing member 808 is raised as shown in FIG. 47C, and the front end 72a side of the lower surface 72d of the medium storage portion 72 is pushed up. When the pressing mechanism 810 is operated, the pressing member 806 is returned to the separated position by the pressing mechanism 809, and when the pressing mechanism 812 is operated, the pressing member 807 is returned to the separated position by the pressing mechanism 810.

  By this series of operations, the toner in the medium storage portion 72 is gradually moved toward the base member 71 (medium discharging direction G) by the force received from the pressing members 806, 807, and 808.

  In the movement promoting means 800A shown in FIG. 47, the raised pressing members 806, 807, and 808 are returned to the separated positions. For example, as shown in FIG. Do not return to the separated position. That is, it is good also as a structure which continues the operation | movement by which the pressing member is pushed up to the nozzle | cap | die member 71 in order, without the pressing member once pushed up returning. FIG. 48A shows a state where the pressing mechanisms 809 and 810 are operated, and FIG. 48B shows a state where the pressing mechanism 811 is operated.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 48 (b), after all the pressing members 806 to 808 are pressed, all the pressing members not shown here are not pressed, that is, in an initial state, all again. The pressing members 806 to 808 can start the operation shown in FIG.

  In the movement promoting means 800A, the pressing members 806 to 808 are configured by roller members, but may be configured by other shapes such as a sphere. 47 and 48, three pressing members are provided, but two or less or four or more configurations may be used. The pressing members 806 to 808 are pressed against the lower surface 72d of the medium storage unit from the lower side of the tray 1. However, the pressing members 806 to 808 are arranged on the upper side of the medium storage unit 72 and pressed only on the upper surface 72c, or are provided on both upper and lower sides. Thus, the structure may be configured such that it is pressed against both the upper surface 72c and the lower surface 72d.

  According to such a configuration of the movement promoting means 800A, when the medium storage portion 72 is deformed by the pressing members 806 to 808, the pressure in the medium storage portion 72 increases, so that the toner storage container 70 is horizontally extended onto the tray 1. Stable medium discharge performance can be exhibited even if it is present.

  Next, the configuration and operation of the movement promoting means for moving the pressing member will be described with reference to FIGS. 49 to 56.

  49 and 50 show conceptual diagrams of the movement promoting means 800B. The movement promoting means 800B includes a pressing member 821 or a pressing member 822 that presses against at least one of the upper surface 72c and the lower surface 72d of the medium storage portion 72, and moves the pressing member 821 and the pressing member 822. That is, the toner discharge is performed by pressing the pressing member against the surface of the toner storage container 70 from a direction different from the medium discharge direction G and moving the pressing member while pressing.

  At this time, for example, in FIG. 50, if the frictional resistance between the pressing member 822 and the lower surface 72d is low, or if there is no problem with rubbing, the pressing member 822 may be moved while rubbing. When friction is large or rubbing is a problem, for example, the pressing member 822 can be moved without friction by adopting a configuration in which the pressing member 822 can rotate. This is also true for the pressing member 821 in contact with the upper surface 72c.

  FIG. 50 shows a state in which the pressing member 822 has moved from the initial position P1 on the rear end 72b side to the position P2 on the front end 72a side. The pressing member 822 is pressed against the lower surface 72d at the initial position P1. And it moves to the position P2 while keeping the pressed state. When the position P2 is reached, the pressing state with respect to the lower surface 72d of the pressing member 822 is released, the contact member 822 is returned to the initial position P1 in a non-contact state, and is pressed against the lower surface 72d again at the initial position P1, that is, the rear end 72b side. By repeating such an operation, the toner in the medium storage unit 72 can be moved to the base member 71 side.

  A specific configuration will be described. 51. As shown in FIG. 51, the movement promoting means 800B includes a pressing member 822 that presses the lower surface 72d of the medium storage portion 72 inward from the container and a pressing member 822 that is pressed against the lower surface 72d from at least one location. Moving means 830 that moves toward (in the medium discharge direction G) is provided.

  The moving unit 830 mounts a linear motor 831 serving as a driving unit extending in the container longitudinal direction A (medium discharging direction G), a moving body 832 fixed to the linear motor 831, and a pressing member 822 to the moving body 832. A holding member 833 is provided.

  The linear motor 831 has a well-known configuration for moving the moving body 832 on the same plane in the container longitudinal direction A (medium discharging direction G). The pressing member 822 is a roller member that is long in the width direction B, and is supported by the holding member 833 so as to rotate or rotate freely. The holding member 833 is a known contact / separation mechanism having a function of pressing the pressing member 822 against the lower surface 72d of the medium storage unit 72 and a function of separating the pressing member 822 at an arbitrary timing. In this embodiment, the portion of the pressing member pressed against the surface of the medium storage container is the surface 822a of the pressing member 822 pressed against the lower surface 72d.

  In such a configuration, when the moving body 832 is at the initial position P1, the holding member 833 presses the pressing member 822 against the lower surface 22d. When the linear motor 831 is driven in this state, the moving body 27 moves to the base member 71 side. At the same time, the pressing member 822 moves to the base member 71 side (medium discharge direction G) while pressing the lower surface 22d. . At this time, the pressing member 822 rotates, and the surface 822a of the pressing member 822 moves toward the base member 71 while pressing the lower surface 22d while rotating.

  When the linear motor 831 stops after reaching the position P2, the pressing member 822 is separated from the lower surface 22d by the holding member 833. Then, when the linear motor 831 is driven to the rear end 72b side this time, the pressing member 822 held away from the lower surface 22d moves from the base member 71 side to the rear end 72b side and reaches the initial position P1 to be linear. The motor 831 is stopped. When the pressing member 822 is moved again, the pressing member 822 is lifted by the holding member 833 to press the lower surface 22d, and the linear motor 831 is driven.

  FIG. 52 shows another form of the moving means. The moving means 840 shown in FIG. 52 includes a drive motor 841 that can rotate forward and backward as a drive source, a screw shaft 843 that is rotated by the drive motor 841, and a moving body 842 that moves on the screw shaft 843.

  One end 843a of the screw shaft 843 is connected to the drive motor 841, the other end 843b is rotatably supported by a bearing 845, and a thread groove is formed on the outer peripheral surface thereof. The drive motor 841 and the bearing 845 are attached to the lower portion of the tray 1, for example. In this embodiment, the holding member 833 in which the pressing member 822 is rotatably supported is fixed to the moving body 842.

  The moving body 842 includes a screw portion that fits the screw shaft 843. When the drive motor 841 is driven to rotate the screw shaft 843, the moving body 842 slides on the screw shaft in the container longitudinal direction A according to the rotation direction. .

  In such a configuration, when the moving body 842 is at the initial position P1, the holding member 833 presses the pressing member 822 against the lower surface 22d. In this state, when the drive motor 841 is driven forward, for example, the screw shaft 843 is rotated, the moving body 842 is moved to the base member 71 side (medium discharging direction G), and the pressing member 822 presses the lower surface 722d together with this. In this state, it moves to the base member 71 side. At this time, the pressing member 822 rotates, and the surface 822a of the pressing member 822 moves toward the base member 71 while pressing the lower surface 22d while rotating. For example, when the position reaches the position P2 and the drive motor 841 stops, the pressing member 822 is separated from the lower surface 22d by the holding member 833. Then, this time, when the drive motor 841 is driven in the reverse direction, the screw shaft 843 rotates in the reverse direction, and the moving body 842 moves from the base member 71 side to the rear end 72b side, and together with this, the pressing member 822 is separated from the lower surface 722d. When the pressing member 822 held in the moved state moves toward the rear end 72b and reaches the initial position P1, the drive motor 841 is stopped. When the pressing member 822 is moved again, the driving motor 841 is driven in a state where the pressing member 822 is lifted by the holding member 833 and the lower surface 22d is pressed.

  When the movement promoting means 800B having such a configuration is provided, the pressure in the container increases as the medium storage portion 72 is pressurized by the pressing by the pressing member 822, and the pressing member 822 also moves. In the case of this embodiment, since the pressing member 822 rotates, the surface 822a serving as the pressing portion moves while rotating. Therefore, the resistance with the lower surface 72d is small, and fluidity is imparted to the toner attached to the inside of the container. For this reason, stable medium discharge performance can be exhibited while ensuring the durability of the container.

  51 and 52, the configuration in which the pressing member 822 rotates is described. However, the movement promoting means 800C shown in FIG. 53 moves while rubbing against the surface of the toner container 70 without rotating the pressing member. is there.

  As shown in FIG. 53 (a), the movement promoting means 800C is pressed against the pressing members 850 and 851 that press the upper surface 72c and the lower surface 72d of the medium storage portion 72 toward the inside of the container and the upper surface 72c and the lower surface 72d from at least one place. And moving means for moving the pressing surfaces 850a and 851a, which are parts of the pressing members 850 and 851, toward the base member 71.

  The pressing members 850 and 851 have curved pressing surfaces 850a and 851a, and are disposed on the container rear end 72b side so as to face each other with the toner storage container 70 interposed therebetween. The pressing member 850 is disposed on the upper portion 102 of the tray storage space 101, and the pressing member 851 is disposed on the tray 1.

  In the case of this embodiment, the moving means is composed of the upper moving means 860A and the lower moving means 860B. However, when the pressing member is one of the upper and lower parts, the upper moving means 860A or the lower moving means 860B moves. Means will be constructed.

  The upper moving means 860A includes a drive motor 861 that is a drive source capable of rotating in the forward and reverse directions, a drive gear 862 that is rotationally driven by the drive motor 861, a driven gear 863 that is rotated by the drive gear 862, and a press against the driven gear 863. A support member 864 fixed to the member 850 is provided.

  The lower moving means 860B includes a drive motor 866 that is a drive source capable of rotating in the forward and reverse directions, a drive gear 867 that is rotationally driven by the drive motor 866, a driven gear 868 that is rotated by the drive gear 867, and a driven gear 868. A support member 869 fixed to the pressing member 851 is provided.

  The drive gear 863 and the driven gear 868 are rotatably supported around shafts 863a and 868a. Therefore, the pressing member 850 and the pressing member 851 that are connected to the drive gear 862 and the driven gear 868 via the support member 864 and the support member 869, respectively, are rotatable about the shafts 863a and 868a.

  In such a configuration, the drive motor 861 is driven to rotate the drive gear 862 in the clockwise direction in the drawing. Since the drive gear 862 meshes with the driven gear 863, the driven gear 863 rotates counterclockwise. In accordance with the rotation of the driven gear 863, the pressing member 850 rotates from the support member 864 to the position shown in FIG. 53 (b) while being in contact with the upper surface 72c of the container around the shaft 863a. Move.

  Similarly, on the lower side, the drive motor 866 is driven to rotate the drive gear 867 counterclockwise in the drawing. Since the drive gear 867 meshes with the driven gear 868, the driven gear 868 rotates in the clockwise direction. In accordance with the rotation of the driven gear 868, the pressing member 851 from the support member 869 rotates and moves to the position shown in FIG. 53 (b) while being in contact with the lower surface 72d of the container around the shaft 868a. Move.

  For this reason, when the medium storage portion 72 is pressed from above and below by being pressed by the pressing members 850 and 851, the pressure in the container is increased and the pressing members 850 and 851 are also moved. In this embodiment, the pressing members 850 and 851 rotate, so that the pressing surfaces 850a and 851a move while rotating. If the drive motors 861 and 866 are continuously driven, the pressing members 850 and 851 are rotated once and returned to the positions shown in FIG. Therefore, the pressing members 850 and 851 continue to rotate around the shafts 863a and 868a until the driving motors 861 and 866 are stopped. Due to the continuous movement of the pressing members 850 and 851, fluidity is imparted to the toner adhered to the inside of the container, and stable medium discharge performance can be exhibited while ensuring the durability of the container.

  Here, since the drive of the drive motors 861 and 866 is not stopped, the drive gears 863 and 867 continue to rotate. However, if the support members 864 and 869 can be expanded and contracted, the pressing members 850 and 851 are contracted by contraction. Does not come into contact with the upper surface 72c or the lower surface 72d. Then, the drive gears 863 and 867 may be rotated in the reverse direction, and the pressing members 850 and 851 may be reciprocated to occupy the positions shown in FIGS. 53 (a) and 53 (b).

  In FIG. 53, the pressing members 850 and 851 are arranged on the rear end 72b side of the container. However, in order to improve toner transportability, for example, the pressing member 850 is moved to the base member 71 side as shown in FIG. You may arrange. When three or more sets of pressing members opposed to each other are arranged, at least one of the pressing members may be shifted in the container longitudinal direction A (medium discharge direction G).

  Next, the configuration and operation of the movement promoting means 800D will be described with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 55 (a), the movement promoting means 800D has a pressing member 881 having a curved pressing surface 881a against the lower surface 72d of the container, and the pressing member 881 pressed against the lower surface 72d. A moving means 882 that moves in the container longitudinal direction A is provided.

  The moving means 882 includes a drive gear 884 that is rotationally driven by a drive motor 883, a driven gear 885 that is rotated by the drive gear 884, and a link mechanism 890 that connects the driven gear 885 and the pressing member 881.

  The link mechanism 890 does not hinder the rotation of the driven gear 885 between the support member 891 supported by the rotation center 885a of the driven gear 885 and the fixed shaft 894, and the outer peripheral side of the driven gear 885 and the pressing member 881. A support member 892 that is pin-coupled, a pin 895 that supports the pressing member 881, and a support member 893 that is pin-coupled to a fixed pin 894 are provided. Although not shown, the pin 895 is movably inserted into a long hole extending in the container longitudinal direction A.

  In such a configuration, when the drive gear 884 is rotated in the clockwise direction in the figure by the drive of the drive motor 883, the driven gear 885 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction. When the driven gear 885 rotates, the support member 892 is pushed and moved to the left as shown in FIG. 55 (b), and the support member 893 rotates around the fixed pin 894. Since the movement of the pin 895 is regulated by the long hole, the support member 892 is pushed out to the left side in the figure, which becomes the rear end 72b. As a result, the pressing member 881 is also pushed out to the rear end 72b. Thereafter, when the rotation of the drive gear 884 is continued, the support member 893 rotates, and after half a turn, the support member 892 is pulled back to the right side, whereby the pressing member 881 also moves to the right side.

  By repeating such an operation, the drive gear 884 rotates in a certain direction, so that the pressing member 881 repeats swinging. At this time, the pin 895 and the like move in accordance with the movement of the pressing member 881, so that it is possible to adjust whether the pressing member 881 is pressed against or released from the lower surface 72d. Furthermore, by using the amount of vertical movement of the driven gear 885, the contact and separation between the pressing member 881 and the lower surface 72d can be adjusted.

  By incorporating the link mechanism 890 into the moving means 882 in this way, the torque required for the drive motor 883 is reduced compared to the moving means using only a combination of gears, while the pressing member 881 moves to the inside of the container. Fluidity is imparted to the adhered toner, and stable medium discharge performance can be exhibited.

  As shown in FIG. 56 (a), the movement promoting means 800E shown in FIG. 56 includes a pressing member 900 that presses the lower surface 72d of the medium storage unit 72 from at least one place, and a drive source that rotates the pressing member 900. A drive motor 901 is provided. The pressing member 900 is disposed on the rear end 70 b side, and is rotatably supported by the tray 1 about the shaft 902. The pressing member 900 is formed with an extruding portion 900B that protrudes outward from the reference circle Z and a hollow portion 900A that is located inside the reference circle Z. The pushing portions 900B project from the bottom plate 1E of the tray to the inside of the tray as the pressing member 900 rotates about the shaft 902, and here, three pushing portions 900B are formed in the rotation direction. The pressing member 900 has a comb tooth shape in which a plurality of extruded portions 900B and recessed portions 900A are arranged in the width direction of the container.

  In the movement promoting means 800E having such a configuration, the driving motor 901 is driven to rotate the pressing member 900 in the clockwise direction, and the pushing portion 900B protrudes from the bottom plate 1E to the inside of the tray as shown in FIG. 56 (a). When the state is reached, the lower surface 72d placed on the bottom plate 1E is pushed inward toward the inside of the container to be deformed. When the pressing member 900 is further rotated, the hollow portion 900A is opposed to the lower surface 72d of the container as shown in FIG. 56 (b). At this time, the hollow portion 900A comes into contact with or is not in contact with the lower portion 72d. In this case, the lower portion 72d is not pushed into the container by the pressing member 900. The contact or non-contact setting between the hollow portion 900A and the lower portion 72d can be arbitrarily set according to the size of the reference circle Z.

  By repeating such a rotational movement behavior of the pressing member 900, the toner in the medium storage unit 72 moves to the base member 71. That is, the pressure in the container rises as the medium storage portion 72 is intermittently pressurized from below by the pressing of the pressing portion 900 by the pushing portion 900B. In the case of this embodiment, the pressing member 900 rotates around the shaft 902, so that the pushing portion 900B that serves as a pressing portion with the lower surface 72d moves while drawing an arc around the shaft 902. Therefore, the fluid adhering to the base member 71 (medium discharge direction G) is given to the toner adhering to the inside of the container by the movement of the extrusion unit 900B, and thus stable medium discharge performance can be exhibited. The pressing member 901 is not limited to one, and a plurality of pressing members 901 may be installed, and the positions thereof may be on the base member 71 or the upper surface 72c side.

  The configuration and operation of the movement promoting means 800F will be described with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 57, the movement promoting means 800F rotates the pressing member 910 that presses the lower surface 72d of the medium storage unit 72 toward the inside of the container from at least one place, thereby rotating the toner in the medium storage unit 72. It is moved in the medium discharge direction G.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 58, a pressing member 910 and a driving motor 911 serving as driving means for rotating the pressing member 910 are provided. The pressing member 910 extends in the medium discharge direction G and is supported by a rotating shaft 912 arranged in the same direction. The end of the rotating shaft 912 is supported by a bearing 913 and a drive motor 911, and is rotated by the drive motor 911.

  The pressing member 910 is mounted on the tray 1 such that the outer peripheral surface 910a is pressed against the lower surface 72d from the rear end 72b to the center of the medium storage unit 72. The pressing member 910 is formed to have a surface shape that causes undulation on the back surface 72 d of the medium storage portion 72 when the rotation shaft 912 is rotationally driven by the drive motor 911. In other words, the pressing member 910 has a surface 910a that is formed in a spiral shape that narrows from the rear end 910b side toward the front end 910c side, and is disposed so that the front end 910c side is located on the base member 71 side. Therefore, when the pressing member 910 is pressed against the lower surface 72d on the tray 1, as shown in FIG. 57, the medium storage portion 72 is in a state where the rear end 72b is pushed up.

  In the movement promoting means 800F having such a configuration, when the drive motor 911 is driven and, for example, the rotation shaft 912 rotates counterclockwise around its axis, the pressing member 910 rotates as shown in FIG. 58, and its surface 910a. Moves to the right side, that is, toward the front end 911c as indicated by the arrow G1. Since the pressing member 910 is pressed against the lower surface 72d of the medium storage portion 72, the undulation generated by the movement of the surface 911a is transmitted to the lower surface 72d, and the bending toward the base member 71 side (medium discharging direction G) is applied to the lower surface. appear. When the toner receives the force generated at this time, the toner moves toward the base member 71.

  That is, the surface of the medium storage portion 72 is continuously deformed in the medium discharge direction G due to the rotation of the pressing member 910, and therefore the toner in the medium storage portion 72 is promoted toward the base member 71 (medium discharge direction G). Even if the toner storage container 70 is provided with a force and is horizontally extended, a stable medium discharge performance can be exhibited. Further, since the front end 911c of the pressing member 910 is thin, the rear end 72b is pushed up, and the effect of toner movement by gravity can be obtained at the same time.

  In FIGS. 57 and 58, the pressing member 910 has a spiral shape in which the outer diameter decreases toward the distal end side. However, since such a shape is complicated and increases the manufacturing cost, for example, as shown in FIG. In addition, even when the surface 920a of the cylindrical member is provided with a wave to form a pressing member 920, for example, the rotary shaft 912 is driven to rotate, the toner in the medium storage unit 72 is transferred to the base member 71 (medium by the force generated by the wave). It can move in the discharge direction G). Also, as shown in FIG. 60, if the rotating shaft 912 is inclined so that the rear end 920b of the pressing member 920 is positioned above the front end 920c, the rear end 72b of the container is lifted, so that the effect of toner movement by gravity is achieved. Can be obtained at the same time.

  As described above, since the toner storage container 70 or the toner storage container 701 is made of a flexible material, it is difficult to maintain the outer shape. Therefore, for example, as shown in FIG. If the gripping portion 930 that the worker M grips is provided on the upper surface 72c that is a part of the tray, it becomes easy to hold even when the shape is deformed or the capacity is large and heavy, and the storing operation to the tray 1 or the tray 180 can be performed. Easy to do.

  As shown in FIG. 64, the gripping portion 930 may have a plurality of, for example, two in parallel in the longitudinal direction A of the container. Alternatively, the gripping portion 930 may be disposed at both ends 72a and 72b of the container as shown in FIG. You may provide so that it may mutually oppose. When not in use, these gripping portions 930 occupy a storage position that is flexibly collapsed on the upper surface 72c as shown by broken lines in FIGS. 64 and 65, and are raised when the worker M holds the container. By doing so, there is no hindrance when stored in the tray 1 and stored in the tray storage space 101, and the workability is good.

  Although the image forming apparatus has been described as a color copying machine in each embodiment, the image forming apparatus may be a laser printer, a FAX, a complex machine of these, or a type of image that obtains printed matter by ejecting ink. A forming device is also included. In addition to the well-known powder toner, the image forming medium also includes liquid toner or ink stored in a cartridge. In the case of an image forming apparatus that obtains printed matter using ink, the ink is The stored cartridge becomes a medium storage container.

1,180 tray 58 developing device 100 image forming apparatus main body 600, 610, 620 medium storage container portion 602, 612, 622 medium storage portion 601, 611, 621 medium discharge portion 91, 91A medium receiving portion 603, 605, 606 binding member 607, 613, 623 Bundling member 624 Cover member A Longitudinal direction B Crossing direction

JP 2004-198703 A JP 2005-91879 A

Claims (9)

In a medium storage container that is detachable from the image forming apparatus main body,
A medium housing portion at least partially made of a flexible material;
A medium discharge unit that is coupled to a medium receiving unit disposed on the image forming apparatus side and discharges an image forming medium stored therein;
A medium storage container comprising a bundling member that is provided at least in the medium storage unit and restrains the medium storage unit to be compressed from the outside toward the inside. The medium storage container according to claim 1,
The medium binding container, wherein the bundling member extends in a longitudinal direction of the medium accommodating portion, and a part of the binding member is locked to the medium discharging portion or the medium accommodating portion. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.
The medium storage container, wherein the binding member extends in a direction intersecting with a longitudinal direction of the medium storage portion, and a part of the binding member is locked to the medium storage portion. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.
The medium storage container, wherein the binding member is provided in the medium storage portion so as to be wound around the displacement portion when the medium discharge portion side is displaced to the medium storage portion side. The medium storage container according to claim 1,
A cover member movably attached to the medium accommodating portion and having a size covering the medium discharge port,
The medium storage container, wherein the binding member is provided on the covering member. The medium storage container according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
At least a part of the binding member is made of the same material as that of the medium storage unit. The medium storage container according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The medium container according to claim 1, wherein at least a part of the binding member is formed of an elastic member. In the image forming apparatus in which the medium storage container storing the image forming medium to be replenished to the developing device is detachable from the image forming apparatus main body,
8. An image forming apparatus, wherein the medium storage container is the medium storage container according to claim 1. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8.
The image forming apparatus main body includes a tray that is movable between a drawing position pulled out from the image image forming apparatus main body and a set position pushed in, and capable of storing the medium storage container from above. An image forming apparatus.

Images