JP2024157702A - DEVELOPER CONTAINER, IMAGE FORMING UNIT, AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a developer storage body that can reduce scattering of developer, an image forming unit, and an image forming apparatus.SOLUTION: A developer storage body (5) has: a developer storage part (50) that stores developer; a discharge port (500) that is provided to allow the developer to be discharged from the developer storage part (50); an opening and closing member (51) that is provided movably between a closing position where it closes the discharge port (500) and an opening position where it opens the discharge port (500); and a projecting member (512) that is attached to the opening and closing member (51) or the developer storage part (50), and when the opening and closing member (51) is at the opening position, projects toward the outside of the developer storage part (50) through the discharge port (500).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

This disclosure relates to a developer container, an image forming unit, and an image forming device.

A developer container capable of discharging developer from a developer container through an outlet provided with an opening/closing member is known as a removable component used in an image forming apparatus that forms images by an electrophotographic process (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2019-45553 A

However, there was a problem that when removing the developer container attached to the image forming unit of the image forming device, the developer adhering around the discharge port of the developer container could scatter.

The present disclosure aims to provide a developer container, an image forming unit, and an image forming device that can reduce the scattering of developer.

The developer container of the present disclosure includes a developer container that contains a developer, a discharge port that allows the developer to be discharged from the developer container, an opening/closing member that is movable between a closed position that closes the discharge port and an open position that opens the discharge port, and a protruding member that is attached to the opening/closing member or the developer container and protrudes outward from the developer container through the discharge port when the opening/closing member is in the open position.

This disclosure makes it possible to reduce scattering of developer when removing the developer container.

1 is a cross-sectional view showing a structure of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of the image forming apparatus of FIG. 1 (when the front cover is open and the image forming unit is removed); 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of the image forming unit (when the toner cartridge is attached to the drum unit) according to the first embodiment; FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the image forming unit (when a toner cartridge is not attached to a drum unit) according to the first embodiment; FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a drum unit of the image forming unit according to the first embodiment. 1 is a perspective view showing the external appearance (as viewed obliquely from above) of a toner cartridge according to a first embodiment; 1 is a perspective view showing the external appearance (as viewed obliquely from below) of a toner cartridge according to a first embodiment; 4 is a perspective view showing a protruding member protruding from an outlet of the toner cartridge according to the first embodiment; FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state of the toner cartridge according to the first embodiment (when the shutter is in a closed position). FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state of the toner cartridge according to the first embodiment (when the shutter is in an open position). FIG. 5A to 5C are cross-sectional views (part 1) illustrating the closing operation of the shutter of the toner cartridge according to the first embodiment. 6 is a cross-sectional view (part 2) showing the closing operation of the shutter of the toner cartridge according to the first embodiment; FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view (part 3) showing the closing operation of the shutter of the toner cartridge according to the first embodiment; FIG. 5A to 5C are cross-sectional views showing the operation of removing the toner cartridge according to the first embodiment. 13 is a cross-sectional view showing a state of the toner cartridge according to the second embodiment (when the shutter is in an open position). FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view showing a state of the toner cartridge according to the second embodiment (when the shutter is moved to a closed position). FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view showing a state of the toner cartridge according to the second embodiment (when the shutter is in a closed position). FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view showing a state of the toner cartridge according to the third embodiment (when the shutter is in an open position). FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view showing the state of the toner cartridge according to the fourth embodiment (when the shutter is in the open position). FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view showing a state of the toner cartridge according to the fourth embodiment (when the shutter is in a closed position). FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view (part 1) illustrating a structure and an operation of a toner cartridge according to a modified example of the first embodiment. FIG. 13 is a schematic cross-sectional view (part 2) illustrating the structure and operation of a toner cartridge according to a modified example of the first embodiment. FIG. 13 is a schematic cross-sectional view (part 3) illustrating the structure and operation of a toner cartridge according to a modified example of the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view (part 4) illustrating the structure and operation of a toner cartridge according to a modified example of the first embodiment; FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view (part 5) illustrating the structure and operation of a toner cartridge according to a modified example of the first embodiment; FIG. 13A to 13C are schematic cross-sectional views showing the structure and operation of a toner cartridge according to a modified example of the third embodiment.

Below, a developer container according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, an image forming unit having the developer container, and an image forming apparatus having the developer container will be described with reference to the drawings. The following embodiments are merely examples, and the embodiments can be combined as appropriate and each embodiment can be modified as appropriate. In the following description, elements having the same or similar functions are given the same reference numerals.

<<1>> First embodiment
<<1-1>> Configuration Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of an image forming apparatus 1 according to embodiment 1. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of the image forming apparatus 1 (when the front cover 6 is opened approximately 90 degrees toward the front of the apparatus and the image forming unit 3 is removed). In embodiment 1, an example will be described in which the image forming apparatus 1 is an electrophotographic printer for monochrome printing, but the image forming apparatus 1 may also be an electrophotographic printer for color printing, a copier, a facsimile machine, a multifunction machine, or the like.

Image forming device 1 forms an image on a print medium such as paper by an electrophotographic process. Image forming device 1 has image forming unit 3, which is a printing mechanism. Image forming unit 3 is formed so as to be freely attached and detached to the main body (housing 2) of image forming device 1. In addition, front cover 6 is attached to the main body of image forming device 1 so as to be freely opened and closed.

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of the image forming unit 3 (when the toner cartridge 5 is attached to the drum unit 4) according to the first embodiment. The image forming unit 3 is a printing mechanism that forms a developer image (toner image) using, for example, black developer (toner). However, the type of toner is not limited to black toner. The image forming unit 3 has the drum unit 4 as an image forming section, and the toner cartridge 5 as a developer container that is detachably attached to the drum unit 4. The drum unit 4 is also called the "main body of the image forming unit 3" or the "image forming unit main body".

The lower part of the housing 2 of the image forming device 1 is provided with a media cassette 10 that contains the print media, a pickup roller 11 that feeds the print media contained in the media cassette 10 one by one, and a retard roller 12 and a transport roller 13 that are roller pairs for correcting the skew of the print media (i.e., the state in which the print media is fed obliquely). In addition, the housing 2 of the image forming device 1 is provided with a transport roller pair 14 and a transport roller pair 15 that transport the print media along the transport path, a transport path 16 that guides the print media, an optical head 18 as an exposure device, a transfer roller 17 as a transfer member that transfers the electrostatic latent image formed by the image forming unit 3 onto the print medium, a fixing device 19 that heats and pressurizes the toner image to fix it on the print medium, and a transport path 20 for discharging the print medium that has passed through the fixing device 19 out of the housing 2. The optical head 18 is, for example, an LED array head that is a light-emitting element array head, or a laser scanning device. Additionally, the housing 2 of the image forming device 1 is equipped with multiple media sensors (not shown) for detecting the passage of print media, and transport rollers (not shown) for transporting the print media.

The drum unit 4 has a charging roller 43 as a charging member, a photosensitive drum 40 as an image carrier whose surface is uniformly charged by the charging roller 43, a developing roller 41 as a developing member, a developing blade 42 as a layer forming blade that regulates the thickness of the toner layer on the developing roller 41, a supply roller 46 as a toner supply member, a cleaning blade 44 as a cleaning member, and a waste toner transport member 45 as a waste developer transport member. The developing roller 41, the developing blade 42, and the supply roller 46 constitute a developing section that develops the electrostatic latent image formed by the optical head 18 by supplying toner onto the photosensitive drum 40.

Image data is input to the optical head 18 of the image forming device 1, and the lighting of the light-emitting elements is controlled based on the image data. In the image forming unit 3, the surface of the uniformly charged photoconductor drum 40 is exposed to the light emitted by the optical head 18, and an electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of the photoconductor drum 40.

The toner supplied from the toner cartridge 5 into the developing chamber cover frame 47 is rubbed strongly between the supply roller 46 and the developing roller 41, causing it to become triboelectrically charged. The toner is supplied to the developing roller 41 via the supply roller 46, and is then formed into a thin layer on the developing roller 41 by the developing blade 42, and carried to the contact point with the photosensitive drum 40. For convenience of illustration, the developing blade 42 is depicted as biting into the developing roller 41, but in reality the developing blade 42 is in contact with the surface of the developing roller 41 and elastically deforms.

The toner on the developing roller 41 moves onto the photoconductor drum 40 by electrostatic force, and a toner image corresponding to the electrostatic latent image is formed on the photoconductor drum 40. A transfer roller 17 is disposed below the photoconductor drum 40 of the image forming unit 3. The toner image on the photoconductor drum 40 is transferred by the transfer roller 17 onto the print medium transported between the photoconductor drum 40 and the transfer roller 17. The print medium onto which the toner image has been transferred passes through a fixing device 19, and the toner image is fixed onto the print medium.

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the image forming unit 3 (when the toner cartridge 5 is not attached to the drum unit 4) according to the first embodiment. Figure 5 is a perspective view of the drum unit 4 of the image forming unit 3 according to the first embodiment.

The image forming unit 3 is composed of a drum unit 4 as an image forming section, and a toner cartridge 5 as a developer container. The toner cartridge 5 is attached to a predetermined position on top of the drum unit 4. When there is no toner remaining in the toner cartridge 5, the user removes the toner cartridge 5 from the drum unit 4 and attaches a new toner cartridge 5 to the drum unit 4.

In the first embodiment, the toner cartridge 5 can be attached and detached by inserting and removing it in an insertion direction Da and a removal direction Db at a predetermined angle θ (e.g., 15°) with respect to the drum unit 4 (i.e., with respect to the horizontal direction of the image forming device 1). In addition, the toner cartridge 5 can be attached and detached both when the drum unit 4 is attached to the main body of the image forming device 1 and when the drum unit 4 is removed from the main body of the image forming device 1.

The drum unit 4 has a photosensitive drum 40, a developing roller 41, a developing blade 42, a charging roller 43, a cleaning blade 44, a waste toner transport member 45, a supply roller 46, a developing chamber cover frame 47, and side frames 49R and 49L. The developing chamber cover frame 47 has a toner receiving port 470 as a developer receiving port that receives toner supplied from the toner cartridge 5, and a seal member 471 made of an elastic member such as a sponge. The seal member 471 is arranged around the toner receiving port 470 so as to surround it.

The side frames 49R, 49L on the left and right sides of the drum unit 4 have guide grooves 490R, 490L that extend in the insertion direction Da and removal direction Db. The guide grooves 490R, 490L extend approximately parallel to the insertion direction Da and removal direction Db of the toner cartridge 5.

Figure 6 is a perspective view showing the external appearance (as viewed from diagonally above) of the toner cartridge 5 according to embodiment 1. Figure 7 is a perspective view showing the external appearance (as viewed from diagonally below) of the toner cartridge 5 according to embodiment 1. Figure 8 is a perspective view showing the protruding member 512a protruding from the discharge port 500 of the toner cartridge 5 according to embodiment 1.

The toner cartridge 5 has a toner storage section 50 as a developer storage section that stores toner, a shutter 51 (Figure 4), side frames 52L and 52R, and an operating lever 53. The toner storage section 50 is the main body of the toner cartridge 5, i.e., the toner cartridge main body. The toner storage section 50 stores toner, and has an outlet 500 on the bottom as a developer supply port. The toner storage section 50 is also called the "toner cartridge main body frame."

Figure 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the state of the toner cartridge 5 (when the shutter 51 is in the closed position). Figure 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the state of the toner cartridge 5 (when the shutter 51 is in the open position).

The toner storage section 50 of the toner cartridge 5 has an outlet 500 that allows the toner in the toner storage section 50 to be discharged (i.e., replenished), and a shutter 51 that is movable between a closed position (position in FIG. 9) that closes the outlet 500 and an open position (position in FIG. 10) that opens the outlet 500. The toner storage section 50 has an outlet 500 and a protruding portion 501. The shutter 51 is rotatably supported by the side frames 52L and 52R of the toner cartridge 5, and can be rotated between the open position of the outlet 500 and the closed position of the outlet 500. The shutter 51 also has a shutter inner tube portion 510, a shutter inner opening 5101, a shutter seal portion 511 made of an elastic member, and a protruding member 512a. That is, the toner cartridge 5 has a protruding member 512a that is attached to the shutter 51 and protrudes out of the toner storage unit 50 through the discharge port 500 when the shutter 51 is in the open position (the position shown in FIG. 10). The protruding member 512a is, for example, a flexible sheet-like film member (e.g., PET). Desirable materials for the film member include, for example, PET (polyethylene terephthalate), urethane, and Teflon. In addition, it is desirable for this film member to be an elastic member that restores from a bent state to a flat state (or restores a predetermined amount or more in the direction in which the bend approaches a flat state).

The shutter 51 has mounting surfaces 51a and 51b that face the shutter inner opening 5101. The mounting surfaces 51a and 51b face each other across the shutter inner opening 5101. The direction of movement of the shutter 51 when it moves from the open position to the closed position is the closing direction D1 (in FIG. 9, the direction of movement of the closing surface that blocks the discharge port 500 in the shutter 51 when it moves from the open position to the closed position is the closing direction D1), and among the mounting surfaces 51a and 51b (i.e., the ends) to which the protruding member 512a can be attached in the shutter 51, the mounting surface 51a upstream of the closing direction D1 relative to the discharge port 500 is the first mounting surface, and the mounting surface 51b downstream of the closing direction D1 is the second mounting surface. The protruding member 512a is fixed to the mounting surface 51a of the shutter 51 by, for example, an adhesive. The protruding member 512a may be adhered to both the inner surface and the mounting surface 51a of the shutter 51, for example. In the first embodiment, by attaching the protruding member 512a to the mounting surface 51a (first mounting surface) that is upstream of the mounting surfaces 51a, 51b of the shutter 51 in the closing direction D1, it is possible to prevent toner from adhering to the inner surface of the discharge port 500 and also to prevent toner from scattering when the shutter 51 is closed.

The developing chamber cover frame 47 has a toner receiving port 470 and a seal member 471 made of an elastic material that is arranged to surround the periphery of the toner receiving port 470. The surface of the seal member 471 facing the toner receiving port 470 (i.e., the inner surface) forms a vertical region 472 that extends in a substantially vertical direction.

9, when the shutter 51 is in the closed position, the shutter seal portion 511 of the shutter 51 is in a position to cover the discharge port 500, and the discharge port 500 is blocked. At this time, the protruding member 512a is attached to the mounting surface 51a, which is the surface of the shutter seal portion 511 of the shutter 51 that faces the shutter inner opening 5101, so that when the discharge port 500 is blocked, the tip of the protruding member 512a is folded so that it faces the discharge port 500 in the storage portion formed between the shutter inner tube portion 510 and the toner storage portion 50. For convenience of illustration, the shutter seal portion 511 and the seal member 471 are depicted as if they are embedded in other components, but in reality, each seal member depicted in this manner is in a state of moderate elastic deformation.

When the discharge port 500 is open, the shutter inner opening 5101 is in a position corresponding to the discharge port 500, the discharge port 500 is in an open state, and the protruding member 512a goes from a folded state to an unfolded state due to the discharge port 500 being open. At this time, the tip of the protruding member 512a is in a position protruding beyond the toner storage section 50. The bending of the protruding member 512a is corrected by the protruding portion 501 of the frame of the toner cartridge 5.

The length of the protruding member 512a is such that it does not reach the shutter seal portion 511 when the shutter 51 is in the closed position so as not to affect the toner seal performance, and is longer than the vertical length of the vertical region 472 facing the toner receiving port 470 of the developing chamber cover frame 47 when the shutter 51 is in the open position. The mounting surface 51a is a surface that moves across the discharge port 500 in the closing direction D1 when the shutter 51 moves from the open position to the closed position, and the edge of the discharge port 500 (i.e., the end of the discharge port 500 adjacent to the outer tip of the mounting surface 51a) protrudes toward the discharge port more than other parts of the mounting surface. In other words, the mounting surface 51a (first mounting surface) is a surface that moves across the exhaust port 500 in the closing direction D1 when the shutter 51 moves from the open position to the closed position, and if the edge of the exhaust port 500 facing each other on the mounting surface 51a side is defined as the first edge and the edge facing the first edge is defined as the second edge, the first edge protrudes toward the second edge beyond the first mounting surface. The protruding member 512a is held in contact with the edge of the exhaust port 500 when the shutter 51 is in the open position.

11 to 13 are cross-sectional views (parts 1 to 3) showing the closing operation of the shutter 51 of the toner cartridge 5 according to embodiment 1. Fig. 14 is a cross-sectional view showing the pulling out operation of the toner cartridge 5 according to embodiment 1.

The operation of removing the toner cartridge 5 from the drum unit 4 will be described. When removing the toner cartridge 5 from the drum unit 4, the user operates the operating lever 53, and the closing surface of the shutter inner tube portion 510 of the shutter 51 that blocks the discharge port 500 moves (i.e., rotates) in the closing direction D1, which is the direction in which the discharge port 500 is blocked. The protruding member 512a attached to the shutter inner opening 5101 moves with the rotation of the shutter inner tube portion 510. As shown in Figures 11 and 12. The protruding member 512a comes into contact with the vertical region 472 facing the toner receiving port 470 of the development chamber cover frame 47 during the rotation of the shutter inner tube portion 510, thereby knocking off the toner 60 adhering to the vertical region 472.

When the shutter inner tube portion 510 of the shutter 51 continues to move (i.e., rotate) in the closing direction D1 and the discharge port 500 is blocked, as shown in FIG. 13, the protruding member 512a is folded so as to be stored between the shutter inner tube portion 510 and the toner storage portion 50. As shown in FIG. 14, in this state, when the user pulls out the toner cartridge 5 in the pulling-out direction Db, which is the opposite direction to the insertion direction Da, the toner adhering to the vertical region 472 facing the toner receiving port 470 of the development chamber cover frame 47 is knocked off.

As described above, according to the first embodiment, when the used toner cartridge 5 is removed from the drum unit 4, the toner adhering to the vertical area 472 facing the toner receiving opening 470 of the frame of the drum unit 4 is shaken off. This makes it possible to prevent the toner from scattering when the toner cartridge 5 is pulled out, and to suppress the toner from scattering inside the image forming unit 3 and the image forming device 1.

<<2>> Second embodiment
<<2-1>> Configuration In the first embodiment, an example is described in which the protruding member 512a is attached to the mounting surface 51a on the upstream side in the closing direction D1 of the shutter 51, but in the second embodiment, an example is described in which the protruding member 512a (first protruding member) is attached to the mounting surface 51a (first mounting surface) on the upstream side in the closing direction D1 of the shutter 51, and the protruding member 512b (second protruding member) is attached to the mounting surface 51b (second mounting surface) on the downstream side in the closing direction D1 of the shutter 51. Other than this, the structure of the second embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment.

2-2 Operation Fig. 15 is a cross-sectional view showing the state of the toner cartridge 5 according to embodiment 2 (when the shutter 51 is in the open position). Fig. 16 is a cross-sectional view showing the state of the toner cartridge 5 according to embodiment 2 (when the shutter 51 is moved to the closed position).

When the shutter 51 is in the open position, the tips of the protruding members 512a and 512b protrude outside the toner storage section 50. It is desirable that the protruding members 512a and 512b have a shape that is longer than the vertical length of the vertical region 472 facing the toner receiving port 470 of the developing chamber cover frame 47. When the shutter 51 is in the open position, the protruding members 512a and 512b cover the vertical region 472 facing the toner receiving port 470.

In the second embodiment, when the shutter 51 is in the open position, the deflection of the protruding member 512a is corrected by the protruding portion 501 that protrudes toward the discharge port 500 of the toner storage unit 50, and the deflection of the protruding member 512b is corrected by the weight of the toner when it is supplied.

In the second embodiment, the protruding member 512a has a structure for knocking off the toner 60 adhering to the vertical region 472 facing the toner receiving port 470, and the protruding member 512b has a structure for covering the vertical region 472 facing the toner receiving port 470, thereby reducing the amount of toner adhering to the vertical region 472 facing the toner receiving port 470 during the toner supply operation from the toner cartridge 5.

Figure 17 is a cross-sectional view showing the state of the toner cartridge 5 according to the second embodiment (when the shutter 51 is in the closed position). When the discharge port 500 is moved to the closed position, the toner 60 adhering to the protruding member 512b moves into the toner cartridge 5 as the protruding members 512b and 512a are folded by the rotation of the shutter inner tube portion 510.

<<2-3>> Effects As described above, according to the second embodiment, it is possible to reduce the amount of toner adhering to the vertical region 472 facing the toner receiving opening 470 of the frame body of the drum unit 4. Furthermore, when removing a used toner cartridge 5 from the drum unit 4, the toner adhering to the vertical region 472 facing the toner receiving opening 470 of the frame body of the drum unit 4 is shaken off. This makes it possible to prevent toner from scattering when the toner cartridge 5 is pulled out, and to suppress scattering of toner inside the image forming unit 3 and the image forming device 1.

<3> Third embodiment
<3-1> Configuration In embodiment 1, an example is described in which the protruding member 512a is attached to the mounting surface 51a upstream of the closing direction D1 of the shutter 51. In embodiment 3, an example is described in which the protruding member 512b is attached to the mounting surface 51b downstream of the closing direction D1 of the shutter 51.

Figure 18 is a cross-sectional view showing the state of the toner cartridge 5 according to embodiment 3 (when the shutter 51 is in the open position). If the direction of movement of the shutter 51 when moving from the open position to the closed position is defined as the closing direction D1, and the mounting surface 51a of the discharge port 500 on the upstream side of the closing direction D1 is defined as the first mounting surface, and the mounting surface 51b on the downstream side of the closing direction D1 is defined as the second mounting surface, the protruding member 512b is attached to the mounting surface 51b side of the shutter 51. In other respects, the structure of embodiment 3 is the same as that of embodiment 1 or 2.

The operation of the embodiment 3 is the same as the operation (part related to the protruding member 512b) of the embodiment 2. That is, when the shutter 51 is in the closed position to cover the discharge port 500, no toner adheres to the vertical region 472 of the toner receiving port 470 that was covered by the protruding member 512b.

As described above, according to the third embodiment, it is possible to reduce the amount of toner adhering to the vertical region 472 facing the toner receiving opening 470 of the frame of the drum unit 4. This reduces the scattering of toner caused by the removal of the toner cartridge 5, and suppresses the scattering of toner inside the image forming unit 3 and the image forming device 1.

<4> Fourth embodiment
<4-1> Configuration In the above embodiments 1 to 3, examples have been described in which the shutter 51 is provided inside the main body of the toner cartridge 5 and the protruding members 512a, 512b are attached to the shutter 51. However, in embodiment 4, the shutter 51c is provided on the outside of the main body of the toner cartridge 5 and the protruding member 512c is attached to the main body of the toner cartridge 5.

Figure 19 is a cross-sectional view showing the state of the toner cartridge 5 according to embodiment 4 (when the shutter 51c is in the open position). Figure 20 is a cross-sectional view showing the state of the toner cartridge 5 according to embodiment 4 (when the shutter 51c is in the closed position).

The toner storage unit 50 includes a discharge port 500, a protruding member 512c, and a shutter 51c. The shutter 51 is attached to the toner storage unit 50 so as to be movable (here, slidable) in a direction parallel to the closing direction D1, for example, by a guide groove or guide rail (not shown) extending in the closing direction D1, and is configured to be able to open and close the discharge port 500. When the shutter 51c is in the open position, the protruding member 512c is positioned so as to cover the vertical region 472 facing the toner receiving port 470 of the drum unit 4. Other than the above, the structure of the fourth embodiment is basically the same as any of the first to third embodiments.

<<4-2>> Operation The operation of removing the toner cartridge 5 from the drum unit 4 will be described. When removing the toner cartridge 5 from the drum unit 4, the shutter 51c moves in the closing direction D1 relative to the toner storage section 50 by the user's operation, and closes the discharge port 500 of the toner storage section 50. The protruding member 512c attached to the inside of the toner storage section 50 is deformed by contacting the shutter 51c while the shutter 51c is moving, and is stored inside the toner storage section 50 when the shutter 51c is in the closed position. When the shutter 51c closes the discharge port 500, no toner adheres to the vertical region 472 of the toner receiving port 470 that was covered by the protruding member 512c.

{4-3} Effect As described above, according to the fourth embodiment, when removing a used toner cartridge 5 from the drum unit 4, toner is not allowed to adhere to the vertical region 472 facing the toner receiving opening 470 of the frame of the drum unit 4, thereby preventing toner from scattering when the toner cartridge 5 is pulled out, and preventing toner from scattering inside the image forming unit 3 and the image forming device 1.

5. Modifications Figures 21 to 25 are schematic cross-sectional views (parts 1 to 5) showing the structure and operation of a toner cartridge 5 according to a modification of the first embodiment. In this example, the protruding member 512a is attached to the mounting surface 51a of the shutter 51. In the toner cartridge 5 according to the modification of the first embodiment, the toner cartridge 5 is slid in the insertion direction Da relative to the image forming apparatus main body (Figure 21), so that the shutter 51 comes into contact with the engagement portion (step portion) of the image forming apparatus main body (Figure 22), and is further inserted in the insertion direction Da, so that the shutter 51 moves to the open position and enters an open state (Figure 23). At this time, the protruding member 512a attached to the mounting surface 51a of the shutter 51 hangs down due to gravity.

When the toner cartridge 5 is pulled out after the toner inside the toner cartridge 5 has been consumed and is empty, the toner adhering to the periphery of the toner receiving opening 470 is knocked down by the protruding member 512a when the toner cartridge 5 is pulled out in the pulling direction Db (Figure 24), and when the toner cartridge 5 is further pulled out in the pulling direction Db, the shutter 51 moves to a closed position blocking the discharge opening 500 by a biasing member such as a spring (not shown) (Figure 25).

In this case, the protruding member 512a also knocks the toner off from around the toner receiving opening 470, thereby preventing the toner from scattering inside the image forming device 1.

Figure 26 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the structure and operation of a toner cartridge 5 according to a modified example of embodiment 3. In this example, the protruding member 512b is attached to the mounting surface 51b of the shutter 51. The shutter 51c is biased in the closing direction D1 by a biasing member such as a spring (not shown). Even in this case, the protruding member 512b makes it difficult for toner to adhere to the periphery of the toner receiving opening 470, thereby suppressing the scattering of toner inside the image forming device 1.

1 Image forming device, 2 Housing, 3 Image forming unit, 4 Drum unit (image forming section, image forming unit main body), 5 Toner cartridge (developer container), 6 Front cover, 47 Development chamber cover frame, 50 Toner container (developer container), 51, 51c Shutter (opening/closing member), 51a Mounting surface (first mounting surface), 51b Mounting surface (second mounting surface), 53 Operation lever (operation portion), 470 Toner receiving port (developer receiving port), 471 Seal member, 500 Discharge port, 510 Shutter inner tube portion, 511 Shutter seal portion, 512a, 512b, 512c Protruding member.

Claims (10)

a developer container for containing a developer;
a discharge port provided so that the developer can be discharged from the developer accommodating portion;
an opening/closing member that is movable between a closed position that closes the exhaust port and an open position that opens the exhaust port;
a protruding member attached to the opening/closing member or the developer accommodating portion, and protruding outwardly from the developer accommodating portion through the discharge opening when the opening/closing member is in the open position. The developer container according to claim 1, characterized in that, when a moving direction of a closing surface of the opening/closing member that blocks the discharge outlet moves from the open position to the closed position is defined as a closing direction, and, among the mounting surfaces of the opening/closing member to which the protruding member can be attached, a mounting surface upstream of the closing direction relative to the discharge outlet in the closing direction is defined as a first mounting surface and a mounting surface downstream of the closing direction is defined as a second mounting surface, the protruding member is attached to the first mounting surface side of the opening/closing member. 2. The developer container according to claim 1, wherein when a moving direction of a closing surface of the opening/closing member that blocks the discharge outlet moves from the open position to the closed position is defined as a closing direction, and when, of the mounting surfaces of the opening/closing member to which the protruding member can be attached, a mounting surface upstream of the closing direction relative to the discharge outlet in the closing direction is defined as a first mounting surface and a mounting surface downstream of the closing direction is defined as a second mounting surface, the protruding member has a first protruding member attached to the first mounting surface side of the opening/closing member and a second protruding member attached to the second mounting surface side of the opening/closing member. the opening/closing member is disposed within the developer accommodating portion,
The developer accommodating body according to claim 1 , wherein the protruding member is attached to the opening/closing member and protrudes outwardly from the developer accommodating portion through the discharge opening when the opening/closing member is in the open position. the first attachment surface is a surface that moves across the exhaust port in the closing direction when the opening/closing member moves from the open position to the closed position,
The developer container according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, when an edge of the discharge port on the side of the first mounting surface is defined as a first edge and an edge on the side of the second mounting surface is defined as a second edge, the first edge protrudes toward the second edge beyond the first mounting surface. The developer container according to claim 1 , wherein the protruding member is held in contact with an edge of the discharge port when the opening/closing member is in the open position. The developer container according to claim 1 , further comprising a storage portion in which the protruding member is stored between the developer storage portion and the opening/closing member when the opening/closing member is in the closed position. The developer container according to claim 1 , wherein the protruding member is a flexible film member. The developer container according to claim 1 ,
an image forming unit main body having a developer receiving port for receiving a supply of developer discharged from the discharge port;
the protruding member protrudes through the discharge port toward the developer receiving port when the opening/closing member is in the open position. An image forming apparatus having a developer container according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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