JP3498016B2 - Toner cartridge and toner supply device - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention supplies a toner cartridge containing toner used in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer, and a toner contained in the toner cartridge to a toner tank in the image forming apparatus. For a toner replenishing device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional toner replenishing device for a copying machine is a toner tank (toner hopper) installed in the upper portion of the copying machine body.
Toner is supplied from the toner bottle of the toner cartridge.The toner hopper is covered by the cover attached to the main body of the copying machine, the toner supply port is formed on the upper surface of the toner hopper, and the slidable lid is arranged. ing. A slider is attached to the toner supply opening of the toner cartridge, and a cartridge lid that closes the opening is removably fitted on the slider.

To replenish the toner hopper with toner from the toner cartridge, first, a cover for covering the upper surface of the toner hopper is opened, and then a positioning pin provided on the upper surface of the toner hopper is used for positioning on the toner cartridge side. At the same time as inserting the hole, the long hole of the slider is fitted into the protrusion of the opening / closing lid. Then, the toner cartridge is slid so that both sides of the slider are guided by the guide frames on the upper surface of the toner hopper, and the opening of the toner cartridge is moved to above the toner supply port. As a result, the opening / closing lid is opened. At this time, the seal, which is a sealing member attached so as to cover the toner replenishment opening on the lower surface of the slider, is removed, and the upper part of the toner cartridge is tapped several times to drop the toner into the toner hopper.

In order to replenish the toner and restore the empty toner cartridge, the reverse operation to the above is performed.
Finally close the cover.

[0005]

In the conventional toner replenishing device, the opening / closing lid which covers the toner replenishing port can be easily slid manually or by inserting a tool. For this reason, if the opening / closing lid is inadvertently slid, dust, foreign matter, etc. may enter the toner hopper from the toner replenishment port, or toner for other models that is not originally set or toner of a different color may be mistakenly input. was there.

Further, when the slider of the toner cartridge is not guided by the guide frame at the time of toner replenishment, or when the toner cartridge is alone, the seal that seals the toner replenishment opening of the toner cartridge is peeled off. be able to. Therefore, only the toner in the contents may be diverted to other models, or the toner with deteriorated quality and characteristics may be injected after leaving the seal open for a long period of time. There was a risk of causing troubles and problems.

For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 5-289516 (Patent No. 2802854) discloses a toner replenishing device capable of replenishing toner only when a toner cartridge is guided by a guide frame. In this toner replenishing device, the opening / closing lid at the toner replenishing port is locked by the lock mechanism so that the opening / closing lid is prevented from being opened accidentally. The lock mechanism is provided with an engagement body, and the engagement body comes into contact with the release piece formed on the bottle slider only when the bottle slider on the toner cartridge side is guided in a guiding manner. And
By rotating the engaging body, the lock is released and the opening / closing lid can be opened.

Therefore, in the above structure, the lock mechanism is not released when the toner cartridge having no release piece is attached to the toner hopper, which prohibits the use of the toner cartridge having no release piece. can do. However, since the suitability of using the toner cartridge is determined only by the presence or absence of the release piece, for example, in a plurality of types of product groups filled with different types of toner, use of a toner cartridge containing an appropriate toner is permitted. However, even if the use of other toner cartridges is prohibited, or if the use of toner cartridges containing toner of the correct color in the color copying machine is permitted, the use of other color toner cartridges is prohibited. Is difficult to deal with. In other words, since there are limited variations in the shape combinations that are compatible with each other between the release piece provided on the toner cartridge side and the engagement body provided on the opening / closing lid side, when the toner reaches a wide variety, At first glance, it becomes difficult to properly identify the toner type, and it is difficult to set the shapes of the releasing piece and the engaging body. Therefore, even if the fitting state of the releasing piece and the engaging body are not completely the same, the use of the toner cartridge may be permitted as long as they have similar shapes.

In view of the above, the present invention prevents inadvertent opening of the open / close lid to prevent intrusion of dust, foreign matter and the like, and
An object of the present invention is to provide a toner replenishing device and a toner cartridge capable of preventing the wrong insertion of toner for other models and toner of different colors. Another object of the present invention is to provide a toner cartridge that can smoothly perform an operation for peeling off the sealing member after opening the opening / closing lid.

[0010]

A means for solving the problems according to the present invention is to install a toner cartridge suitable for the toner hopper when the opening / closing lid for closing the toner supply port of the toner hopper is opened and closed by using the toner cartridge. The toner cartridge includes a lock member for holding the open / close lid in a closed state and a fixing member for fixing the lock member, and the toner hopper is provided with a lock member. Further, as an opening / closing mechanism for releasing the lock by the lock mechanism, a releasing member for moving the fixing member by moving the toner cartridge forward so that the locking member can be moved, and an opening / closing member for moving the locking member to move the opening / closing lid. It is provided.

When the toner cartridge is placed on the toner hopper, the opposing surfaces of the fixing member and the releasing member that face each other are in mesh with each other. When the toner cartridge is moved forward and the two mesh with each other, the releasing member first moves the fixing member. Therefore, the regulation of the lock member by the fixing member is removed. Next, the lock member is moved by the opening / closing member, the lock by the lock member is released, and the opening / closing lid is opened.

Further, by forming a reinforcing rib on the opening / closing member for moving the biased locking member, the rigidity of the opening / closing member is increased and deformation when contacting the locking member can be prevented. On the other hand, the opening / closing lid is provided with guides such as grooves and holes into which the reinforcing ribs can be fitted, and guides the reinforcing ribs as the toner cartridge moves. As a result, the position of the opening / closing member is determined with respect to the opening / closing lid, the opening / closing member and the locking member are accurately aligned, and malfunction of the locking mechanism can be prevented.

Then, one end of a sealing member that covers the toner supply opening is attached to the releasing member, and the releasing member is provided so as to be separable from the toner cartridge main body through a bridge portion. Therefore, a regulating rib is provided on the toner cartridge main body to position the release member at a separable position when the toner cartridge main body is at the toner supply position. By contacting the guide frame with the regulation rib, the position of the release member is determined, and when the release member is rotated, the breaking force can be reliably applied to the bridge portion, and the bridge portion can be easily broken. As a result, the release member can be easily separated. At this time, if a slack portion is formed on one end side of the sealing member and temporarily fixed to the toner cartridge main body or the releasing member, the tension of the sealing member does not hinder the separation of the releasing member, and Separation becomes smooth.

Further, a contact portion facing the guide frame is formed on the release member, and the contact portion comes into contact with the guide frame when the release member is rotated at the toner replenishment position. By this, the contact portion serves as a fulcrum, the bridge portion serves as an action point, and the bridge portion can be broken with a small force,
The separation operation can be done smoothly.

Here, in order to prevent the release member from being separated by accidentally breaking the bridge portion, it is preferable to provide a sub bridge portion having a smaller cross-sectional area than the bridge portion in addition to the bridge portion. When the release member is rotated, the sub bridge portion is broken before the bridge portion, so that the release bridge can be rotated around the bridge portion, and separation of the release member is not hindered.

Further, when the releasing member is separated at the toner replenishment position, the left and right bridging portions arranged on the same axis are twisted and broken around the axis due to the rotation of the releasing member, but at this time, the left and right bridging portions are broken. It is preferable that the protrusions are formed symmetrically on the lower surface of the release member so that the force is evenly applied.
When the release member is rotated, the left and right protrusions contact the open / close lid, but the front end of the release member does not contact the open / close lid. Even if the front end has an uneven surface, a force can be uniformly applied to the bridge portion regardless of the contact between the release member and the opening / closing lid, and the release member can be smoothly separated.

[0017]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a toner replenishing device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a toner hopper 1 provided in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine and a toner cartridge 2 from a toner replenishing port. To replenish the toner. The toner hopper 1 has a mounting portion 3 for mounting the toner cartridge 2 and a toner supply port formed on the upper surface thereof.
An opening / closing lid 4 arranged to be openable / closable along the upper surface of the toner hopper 1, and an opening / closing lid 4 arranged along the wall of the toner supply port.
And a guide frame 5 for guiding the open / close direction. The opening / closing direction is the front-rear direction, the direction in which the opening / closing lid 4 is opened is the front side, and the direction orthogonal to the front-rear direction is the left-right direction.

As shown in FIGS. 3 to 7, the toner cartridge 2 is composed of a toner bottle 6 and a toner cartridge main body supporting the toner bottle 6, and in the toner cartridge main body, a bottle slider which is brought into contact with an opening / closing lid 4 to be opened / closed. 7
However, it is detachably attached to the cartridge lid 9 that closes the toner supply opening 8. And bottle slider 7
Are integrally formed around the opening of the toner bottle 6. A positioning piece 10 is formed on the side surface of the cartridge lid 9, and the toner cartridge 2 is positioned by engaging with the positioning hole 11 in the mounting portion 3 of the toner hopper 1, and along the cartridge lid 9. The toner bottle 6 and the bottle slider 7 are integrally moved in the front-rear direction to move the bottle slider 7 into the guide frame 5.
Can lead to. Therefore, the cartridge lid 9
Has a positioning function and a guiding function when the toner cartridge 2 is attached to the toner hopper 1.

The opening / closing lid 4 for opening / closing the toner replenishing port is provided with a lock mechanism for preventing the opening / closing of the toner replenishing port from being opened and closed except when the toner is replenished with a predetermined toner cartridge 2. As shown in FIG. 8, the lock mechanism includes a lock member 20 arranged on the upper surface of the opening / closing lid 4 for holding the opening / closing lid 4 in a closed state, and a fixing member 21 for fixing the locking member 20. It is covered with the cover 22 of the opening / closing lid 4 so as not to be visible from the outside. Therefore, the user inserts a tool or the like to forcibly release the lock mechanism, and the opening / closing lid 4
It is possible to prevent the opening of the toner hopper 1 and avoid unnecessary troubles due to the mixing of dust, foreign matter, and the like into the toner hopper 1.

The center of the lock member 20 is curved and supported by a support pin 23 formed on the opening / closing lid 4, and the rear part of the lock member 20 is swingable in the left-right direction with the center serving as a fulcrum. Engaging claws 24 are provided on the outer surface of the rear portion so as to project outward,
A notch groove 25 is formed in the guide frame 5 so as to face the engaging claw 24. On the other hand, the front portion is a leaf spring 26, which is sandwiched by the side portion of the opening / closing lid 4 so as not to slip out of the opening / closing lid 4, and biases the engaging claw 24 outward. Therefore, the lock member 20 is disengaged when the engaging claw 24 is engaged with the guide frame 5 and when the engaging claw 24 is moved inward and separated from the guide frame 5. It is rocked between the released postures. That is, in the engagement posture,
Since the opening / closing lid 4 is immovable and cannot be opened / closed, it can be moved and opened / closed in the releasing posture. Although the lock members 20 are provided on both the left and right sides, only one of them may be provided.

The fixing member 21 abuts on the inner surface of the lock member 20 and holds the lock member 20 in the engagement posture.
7 and an elastic portion 28 that elastically supports the holding portion 27 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction. The holding portion 27 is arranged between the lock members 20 on both sides on the upper surface of the opening / closing lid 4, and the outer surface in the left-right direction projects outward, and the rear side corner of this outer surface is notched to form a tapered shape. To be done. Further, the rear surface of the holding portion 27 is an uneven surface formed stepwise.

The elastic portion 28 is a leaf spring integrally formed with the holding portion 27, and its front side is fitted to the wall surface of the cover 22. The elastic portion 28 urges the holding portion 27 toward the rear side and gives an urging force for fixing the lock member 20. A pin-shaped support shaft 29 is provided at the center of the lower surface of the holding portion 27 in the left-right direction, and a guide groove 30 into which the support shaft 29 can be inserted is formed in the front-back direction on the upper surface of the opening / closing lid 4. There is. Support shaft 29 along this guide groove 30
The movement of the holding unit 27 limits the movement amount of the holding unit 27. As a guide part for guiding the holding part 27, a pin may be projectingly provided on the opening / closing lid 4 and a guide groove for loosely fitting the pin may be formed in the holding part 27.

Here, the holding portion 27 is adapted to move along the inner surface of the opposite lock member 20, and the posture of the lock member 20 on the inner surface of the lock member 20 depends on the amount of movement of the holding portion 27. The unevenness is formed so that it can be changed. From the rear side to the front side of the lock member 20, an engaged portion 31, an abutting portion 32, a separating portion 33, and an interference portion 34 that protrude inward are formed in order.

Since the outer surface of the holding portion 27 comes into contact with the abutting portion 32, the lock member 20 is held in the engaged posture, and the separating portion 33 secures a space so as not to come into contact with the holding portion 27. The lock member 20 can be moved by avoiding the restriction by the holding portion 27. That is, the urging force of the elastic portion 28 causes the holding portion 2
When 7 is at the rearmost position, the holding portion 27 and the abutting portion 32 face each other, the movement of the lock member 20 is restricted, and the lock member 20 is in the engagement posture. When the holding portion 27 moves against the biasing force so that the separating portion 33 and the holding portion 27 face each other, the lock member 20
Is movable toward the inside and is in the release position. The interference portion 34 is located on the front side of the spacing portion 33, and the holding portion 27
And the holding portion 27 makes contact with the separating portion 33.
The movement of the lock member 20 is restricted when the lock member 20 moves too much. It should be noted that the engaged portion 31 is formed with an inclined surface corresponding to the inclined surface of the holding portion 27, and the rear surface of the lock member 20 is formed with an inclined surface whose inner surface side projects rearward. There is.

On the other hand, the toner cartridge 2 is provided with an opening / closing mechanism in order to release the lock mechanism, and when the toner cartridge 2 is moved forward, the fixing member 21 is moved to the front side so that the lock member 20 can be moved. A release member 40 for opening and an opening / closing member 41 for moving the opening / closing lid 4 by moving the lock member 20 inward are provided on the front side of the bottle slider 7.

The front surface of the releasing member 40 is a stepped uneven surface, and the convex surface is formed in contact with the concave surface of the holding portion 27. The amount of protrusion of the releasing member 40 from the convex surface of the releasing member 40 is larger than the amount of protrusion of the retaining member 27 from the protruding concave surface.
The concave surface of the release member 40 when contacting the concave surface of
Do not touch the convex surface of. Further, a projection 42 is formed on a part of the concave surface of the release member 40 so that the uneven surface of the holding portion 27 can be contacted at least at two places on the left and right sides and the holding portion 27 can be pushed with an equal force on the left and right sides. There is. It is not necessary that the two concavo-convex surfaces be engaged with each other exactly, and the shape and dimensions are set so that they can be operated in the order described later.

The opening / closing member 41 is disposed on both the left and right sides of the releasing member 40, and contacts the rear surface of the locking member 20 to switch the locking member 20 from the engaging posture to the releasing posture.
The engaging portion 44 that engages with the engaged portion 31 of the lock member 20. The switching portion 43 is located rearward of the convex surface of the release member 40, the front surface thereof is an inclined surface corresponding to the inclination of the rear surface of the lock member 20, and the inclined surface contacts the inclined rear surface of the lock member 20. By the contact, the lock member 20 can be moved inward as the toner cartridge 2 advances due to the action.

The engaging portion 44 is located inside the switching portion 43, is located further forward than the switching portion 43 and the convex surface of the releasing member 40, and is formed in a hook shape facing outward. A taper is formed at a corner of the front surface of the engaging portion 44,
The rear surface is an inclined surface corresponding to the inclined surface of the engaged portion 31. Here, the outer end surface of the engaging portion 44 is positioned slightly closer to the outer side of the guide frame 5 than the inner end surface of the engaged portion 31 in the engaging posture, and is engaged in the releasing posture. It is always engaged with the joint portion 31. That is, as shown in FIG. 9A, the distance B between the outer end surfaces of the left and right engaging portions 44 is slightly larger than the distance A between the inner end surfaces of the left and right engaged portions 31. As a result, the engaged portion 31 is sandwiched between the engaging portion 44 and the switching portion 43, and when the toner cartridge 2 is moved backward, the lock member 2 by the opening / closing member 41 is moved.
The opening / closing lid 4 can be moved rearward through the lock member 20 according to the movement of the toner cartridge 2 without the engagement of 0 being disengaged. However, when the lock member 20 is in the engaging posture, the engaging portion 44 is not engaged with the engaged portion 31.
The overlapping length of the engaging portion 44 and the engaged portion 31 is set so as to be able to move over.

Further, in the toner cartridge 2, the characteristics of the toner accommodated in the toner cartridge 2 are deteriorated due to moisture or the like, and the toner is not scattered to the outside of the toner hopper 1 when the toner is replenished. The lower opening 8 is sealed by a film-shaped sealing member 45. The sealing member 45 is attached to the bottle slider 7 by means such as a heat welding method, and after reaching the toner replenishment position where the opening 8 of the toner bottle 6 and the toner replenishment port 1a communicate with each other, By pulling out this, the toner in the toner cartridge 2 is replenished to the toner hopper 1.

As a structure for pulling out the sealing member 45, one end of the sealing member 45 is fixed to the lower surface of the releasing member 40. By separating the releasing member 40 from the bottle slider 7, the sealing member 45 is removed. 45 is torn off.
Further, the operation portion 46 is formed on the upper surface of the release member 40. That is, the release member 40 is an attachment member to which the sealing member 45 is attached.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 10, in the sealing member 45, it is desirable that a slack portion 45a is formed on one end side between the lower portion of the bottle slider 7 and the portion fixed to the releasing member 40. . Furthermore, this slack portion 45
a is adhered to the side wall of the bottle slider 7 so as to be parallel to the pulling direction, and is temporarily fixed 45 so that it can be easily peeled off.
b has been done. Therefore, when the sealing member 45 is peeled off, if there is such a slack portion 45a, unnecessary force is not applied to the releasing member 40, and the releasing member 40 can be smoothly separated. Moreover, by temporarily fixing the slack portion 45a of the sealing member 45, it is possible to prevent the slack portion 45a from being pulled while the toner cartridge 2 is moving and disappearing.

Then, the releasing member 40 is attached to the bottle slider 7
11 and 12, the release member 40 is connected to the opening / closing member 41 provided on the bottle slider 7 through a pair of left and right bridge portions 47 and a sub bridge portion 48 so as to be separable with respect to each other. Has been done. The sub bridge 48 is shown in FIG.
As shown in, the cross-sectional area is smaller than that of the bridging portion 47, and it is easier to break than the bridging portion 47. Thereby, the release member 4
0 is rotatably supported around the bridge portion 47 arranged on the same axis with respect to the opening / closing member 41, but the presence of the auxiliary bridge portion 48 causes the release member 40 to rotate carelessly. It is prevented from moving and being separated from the opening / closing member 41. In addition, by attaching the sealing member 45 to the opening / closing member 41,
This may be used as a mounting member.

When the releasing member 40 is rotated with the bridge portion 47 as a fulcrum while holding the operating portion 46, the sub bridge portion 48 is first broken and then the bridge portion 47 is broken, so that the releasing member 40 is moved to the bottle slider 7. Can be easily separated from. That is, the operation portion 46 is pulled to peel off the sealing member 45 together with the release member 40 from the toner cartridge 2. As a result, since the toner cartridge 2 that has been used once, that is, the toner cartridge 2 from which the sealing member 45 has been pulled out does not have the releasing member 40, the opening / closing lid 4 can be opened even if the toner cartridge 2 is mounted again. It will be impossible. In the toner cartridge 2, when the bottle slider 7 is attached to the cartridge lid 9, the front end of the release member 40 comes into contact with the cartridge lid 9 even if the operation portion 46 is rotated.
The release member 40 is prevented from being separated and the sealing member 45 being peeled off when the toner hopper 1 is not mounted.

Further, at the toner supply position, the releasing member 4
When 0 is separated, the bridging portion 47 is twisted about the axis and ruptured by the rotation of the release member 40, but at this time, since the front end of the release member 40 is an uneven surface, when the open / close lid 4 is contacted. The force may not be uniformly applied to the left and right bridges 47. Therefore, in order to uniformly apply a force to the bridging portion 47, the protrusions 50 are formed symmetrically on the lower surface of the release member 40 as shown in FIG. When the releasing member 40 is rotated and slightly tilted, the left and right protrusions 50 contact the opening / closing lid 4, and the front end of the releasing member 40 does not contact the opening / closing lid 4, as shown in FIG. Therefore, the force acts on the releasing member 40 evenly on the left and right, and the left and right bridging portions 47 are formed.
The breaking force is evenly applied to them, and the breaking members can be broken at the same time, so that the release member 40 can be smoothly separated. On the other hand, in the case where the protrusion 50 is not provided, as shown in FIG. 15B, when the release member 40 rotates, the front end of the release member 40 contacts the opening / closing lid 4, and only one side of the release member 40 contacts. Become. The release member 40 is twisted to the left and right without rotating around the bridge portion 47, the uniform breaking force does not act on the bridge portion 47, and the bridge portion 47 cannot be broken.

Further, in order to reduce the operation force when rotating the releasing member 40, a contact portion 51 facing the guide frame 5 at the toner replenishing position is formed in the releasing member 40. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the contact portion 51 is a pair of left and right ribs formed at the rising portion of the operation portion 46. When the release member 40 rotates about the bridge portion 47 as a fulcrum, the contact portion 51 contacts the guide frame 5, as shown in FIG. Then, according to the principle of leverage, the contact portion 51 serves as a fulcrum, the operating portion 46 serves as a power point, and the bridge portion 47 serves as a point of action, so that the bridge portion 47 can be broken with a small operating force.

Since a part of the releasing member 40 comes into contact with the guide frame 5, the guide frame 5 may be damaged. Therefore, the release member 40, that is, the material of the bottle slider 7 is softer than the material of the guide frame 5. Specifically, the material of the bottle slider 7 is ABS, the surface hardness is Rockwell R90, and the guide frame 5
The material is HI-PS (high impact polystyrene),
The surface hardness is Rockwell M80. Accordingly, when the release member 40 contacts the guide frame 5, the guide frame 5
The scratches on the skin can be minimized.

Furthermore, in order to enable the release member 40 to be smoothly separated, the bridging portion 47 must be effectively subjected to a breaking force. Therefore, the bridging portion 47 may be positioned at the toner supply position, and the regulation rib 60 is provided on the bottle slider 7. Regulation rib 60
As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, a pair of left and right members are formed on the opening / closing member 41 in the extension direction of the axis of the bridge portion 47 so that they can move while slidingly contacting the guide frame 5. When the bottle slider 7 reaches the toner replenishment position, the regulation rib 60 contacts the inner surface of the guide frame 5 and regulates the vertical displacement of the bridge portion 47. It should be noted that since it is located at the toner replenishment position, it is positioned in the front-rear direction. In this way, since the bridging portion 47 is in a fixed position, the positional relationship between the contact portion 51 of the releasing member 40 and the guide frame 5 is also determined, and the breaking force is not released to the other, and the left and right bridging portions 47 are effectively released. Can be operated.

A reinforcing rib 61 is formed integrally with the restriction rib 60 toward the front. As a result, the rigidity of the opening / closing member 41 is increased, and the deformation of the opening / closing member 41 when contacting the lock member 20 can be prevented. The cover 22 of the opening / closing lid 5 is provided with a groove as a guide 62 into which the reinforcing rib 61 can be fitted. Alternatively, a standing wall may be formed instead of the groove, and the reinforcing rib 61 may be provided along the standing wall.
With the movement of the bottle slider 7, the reinforcing ribs 61 are guided by the guides 62 and fit into each other, whereby the position of the opening / closing member 41 is determined with respect to the opening / closing lid 4, and the position of the opening / closing member 41 and the lock member 20 is aligned. Is accurately performed, and the malfunction of the lock mechanism can be prevented. A rib that can be fitted into the guide 62 may be formed on the release member 40 as long as it guides the bottle slider 7.

Next, the toner replenishing operation from the toner cartridge 2 having the above-mentioned configuration to the toner hopper 1 will be described. First, as shown in FIG. 17, the toner cartridge 2 is mounted on the mounting portion 3 on the upper surface of the toner hopper 1, and the cartridge lid 9 is positioned. At this time,
As shown in FIG. 9A, the distance L1 between the concave surface of the holding portion 27 and the convex surface of the release member 40 is smaller than the distance L2 between the rear surface of the lock member 20 and the switching portion 43 of the opening / closing member 41,
The release member 40 comes into contact with the holding portion 27 before the switching portion 43 comes into contact with the lock member 20.

Then, when the bottle slider 7 of the toner cartridge 2 is moved forward while being pressed against the upper surface of the toner hopper 1, the bottle slider 7 moves along the cartridge lid 9 and the front side of the release member 40 is the opening / closing lid 4. Intrudes into the cover 22 of the. At this time, the reinforcing ribs 61 of the opening / closing member 41 are fitted with the guides 62 of the opening / closing lid 4, and each member is set at a predetermined position. When it is further advanced, as shown in FIG. 18, the convex surface of the releasing member 40 contacts the concave surface of the holding portion 27, and the projection 42 contacts the convex surface of the holding portion 27. At this time, the switching portion 43 is not yet in contact with the lock member 20. Although the engaging portion 44 contacts the engaged portion 31 slightly before the contact between the releasing member 40 and the fixing member 21, the engaging portion 31 is pushed by the engaging portion 44 and moves outward. As the engaging portion 44 itself bends as well as bends, it is avoided that the bottle slider 7 is prevented from moving due to the collision of the both.

As described above, when the uneven surface of the releasing member 40 and the uneven surface of the holding portion 27 mesh and come into contact with each other, as shown in FIG.
As shown in (b), the distance L3 from the outer surface end of the holding portion 27 that is in contact with the contact portion 32 of the lock member 20 to the spacing portion 33 is the distance from the rear surface of the lock member 20 to the switching portion 43. It is smaller than L4. Here, if the distance L3 is larger than the distance L4, when the switching portion 43 abuts on the lock member 20, the holding portion 27 has not yet reached the separating portion 33, and at least a part of the abutting portion 32. The holding portion 27 restricts the lock member 20 from moving inward. Therefore, the opening / closing member 41 is prevented from moving forward, and the opening / closing lid 4 cannot be opened.
If it is forcibly advanced, either member may be damaged. Therefore, in order to open the opening / closing lid 4 smoothly, the above positional relationship is required.

When the bottle slider 7 is further advanced from the state where the releasing member 40 and the holding portion 27 are in contact with each other, the engaging portion 4
4 passes over the engaged portion 31, the elastic portion 28 bends as shown in FIG. 19, and the holding portion 27 is pushed against the biasing force of the elastic portion 28. Then, the holding portion 27 moves from the position facing the contact portion 32 of the lock member 20 to the position facing the separating portion 33, the restriction on the lock member 20 is released, and the lock member 20 becomes movable. However, at this point in time, the lock member 20 is urged outward by the urging force of the leaf spring 26, so the engagement claw 24
Remains engaged with the cutout groove 25 of the guide frame 5, the lock member 20 maintains the engagement posture, and the opening / closing lid 4 is not in a movable state.

Further, when the bottle slider 7 advances,
The switching portion 43 of the opening / closing member 41 abuts the rear surface of the lock member 20, and the lock member 20 moves inward by the action of the switching portion 43, as shown in FIG. The engaging claw 24 is separated from the guide frame 5, and the lock member 20 is in the release posture and the lock is released. When the bottle slider 7 is further advanced, the opening / closing lid 4 moves toward the front side, and
As shown in FIG. 1, the opening / closing lid 4 is opened to expose the toner supply port, and the toner cartridge 2 is placed at the toner supply position where the toner supply port and the opening 8 of the toner bottle 6 communicate with each other.
Is completed and toner can be replenished.

Here, the above operation is possible only when the shape condition of the uneven surface of the fixing member 21 and the uneven surface of the releasing member 40 match, and when the above shape condition does not match. The opening / closing lid 4 is not opened. That is, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, when the release member 40 lacks the uneven surface or the convex surface is short, or when the sealing member 45 is peeled off and the release member 40 is not provided, the uneven surface of the holding portion 27 is formed. The release member 40 does not come into contact, or even if it comes into contact, the pushing amount of the holding portion 27 becomes insufficient. Therefore, the holding portion 27 cannot move to a position facing the separating portion 33 of the lock member 20, remains in contact with the contact portion 32, the lock member 20 cannot move inward, and unlocking cannot be performed. .

Further, as shown in FIG. 23, the releasing member 40
If the convex surface is long, the pushing amount of the holding portion 27 becomes large, and the holding portion 27 moves to the position where it reaches the interference portion 34 beyond the separating portion 33 with respect to the lock member 20. Therefore, the movement of the lock member 20 is restricted, and even in this case, the lock cannot be released. As described above, unless the lock member 20 is unlocked, the opening / closing lid 4 cannot be opened, and the toner cartridge 2 cannot be mounted at the toner replenishment position.

In the toner cartridge 2 described above, the sealing member 45 that covers the toner replenishing opening 8 is integrally attached to the releasing member 40, and the releasing member 40 is separated from the bottle slider 7 for sealing. Member 45
Can be peeled off from the toner cartridge 2.
Therefore, when the operation portion 46 is inadvertently rotated while the toner cartridge 2 is placed on the toner hopper 1 and is moved forward, the releasing member 40 causes the bottle slider 7 to move.
After that, the opening / closing lid 4 cannot be opened. However, since the releasing member 40 is connected to the opening / closing member 40 not only by the bridging portion 47 but also by the sub-bridging portion 48, the force for breaking the bridging portion 47 is not given only by rotating the operating portion 46. The release member 40 is not easily separated.

When the operating portion 46 is pulled at the toner replenishing position, the releasing member 40 tries to rotate about the bridge portion 47 as a fulcrum. Then, the bridge portion 47 is twisted, and the contact portion 5
When 1 comes into contact with the guide frame 5, the auxiliary bridge portion 48 is first broken, and further, the contact portion 51 serves as a fulcrum to exert a large force on the bridge portion 47 according to the principle of lever, and the bridge portion 4
7 breaks. At this time, the slack portion 4 is formed on the sealing member 45.
Since 5a is present, it does not hinder the rotation of the release member 40,
It can be separated smoothly.

When the release member 40 is separated from the opening / closing member 41 in this way, the release member 40 is pulled up while holding the operating portion 46. Along with this, the temporary fixing 45b of the sealing member 45 is peeled off, and the sealing member 45 is pulled out from the bottle slider 7.

As described above, since the releasing member 40 can be separated only when the toner cartridge 2 is completely attached to the toner replenishing position, the toner cartridge 2 is separated.
The sealing member 45 can be peeled off in a state where the opening 8 and the toner supply port of the toner hopper 1 are completely communicated with each other, and the toner can be reliably supplied at the toner supply position. Therefore, when the toner cartridge 2 is not mounted in the correct position, the sealing member 45 cannot be peeled off, so that toner does not leak from the toner cartridge 2 and the upper surface of the toner hopper 1, especially the toner supply port. It is possible to prevent pollution around the.

After the toner cartridge 2 is mounted on the toner hopper 1 and the toner is replenished as described above, the toner cartridge 2 is moved backward to the mounting portion 3 again and removed. At this time, the operation of removing the toner cartridge 2 and the operation of closing the opening / closing lid 4 can be performed in conjunction with each other. That is, as shown in FIG. 21, since the engaging portion 44 of the opening / closing member 41 is engaged with the engaged portion 31 of the lock member 20 when the opening / closing lid 4 is opened, the bottle slider 7 after the toner is replenished. Is moved backward to the placement portion 3, the opening / closing lid 4 is pulled via the lock member 20, and the opening / closing lid 4 moves to a position where the toner supply port is closed. At this time, the holding portion 27 is biased in the rearward direction by the elastic portion 28, but comes into contact with the wall surface of the separating portion 33 of the lock member 20 to hold the holding portion 27.
Movement is regulated. Note that the release member 4 is shown in FIG.
Although 0 is drawn, the releasing member 40 is actually peeled off together with the sealing member 45 after the toner is supplied.
Does not exist.

Since the lock member 20 in the releasing posture is biased toward the guide frame by the action of the leaf spring 26 thereof, when the opening / closing lid 4 reaches the closed position of the toner replenishing port, the engaging claw 24 is released. Opposing the notch groove 25 of the guide frame 5, the lock member 20 is moved by the urging force of the lock member 20, and the engaging claw 24
Is inserted into the cutout groove 25. As a result, the lock member 20 is engaged with the guide frame 5 to be in the locked state, and the opening / closing lid 4 is held in the closed state. At this time, the engagement between the engagement portion 44 and the engaged portion 31 is released, and the holding portion 27 also moves so as to face the contact portion 32.

Further, when the bottle slider 7 is moved backward, the engaging portion 44 gets over the engaged portion 31 and pushes the lock member 20 outward, so that the lock member 20 is securely engaged. It is said that At this time, the holding portion 27 whose movement is restricted by the existence of the engaging portion 44
Is moved by being pushed by the urging force of the elastic portion 28, comes into contact with the abutting portion 32, and fixes the lock member 20 in the engagement posture. Then, the bottle slider 7 is fitted to the cartridge lid 9 on the mounting portion 3, and the toner cartridge 2 can be removed from the toner hopper 1.

By the way, the holding portion 27 of the fixing member 21 is moved by being pushed by the releasing member 40, but at this time, the guide groove 30
Move along. As a result, when the force is biased to either one of the left and right sides with respect to the holding portion 27, the holding portion 27 is rotated about the support shaft 29 in a horizontal plane and tilted, and the lock cannot be released. It has become.
Therefore, the elastic portion 28 is composed of two leaf springs, and the holding portion 27 is tilted to the left or right.

That is, as shown in FIG. 24 (a), when the uneven surface of the holding portion 27 and the uneven surface of the toner cartridge 2 are completely aligned with each other, a force acts evenly on the left and right sides of the holding portion 27. The holding portion 27 moves in parallel to the left and right, and the lock is released. However, as shown in FIG.
When the uneven surface of the holding portion 27 and the uneven surface of the release member 40 match only on either the left or right side, the holding portion 27 exerts an unequal force on either the left or right side. 27 moves in a tilted state. Then, the holding portion 27 separates from the contact portion 32 and faces the separating portion 33 on either one of the left and right sides, and the lock member 20 is in the release posture.
On the other hand, the holding portion 27 remains in contact with the contact portion 32, the restriction of the holding portion 27 with respect to the lock member 20 is not released, and the lock is not released in the engagement posture.

Further, when there are two or more guide grooves 30, as shown in FIG. 24 (c), the holding portion 27 does not rotate and tilts in the horizontal plane, so that the holding portion 27 does not move. Limited to translation only. For this reason, even if the uneven surface of the holding portion 27 and the uneven surface of the release member 40 match only on either the left or right side, the holding portion 27 always moves in parallel, and the locked state is released. , Is inconvenient. That is, by providing only one guide groove 30 in the center in the left-right direction, the holding portion 27 can be freely swung in the horizontal plane, and the supporting or holding of the holding portion 27 is intentionally made unstable. You can

Therefore, when the uneven surface of the holding portion 27 and the uneven surface of the releasing member 40 do not completely match, the balance of the forces acting on the left and right portions of the holding portion 27 becomes uneven, and the locked state is The risk of being easily released can be reduced. Further, this means that even if the uneven shape is not so complicated, it is possible to provide many variations even if the brands and types of toner are increased, only by combining the simple uneven shapes.

Moreover, the holding portion 27 is provided at the front end of the guide groove 30.
When the support shaft 29 comes into contact, the movement amount (displacement amount) of the holding portion 27 is limited. For example, if the holding portion 27 is pushed beyond the allowable amount, it passes over the interference portion 34 of the lock member 20, and the holding portion 27 does not contact the inner surface of the lock member 20, so that the lock of the lock mechanism is released. Therefore, by limiting the amount of movement of the holding portion 27 to the extent that it does not pass through the interference portion 34, the holding portion 27 is prevented from being pushed in by more than an allowable amount and the lock mechanism is prevented from being unlocked. In addition, it is possible to prevent the lock member 20 and the fixing member 21 from being damaged due to excessive force.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and it goes without saying that many modifications and changes can be made to the above embodiment within the scope of the present invention. For example, the shape of the uneven surface of the releasing member and the fixing member may be a corrugated shape, a comb tooth shape, or a curved surface other than the rectangular shape as in the above embodiment, and the dimension such as the protrusion amount is determined according to a predetermined procedure. Need only be set to operate. Further, although the releasing member and the opening / closing member are separate members, they are only functionally separate and may be provided as an integral member. Then, a part of this integral member may be made separable and a sealing member may be attached thereto.

The lock member is adapted to move in the left-right direction to engage with the side surface of the guide frame, but to move in the up-down direction to engage with the upper surface of the guide frame or the upper surface of the toner hopper. You may

[0060]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, when the release member on the toner cartridge side and the opening / closing lid match, the lock can be released to open the opening / closing lid. It is possible to prevent erroneous addition of toner for other models, different color toner, etc. due to the use of the toner cartridge. Therefore, the opening / closing lid cannot be forcibly brought into the open state manually or with the aid of a tool or the like, so that it is possible to avoid unnecessary troubles due to diversion of toner for other models and mixing of dust, foreign matter, and the like.

Moreover, only when the toner cartridge is mounted in an appropriate state, the respective members work together to move the opening / closing lid in the opening direction, and the toner cartridge replenishment opening and the toner hopper toner replenishment opening are completely closed. Therefore, it is possible to prevent contamination around the toner replenishing port and reliably perform the toner replenishing work.

Since the sealing member for covering the toner replenishing opening of the toner cartridge is attached to the releasing member, if the releasing member is separated, the lock of the opening / closing lid cannot be released, and the toner can be replenished. Absent. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the unsealed toner having deteriorated quality and performance from being thrown into the toner hopper, and it is possible to prevent deterioration of image quality and development trouble. Further, even if a used toner cartridge is mounted, the opening / closing lid cannot be opened, so that unnecessary operation can be prevented. for that reason,
Since the releasing member is connected to the toner cartridge main body via the bridge portion and the sub bridge portion, it is possible to prevent the releasing member from being unintentionally separated from the unused toner cartridge.

In order to peel off the sealing member together with the releasing member, the releasing member is rotated by providing a protrusion that uniformly contacts the opening / closing lid, a regulating rib that positions the releasing member, and a contact portion that contacts the guide frame. The operation of moving and separating can be smoothly performed, and the operability can be improved.
Further, by attaching the sealing member to the releasing member with a slack, the releasing member can be smoothly separated without being affected by the sealing member.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a toner supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view when the toner cartridge is placed on the toner hopper.

FIG. 3 shows a bottle slider, (a) is a plan view,
(B) is a side view

FIG. 4 shows a cartridge lid, (a) is a plan view,
(B) is a side view

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a toner cartridge in which a toner bottle is omitted.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a toner cartridge in which the toner bottle is omitted when the bottle slider is moved.

7A is a cross-sectional view of an opening / closing mechanism, FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional view of an opening / closing lid, and FIG. 7C is a cross-sectional view when a toner cartridge is moved along an upper surface of a toner hopper.

8A is a plan view of an opening / closing mechanism, and FIG. 8B is a plan view of a locking mechanism.

9A is an enlarged view of a main part when the toner cartridge is placed on a toner hopper, and FIG. 9B is an enlarged view of a main part when the toner cartridge is in contact with a fixing member.

FIG. 10 is a view showing a sealing member.

FIG. 11 is a plan view of the toner replenishing device when the opening / closing member is guided by the opening / closing lid.

FIG. 12 is an enlarged view of a main part of FIG.

FIG. 13 is a view showing a bridge portion and a sub bridge portion.

FIG. 14 is a bottom view of the bottle slider.

FIG. 15 (a) is a view showing the rotation of a release member having a protrusion,
(B) Diagram showing the rotation of the release member having no protrusion

16A is a diagram showing a state before the release member is rotated at a toner supply position, and FIG. 16B is a diagram showing a state after the release member is separated at the toner supply position.

FIG. 17 is a plan view of the toner replenishing device when the toner cartridge is placed on the toner hopper.

FIG. 18 is a plan view of the toner replenishing device when the toner cartridge contacts the fixing member.

FIG. 19 is a plan view of the toner replenishing device when the releasing member pushes in the fixing member.

FIG. 20 is a plan view of the toner replenishing device when the engagement of the lock member is released.

FIG. 21 is a plan view of the toner supply device when the toner cartridge reaches the toner supply position.

FIG. 22 is a plan view of the toner replenishing device when using a toner cartridge in which the shape of the uneven surface of the releasing member is inappropriate.

FIG. 23 is a plan view of the toner replenishing device when using a toner cartridge in which the uneven surface of the releasing member is inappropriate.

FIG. 24 is a view for explaining the movement of the fixing member due to the difference in the uneven surface of the releasing member.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Toner hopper 2 toner cartridge 4 Open / close lid 5 guide frames 20 Lock member 21 Fixing member 31 Engagement part 40 Release member 41 Opening / closing member 45 sealing member 45a Slack part 47 Bridge 48 Sub-bridge 50 protrusions 51 contact part 60 regulatory ribs 61 Reinforcing rib 62 Guide

Continuation of front page (56) Reference JP-A-6-67534 (JP, A) JP-A-3-245172 (JP, A) JP-A-3-180874 (JP, A) JP-A-5-281855 (JP , A) (58) Fields investigated (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G03G 15/08 112 G03G 15/08 506 B65D 83/06

Claims (10)

(57) [Claims] 1. An opening / closing cover for opening / closing the toner supply port, a guide frame arranged along the wall of the toner supply port for guiding the opening / closing cover in the opening / closing direction, and a lock for holding the opening / closing cover in a closed state. A toner cartridge for replenishing toner from the toner replenishing port by opening the opening / closing lid at a toner replenishing position with respect to a toner tank provided with a member and a fixing member for fixing the lock member, A release member that moves the fixing member to release the lock by the lock member is provided.
A toner cartridge, which is detachably attached to a toner cartridge main body, a toner supply opening of the toner cartridge main body is covered with a sealing member, and one end of the sealing member is attached to the releasing member. 2. The toner cartridge according to claim 1, wherein a slack portion is formed on one end side of the sealing member. 3. The toner cartridge according to claim 2, wherein the loosened portion of the sealing member is temporarily fixed to the toner cartridge main body or the releasing member. 4. An opening / closing cover for opening / closing the toner supply port, a guide frame arranged along the wall of the toner supply port for guiding the opening / closing cover in the opening / closing direction, and a lock for holding the opening / closing cover in a closed state. A toner cartridge for replenishing toner from the toner replenishing port by opening the opening / closing lid at a toner replenishing position with respect to a toner tank provided with a member and a fixing member for fixing the lock member, A release member for moving the fixing member to release the lock by the lock member is provided on the toner cartridge main body so as to be separable via a bridge portion, and the release member is the bridge arranged on the same axis. The release member is rotatable, and one end of a sealing member that covers the toner replenishing opening of the toner cartridge body is attached to the release member to rotate the release member. Toner cartridge, characterized in when the separation, that the projections be uniformly contacted with said lid together to prevent the tip of the releasing member and the contact between the lid formed in the releasing member. 5. An opening / closing cover for opening / closing the toner supply port, a guide frame arranged along the wall of the toner supply port for guiding the opening / closing cover in the opening / closing direction, and a lock for holding the opening / closing cover in a closed state. A toner cartridge for replenishing toner from the toner replenishing port by opening the opening / closing lid at a toner replenishing position with respect to a toner tank provided with a member and a fixing member for fixing the lock member, A release member for moving the fixing member to release the lock by the lock member is provided on the toner cartridge main body so as to be separable via a bridge portion, and the release member is the bridge arranged on the same axis. The release member is attached to the release member at one end of a sealing member that covers the toner replenishing opening of the toner cartridge body. Toner cartridge, characterized in that the regulating rib for positioning is provided at a position. 6. The toner according to claim 5, wherein the restriction rib is formed on the toner cartridge main body on the same axis as the bridge portion, and comes into contact with the guide frame when the release member rotates at the toner replenishment position. cartridge. 7. An opening / closing cover for opening / closing the toner supply port, a guide frame arranged along the wall of the toner supply port for guiding the opening / closing cover in the opening / closing direction, and a lock for holding the opening / closing cover in a closed state. A toner cartridge for replenishing toner from the toner replenishing port by opening the opening / closing lid at a toner replenishing position with respect to a toner tank provided with a member and a fixing member for fixing the lock member, A release member for moving the fixing member to release the lock by the lock member is provided on the toner cartridge main body so as to be separable via a bridge portion, and the release member is the bridge arranged on the same axis. The release member is rotatably attached, and one end of a sealing member that covers the toner supply opening of the toner cartridge body is attached to the release member. A contact portion facing the guide frame is formed at the feed position, and when the release member is rotated, the contact portion contacts the guide frame to serve as a fulcrum, and the bridge portion serves as an action point. Toner cartridge. 8. The toner cartridge according to claim 7, wherein the release member is formed of a material softer than the guide frame. 9. An opening / closing lid for opening / closing the toner supply port, a guide frame arranged along the wall of the toner supply port for guiding the opening / closing cover in the opening / closing direction, and a lock for holding the opening / closing cover in a closed state. A toner cartridge for replenishing toner from the toner replenishing port by opening the opening / closing lid at a toner replenishing position with respect to a toner tank provided with a member and a fixing member for fixing the lock member, A release member for moving the fixing member to release the lock by the lock member is provided on the toner cartridge main body so as to be separable via a bridge portion, and the release member is the bridge arranged on the same axis. Part of the sealing member is attached to the releasing member to cover the toner replenishing opening of the toner cartridge body, and the fixing member is moved. Releasing member is provided to allow release the lock by the lock member, to said release member,
One end of a sealing member that covers the toner supply opening of the toner cartridge main body is attached, and the release member is separably connected to the toner cartridge main body through a plurality of bridge portions and arranged on the same axis line. A toner cartridge, wherein the cross-linking portion is rotatable about the cross-linking portion, and the sub-cross-linking portions other than the cross-linking portion serving as the rotation center have a smaller cross-sectional area than the cross-linking portion. 10. A toner replenishing device for replenishing toner from a toner cartridge through a toner replenishing port provided in the toner tank, wherein the toner is movably arranged along an upper surface of the toner tank. An opening / closing lid for opening / closing the replenishing port, a guide frame arranged along the wall of the toner replenishing port for guiding the opening / closing lid in the opening / closing direction, a lock member for holding the opening / closing lid in a closed state, and the lock member A fixing member that fixes the lock member, and a releasing member that moves the fixing member by advancing the toner cartridge so that the lock by the locking member can be released; and a moving member that moves the locking member to open and close the opening and closing member. An opening / closing member for moving the lid is provided, and one end of a sealing member that covers the toner supply opening of the toner cartridge body is attached to the release member. The release member is separable from the main body of the toner cartridge, and the opposing surface of the fixing member and the release member that face each other when the toner cartridge is placed on the toner tank is formed into an uneven surface, and A toner replenishing device, characterized in that surfaces thereof are in mesh with each other, reinforcing ribs are formed on the toner cartridge main body, and a guide capable of fitting the reinforcing ribs is provided on the opening / closing lid.