JP7581749B2 - Toner storage container and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a toner storage container and an image forming device.

Conventionally, in image forming devices such as copiers, a technique has been widely used in which a container or device (toner container, process cartridge, etc.) that contains a developer is provided in a removable manner on the main body of the image forming device (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

The toner storage container and the process cartridge are provided with an information storage medium such as an ID chip (also called an "ID chip", "IC chip", etc.) that stores information to be exchanged between the image forming apparatus main body.
Quality control is performed between the image forming device main body and the information stored in the information storage medium (such as the manufacturing date of the removable device, manufacturing lot number, toner color and type, etc.) is sent to the control unit of the image forming device main body, and information from the image forming device main body (such as usage history in the image forming device) is sent to the information storage medium.
Furthermore, in the case of a process cartridge or the like whose life span is determined by the number of times it has been used, the limit of its use is judged based on the information in the information storage medium, and the user is prompted to replace it.

As such an information storage medium, a contact type is known.
When a contact-type information storage medium is set in the image forming device main body, its terminal surface (communication surface) comes into contact with the main body terminal of the connector installed in the image forming device main body, enabling the exchange of information with the control unit of the image forming device (main body side information recording unit).

However, in contact-type information storage media, there is a problem in that contact with a foreign object, a human finger, or the like on the terminal surface can cause dirt or corrosion, resulting in communication failure.
To address this problem, a technique has been proposed in which a cover member is provided to protect the information storage medium.

However, if a cover member is provided on the information storage medium, the cover member must be removed before it can be attached to the image forming device body. On the other hand, if a shutter-type cover member that automatically opens and closes in response to attachment and detachment to the image forming device body is used, it becomes necessary to provide a space for storing the shutter and a shutter opening and closing mechanism, which requires space to house the mechanism and a drive means.

In response to this, Patent Document 2 discloses an embodiment in which a protective cover that protects the information storage medium of the process cartridge is integrally provided on a shutter that automatically opens and closes the transfer opening and exposure opening of the process cartridge.

According to the technology of Patent Document 2, a memory tag protection cover that protects the memory tag of the developing cartridge is integrally provided with a cover member that protects the developing roller of the developing cartridge, thereby making it possible to reduce the number of parts.
However, the configuration in which the cover member for protecting the information storage medium is integrally formed with the member for protecting the photoconductor (photoconductor shutter) cannot be applied to containers or devices that do not have the photoconductor shutter. Also, since it is not specialized for the purpose of protecting the information storage medium, there is a risk that foreign matter may enter when the container is opened and closed, and the foreign matter may adhere to the terminal surface of the information storage medium.

The present invention aims to provide a toner storage container that can protect an information storage medium with a space-saving and simple configuration and prevent corrosion and communication failure caused by contact with or adhesion of foreign matter to the terminal surface, which is the communication surface of the information storage medium.

In order to solve the above problem, the toner storage container of the present invention is a toner storage container that is detachably attached to an image forming device main body and has an information storage medium, and is provided with a cover member that protects the information storage medium, and the information storage medium has a plurality of communication surfaces consisting of a plurality of terminals that contact main body side terminals installed on the image forming device main body to communicate information, and the cover member has a plurality of openings that expose the plurality of communication surfaces, and between adjacent openings there is a rib-shaped portion that partitions the opening corresponding to the communication surface, and the rib-shaped portion has a surface that faces the space between adjacent communication surfaces and a portion of the communication surface, and an inclined surface that inclines from an end of a surface opposite the opposing surface toward the communication surface, and in the region having the inclined surface, the opening area of the opening expands in the direction from the communication surface toward the end .

The present invention provides a toner storage container that can protect an information storage medium with a space-saving and simple configuration and can prevent corrosion and communication failure caused by contact with or adhesion of foreign matter to the terminal surface, which is the communication surface of the information storage medium.

1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a state in which an information storage medium is held in a housing. 1A and 1B are schematic diagrams showing an example of a cover member, in which FIG. 1A is a perspective view of the cover member in an attached state, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a state in which a protective sheet is attached. 4 is a cross-sectional explanatory diagram of a state in which a cover member and a protective sheet are attached onto an information storage medium. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a process until a main body side terminal installed on the image forming apparatus main body comes into contact with a communication surface. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an information storage medium accommodated in an information storage medium accommodation section; FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram showing an embodiment of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention;

The toner storage container and image forming apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments shown below, and can be modified within the scope of what a person skilled in the art can imagine, including other embodiments, additions, modifications, deletions, etc., and any aspect is within the scope of the present invention as long as it achieves the functions and effects of the present invention.

A toner storage container according to the present invention is a toner storage container that is detachably attached to the main body of an image forming apparatus and includes an information storage medium.
The "toner storage container" includes the form of a toner container consisting of a toner container body (bottle body) and a cap part (bottle cap) attached to the top of the toner container, and the form of a process cartridge. The "process cartridge" is a device in which at least one of a charging part that charges an image carrier, a developing part (developing device) that develops a latent image formed on the image carrier, and a cleaning part that cleans the image carrier, and an image carrier are integrated and detachably installed in the image forming device body.
In the toner container, the information storage medium is placed in, for example, the cap portion.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a state in which an information storage medium is held in a housing of a toner storage container.
The information storage medium (also called an "ID chip", "IC chip", etc.) 42 is used to transmit and receive necessary information to and from the main body of the image forming apparatus. Information communicated between the two includes information on the toner storage container and the information storage medium itself, such as the serial number, manufacturing date, and number of times recycled, information on the toner capacity, lot number, color, etc., and information on the usage history of the main body of the image forming apparatus. This electronic information is stored in the information storage medium before it is installed in the main body of the image forming apparatus, and information received from the main body of the apparatus after it is installed is also stored in the information storage medium.

As shown in FIG. 1, the information storage medium 42 has four communication surfaces 43a (terminals 43) arranged in parallel in the longitudinal direction.
Further, in the information storage medium 42, positioning notches and holes are formed at both ends in the arrangement direction so as to sandwich the four communication surfaces 43a, and the medium is fixed to the housing side by positioning pins 41a.

If the communication surface 43a is exposed and unprotected as shown in FIG. 1, it may be touched by the user's fingers or may become contaminated with foreign matter when attaching or detaching the toner storage container.
If the communication surface 43a becomes dirty or corroded, communication failure will occur, so it is necessary to prevent such problems by providing a cover member.

FIG. 2A is a perspective view showing a state in which a cover member 44 is attached onto the information storage medium 42 in FIG. 1, and FIG. 2B is a plan view of the cover member 44. As shown in FIG.
The toner storage container of this embodiment is a toner storage container that is removably attached to the image forming device main body and has an information storage medium 42, and is provided with a cover member 44 that protects the information storage medium 42, the information storage medium 42 has a plurality of communication surfaces 43a consisting of a plurality of terminals 43 that contact a main body side terminal 50 (see Figure 5) installed on the image forming device main body to communicate information, and the cover member 44 has a plurality of openings 40 that expose the multiple communication surfaces 43a, and between adjacent openings 40 there is a rib-shaped portion 44a that partitions the openings 40 corresponding to the communication surfaces 43a.

As shown in FIG. 2(A), the cover member 44 has a plurality of rib-shaped portions 44a provided in correspondence with the plurality of gaps 43b (see FIG. 1) between adjacent communication surfaces 43a.

Moreover, the cover member 44 preferably has a position restriction portion that restricts the movable range of the information storage medium 42 .
As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the cover member 44 has a positioning hole 44c that engages with the positioning pin 41a, so that movement in a direction perpendicular to the communication surface 43a can be restricted.

The cover member 44 is preferably fixed to the housing 41 by snap fitting, pressing a boss, or the like. By fixing the cover member 44 using a method that does not use screws or rivets, the number of parts and costs can be reduced.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a state in which a protective sheet 45 is attached onto a cover member 44. As shown in FIG.
The toner storage container of this embodiment preferably includes a protective sheet 45 that covers the opening 40 of the cover member 44 as shown in FIG.
By providing the protective sheet 45, it is possible to prevent foreign matter from entering the opening 40 and to prevent the foreign matter from adhering to the communication surface 43a.

The protective sheet 45 is preferably a flexible material, such as a urethane sheet.
The protective sheet 45 has a notch 45 a above the opening 40 for receiving the main body side terminals 50 .

4 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the information storage medium 42 with the cover member 44 attached thereon. A protective sheet 45 is attached to the cover member 44.
As shown in FIG. 4, the cover member 44 has a plurality of rib-like portions 44a provided in correspondence with the plurality of gaps 43b between the communication surfaces 43a of the information storage medium 42.
In the longitudinal direction, the width Wd of the rib-like portion 44a is preferably larger than the width of the gap 43b between the adjacent communication surfaces 43a. In other words, the width Wa of the opening 40 in the vicinity of the communication surface 43a is preferably smaller than the width Wc of the terminal 43.

As shown in FIG. 4, the rib-shaped portion 44a has an inclined surface 44b that guides the image forming device main body side terminal 50 toward the communication surface 43a, and in the region having the inclined surface 44b, the opening area of the opening 40 expands from the communication surface 43a toward the image forming device. That is, in the cross section, as shown in FIG. 4, it is preferable that the opening width Wb toward the image forming device is larger than the opening width Wa closer to the communication surface 43a.

Moreover, the height H of the rib-like portion 44a in the direction perpendicular to the communication surface 43a is preferably 0.5 or more times the width Wa of the exposed communication surface 43a in the arrangement direction.
By satisfying the relationship H≧Wa×0.5, it is possible to prevent the user's fingers from touching the communication surface 43a. From the viewpoint of miniaturization of the information storage medium 42 and regulating the position when the toner storage container is inserted (the position of the communication surface 43a of the information storage medium 42 is regulated to match the position of the main body side terminal 50 during the process of setting the toner storage container in the machine), it is more preferable to set Wa to 1 to 3 mm and to set H to 1 to 3 mm while satisfying the relationship H≧Wa×0.5.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a process until the main body terminal 50 of the image forming apparatus comes into contact with the communication surface 43a when the toner storage container is installed in the image forming apparatus main body.
5A shows the state in which the main body side terminals 50 are in contact with the protective sheet 45, and the main body side terminals 50 are in a state in which they are shifted from the intended contact position with respect to the communication surface 43a. The main body side terminals 50 move in the direction of arrow D and enter the opening 40 at the position shown in FIG. 5B.
The protective sheet 45 has an insertion portion for the body-side terminals 50, which is formed of a slit 45a above the opening 40, and as shown in Fig. 5(B), is bent along the rib-shaped portion 44a when the body-side terminals 50 are inserted into the opening 40. The body-side terminals 50 advance along the inclined surface 44b of the rib-shaped portion 44a and come into contact with the communication surface 43a at the position shown in Fig. 5(C).

As shown in Figures 5(A) to 5(C), according to the cover member 44 provided on the toner storage container of this embodiment, even if the main body side terminal 50 is inserted into the opening 40 at a position that is offset from the original contact position with the communication surface 43a, the inclined surface 44b guides it to the appropriate position.

As shown in FIG. 5(C), it is preferable that the protective sheet 45 is long enough so that the free end 45b of the slit does not come into contact with the communication surface 43a when bent along the rib-shaped portion 44a.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the information storage medium 42 accommodated in the information storage medium accommodating section 46. As shown in FIG.
The toner storage container of the present embodiment can have an information storage medium storage section 46 in which a housing section 41 for holding an information storage medium 42 and a cover member 44 are integrally formed.
By integrally forming the cover member 44, it is possible to reduce the number of steps and parts required to fix the cover member 44. Furthermore, by inserting and holding the information storage medium 42 in the slit 47 provided in the housing 41, it is possible to reduce the number of parts required to fix the information storage medium 42.
The position where the slit 47 is provided and the direction in which the information storage medium 42 is inserted are not limited to the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, and can be changed as appropriate.

The toner storage container of this embodiment protects the information storage medium 42 with a space-saving and simple configuration, and prevents corrosion and communication failure caused by contact with or adhesion of foreign matter to the terminal surface, which is the communication surface 43a of the information storage medium 42.

FIG. 7 shows the overall configuration of an embodiment of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention.
The image forming apparatus of this embodiment is equipped with the toner storage container according to the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 7, the toner storage container installation section 31 at the top of the image forming device 100 body has four toner storage containers 38 (38Y, 38M, 38C, 38K) according to the present invention corresponding to each color (yellow, magenta, cyan, black) installed in a removable (replaceable) manner.

An intermediate transfer unit 15 is disposed below the toner storage container installation section 31. Below the intermediate transfer belt 8 of the intermediate transfer unit 15, image forming sections 6 (6Y, 6M, 6C, 6K) corresponding to each color (yellow, magenta, cyan, black) that face the intermediate transfer belt 8 are arranged side by side in the belt movement direction.

The toner storage containers 38 (38Y, 38M, 38C, 38K) are held by toner supply devices 160 (160Y, 160M, 160C, 160K).
The developer contained in the toner container 38 is supplied (replenished) into the developing device of the image forming unit 6 by a toner replenishing device 160 .
The developer contained in the toner container 38 is not limited to toner alone, but may be a mixture of toner and carrier.

The photoconductor drums 1 (1Y, 1M, 1C, 1K) are rotated by a drive motor (not shown), and the surfaces thereof are uniformly charged by a charging section (charging process).
Thereafter, the surface of the photoconductor drum 1 reaches a position irradiated with the laser light emitted from the exposure device 7, and an electrostatic latent image is formed by exposure scanning at this position (exposure process). The electrostatic latent image is developed on the surface of the photoconductor drum 1 at a position facing the developing device (development area), and a toner image is formed (development process).

After development, the surface of the photoconductor drum 1 reaches a position facing the intermediate transfer belt 8 and the primary transfer bias rollers 9 (9Y, 9M, 9C, 9K), where the toner image on the photoconductor drum 1 is transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 8 (primary transfer process).

After the primary transfer, a small amount of untransferred toner remains on the surface of the photoconductor drum 1, but this is mechanically collected by a cleaning blade or the like (cleaning process). The surface of the photoconductor drum 1 has residual potential removed at a position opposite the charge removal unit. This is how the series of image creation processes carried out on the photoconductor drum 1 is completed.

The intermediate transfer unit 15 is composed of an intermediate transfer belt 8, a primary transfer bias roller 9, a secondary transfer backup roller 12, multiple tension rollers, an intermediate transfer cleaning section, etc. The intermediate transfer belt 8 is stretched and supported by multiple roller members, and is moved endlessly in the direction of the arrow by the rotational drive of the secondary transfer backup roller 12.

The primary transfer bias rollers 9 sandwich the intermediate transfer belt 8 between themselves and the photosensitive drums 1 to form primary transfer nips. A transfer bias having a polarity opposite to that of the toner is applied to the primary transfer bias rollers 9.
The intermediate transfer belt 8 travels in the direction of the arrow and passes through the primary transfer nips of the primary transfer bias rollers in sequence, so that the toner images of the respective colors on the photosensitive drums 1 are primarily transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 8 in a superimposed manner.

The intermediate transfer belt 8, on which the toner images of each color have been transferred and superimposed, reaches a position facing the secondary transfer roller 11. At this position, the secondary transfer backup roller 12 pinches the intermediate transfer belt 8 between itself and the secondary transfer roller 11 to form a secondary transfer nip. The four-color toner images formed on the intermediate transfer belt 8 are transferred onto a recording medium P, such as transfer paper, that has been transported to the position of this secondary transfer nip. At this time, untransferred toner that has not been transferred to the recording medium P remains on the intermediate transfer belt 8. The intermediate transfer belt 8 reaches the position of the intermediate transfer cleaning unit, where the untransferred toner is collected. In this way, the series of transfer processes performed on the intermediate transfer belt 8 is completed.

The recording medium P transported to the secondary transfer nip position is transported from the paper feed section 16 disposed below the image forming apparatus main body 100 via the paper feed roller 17 and the pair of registration rollers 18. More specifically, the paper feed section 16 stores a stack of multiple recording media P such as transfer paper. When the paper feed roller 17 is driven to rotate counterclockwise in FIG. 1, the topmost recording medium P is fed toward the gap between the pair of registration rollers 18.

The recording medium P transported to the registration roller pair 18 stops at the roller nip of the registration roller pair 18, which has stopped rotating. Then, in time with the color image on the intermediate transfer belt 8, the registration roller pair 18 is rotated and the recording medium P is transported toward the secondary transfer nip. In this way, the desired color image is transferred onto the recording medium P. The recording medium P with the color image transferred at the secondary transfer nip is transported to the fixing unit 20. At this position, the color image transferred to the surface is fixed onto the recording medium P by the heat and pressure of the fixing belt and pressure roller.

After fixing, the recording medium P passes between the rollers of the discharge roller pair 19 and is discharged outside the device. The recording medium P discharged outside the device by the discharge roller pair 19 is stacked in sequence on the stack unit 30 as an output image. In this way, a series of image formation processes in the image forming device is completed.

38 toner container 40 opening 41 housing 41a positioning pin 42 information storage medium 43 terminal 43a communication surface (terminal surface)
43b Gap 44 Cover member 44a Rib portion 44b Inclined surface 44c Positioning hole 45 Protective sheet 45a Notch (insertion portion for main body side terminal)
45b free end portion 46 information storage medium storage portion 47 slit 50 main body side terminal 100 image forming apparatus 160 toner supply device

Patent No. 5447938 JP 2003-195730 A

Claims (11)

A toner storage container that is detachably attached to an image forming apparatus body and has an information storage medium,
a cover member for protecting the information storage medium;
the information storage medium has a plurality of communication surfaces each formed of a plurality of terminals that communicate information by contacting a main body side terminal installed in the image forming apparatus main body,
the cover member has a plurality of openings exposing the plurality of communication surfaces, and a rib-shaped portion is provided between adjacent openings to partition the openings corresponding to the communication surfaces ;
The rib-shaped portion is
a surface facing between adjacent communication surfaces and a portion of the communication surfaces;
an inclined surface inclined from an end of a surface opposite to the facing surface toward the communication surface,
A toner storage container , wherein in the region having the inclined surface, an opening area of the opening increases in a direction from the communication surface toward the end portion . The toner container according to claim 1, characterized in that the rib-shaped portion is provided in a plurality of portions corresponding to a plurality of gaps between the adjacent communication surfaces. The toner container according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the width of the rib-shaped portion in the longitudinal direction of the information storage medium is greater than the width of the gap between the adjacent communication surfaces. 4. The toner storage container according to claim 1, wherein a height of the rib-like portion in a direction perpendicular to the communication surface is 0.5 times or more a width of the exposed communication surface in an arrangement direction. 5. The toner storage container according to claim 1, wherein the cover member has a position restricting portion that restricts a movable range of the information storage medium. A protective sheet is provided to cover the opening,
6. A toner storage container according to claim 1, wherein the protective sheet has an insertion portion for the main body side terminal formed of a slit above the opening, and is bent along the rib-shaped portion when the main body side terminal is inserted into the opening. 7. The toner storage container according to claim 6 , wherein when the protective sheet is bent along the rib-shaped portion, the free end of the slit does not abut against the communication surface. 8. The toner storage container according to claim 6 , wherein the protective sheet is a flexible member. 9. The toner storage container according to claim 1 , further comprising an information storage medium storage section in which a case for holding the information storage medium and the cover member are integrally formed. A toner storage container that is detachably attached to an image forming apparatus body and has an information storage medium,
a cover member for protecting the information storage medium;
the information storage medium has a plurality of communication surfaces each formed of a plurality of terminals that communicate information by contacting a main body side terminal installed in the image forming apparatus main body,
the cover member has a plurality of openings exposing the plurality of communication surfaces, and a rib-shaped portion is provided between adjacent openings to partition the openings corresponding to the communication surfaces ;
Further comprising a protective sheet covering the opening,
A toner storage container characterized in that the protective sheet has an insertion portion for the main body side terminal consisting of a slit above the opening, and is bent along the rib-shaped portion when the main body side terminal is inserted into the opening . An image forming device equipped with a toner storage container according to any one of claims 1 to 10.