JPH04333078A - Developing material supplying device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent toner from being supplied in a state where a starter is unsupplied to a developing device. CONSTITUTION:An inhibiting member 14 inhibiting the fitting of a toner housing bottle 20a is attachably/detachably provided on a bottle fitting part 6, and an inhibiting member removing part 30 removing the inhibiting member 14 by attaching/detaching the bottle 20a to/from the fitting part 6 is provided on a starter housing bottle 20. Thus, the toner housing bottle 20a can not be fitted to the bottle fitting part 6 in the state where the starter is unsupplied, because the inhibiting member 14 serves as an obstacle.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a developing material supply device for supplying toner or a starter mixture of toner and carrier in a predetermined ratio to a developing device in an image forming apparatus using a two-component developer. It is something.

0002

[Prior Art] In an image forming apparatus that uses a two-component developer, the amount of charge tends to be high when the developer is put into an empty developing device. A developer called a high-quality starter is used.

0003

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, in conventional image forming apparatuses, a starter input section and a toner input section are provided, and toner and starter are input separately from each location. However, since it was possible to add toner, problems often occurred where toner was suddenly added to an empty developing device. In particular, in recent years, personal type image forming apparatuses have become widespread, and in these image forming apparatuses, the starter must be turned on by the user, so there has been an urgent need to develop measures to prevent the above-mentioned troubles.

0004

[Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention has been made based on the above-mentioned requirements, and it is possible to attach either a starter storage bottle or a toner storage bottle to a bottle mounting section, and to supply a starter or a toner storage bottle from a developing material supply section. A developing material supply device configured to supply toner, wherein a mounting prohibition member for prohibiting mounting of a toner storage bottle is detachably provided in the bottle mounting portion, and the starter storage bottle is mounted on the starter storage bottle. A prohibition member removal section is provided for removing the attachment prohibition member by attaching and detaching it to the section.

[0005]

[Operation] According to the developing material supply device, the toner storage bottle is prohibited from being attached when the attachment prohibiting member is attached to the bottle attachment portion. The attachment prohibiting member is removed by attaching and detaching the starter storage bottle to and from the bottle attachment portion. In other words, it is not possible to supply toner to the developing device by attaching the toner storage bottle to the bottle mounting portion in a state where the starter is not inserted.

[0006]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. (1) First embodiment (see FIGS. 1 to 4) In this embodiment, the imaging unit IU is integrally formed by combining a developing device 1, a cleaning device 2, a developing material supply device 3, and a photoreceptor (not shown). It is configured such that it can be detachably attached to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer.

[0007] The supply device 3 is generally composed of a supply section 4 and a drive section 5 provided at an upper portion of one end of the supply section 4 . The upper part of the supply section 4 is a bottle mounting section 6, and a developing material supply port 7 is formed at one end thereof, and a conveying device 8 is disposed below the supply port 7. In the drive section 5, a bearing hole 10 and a bearing recess 11 having an opening on the outside are formed in the side wall 9, and a drive gear 13 is fixed to a protrusion of a drive shaft 12 rotatably inserted into the bearing hole 10. A shaft 14 is removably inserted into the bearing recess 11. Further, a conical bulge 15 is formed at the protruding end of the shaft 14, and a cross-shaped slit 1 is formed from the tip of the bulge 15.
6 is formed. Further, a shaft 17 is supported on the extension line of the bearing recess 11 so as to be freely forward and backward toward the bearing recess 11 .

The starter storage bottle 20 consists of a substantially cylindrical bottle body 21 with both ends closed and a drive transmission gear 22. The bottle main body 21 has a spiral guide portion 23 protruding inwardly formed on the outer periphery, an opening 24 formed at one end of the guide portion 23, and an opening 24 formed at one end of the starter storage bottle 20 (in FIG. 2). A boss portion 25 having a recess 26 at the end is formed in the center of the left side wall, and a bearing recess 27 that projects inward is formed in the center of the other end (right side in FIG. 2) side wall. A large diameter portion 28 having the same shape as the boss portion 25 is provided in the center of the drive transmission gear 22;
A through hole 30 consisting of a small diameter portion 29 smaller in diameter than the recess 26
is formed, and a boss portion 25 is fitted into the large diameter portion 28 to be fixed to the bottle main body 21.

As shown in FIG. 4, the toner storage bottle 20a differs from the starter storage bottle 20 only in that the shaft 14a is already fitted into the through hole 30a of the drive transmission gear 22a, and the other configuration is completely different. are the same. That is, both bottles 20 and 20a differ in whether or not they are provided with the shaft 14.

[0010] In the starter storage bottle 20, a starter S containing a mixture of toner and carrier at a predetermined ratio is contained in a bottle body 21, and an opening 24 is sealed by an appropriate means. Peel off the seal of the bottle 20 containing the starter S, place it in the bottle mounting part 6 with the opening 24 facing upward, insert the shaft 14 into the through hole 30 of the drive transmission gear 22, and connect the gears 22 and 13. When engaged, the shaft 17 is inserted into the bearing recess 27 at the rear of the bottle, and the bottle is rotatably supported. At this time, the bulging portion 15 at the tip of the shaft 14 inserted into the through hole 30 is located in the concave portion 26 of the boss portion 25, and is engaged with the step between the large diameter portion 28 and the small diameter portion 29 to prevent it from coming off. It will be planned.

When the starter storage bottle 20 attached to the bottle attachment section 6 rotates the drive gear 13 by the motor (not shown) of the drive section 5, the rotation is transferred to the drive transmission gear 2.
2 and rotates. The starter S moves forward while being guided by the guide part 23 based on the rotation of the bottle 20, and is periodically dropped and supplied to the conveying device 8 through the opening part 24 and the supply port 7. Further, the starter S supplied to the conveying device 8 is conveyed to the developing device 1.

[0012] The starter storage bottle 20 is attached to the bottle mounting section 6.
When taking the bottle 20 out of the bottle, the shaft 17 supporting the rear part of the bottle 20 is moved backward, and the bottle 20 is moved backward. Thereby, the shaft 14 is removed together with the starter housing bottle 20.

The toner storage bottle 20a has a bottle main body 21.
A is loaded with toner T, and the opening 24a is sealed. When this toner storage bottle 20a is installed in the bottle mounting section 6, the opening 24 is similar to the starter storage bottle 20.
Remove the seal a, and insert the shaft 14a attached to the drive transmission gear 22a into the bearing recess 11 with the opening 24a facing upward.
The shaft is inserted into the recess 17 at the rear and rotatably supported. Furthermore, the toner T is supplied in the same manner as the starter S described above.

However, unlike the starter storage bottle 20, the toner storage bottle 20a is equipped with the shaft 14a from the beginning, so when the starter S is not turned on, the shaft 14a is attached to the drive unit 5.
4 exists, and the shaft 14 of this drive unit 5 gets in the way, prohibiting attachment of the toner storage bottle 20a.

(2) Second embodiment (see FIGS. 5 and 6) In this embodiment, the starter storage bottle 20b includes a bottle body 2.
A recess 32b is formed on the outer periphery of 1b at a position facing the starter supply opening 24b on the same circumference. The supply port 7b of the supply section 4b is connected to the closing member 33b shown in FIG.
is sealed by. This closing lid member 33b consists of a flat main body 34b and a protrusion 35b rising from the approximate center of the main body 34b, and a substantially conical bulge 36b is formed on the upper end side of the protrusion 35b. Furthermore, a cross-shaped cut 37b is formed from the upper end of the bulge 36b. This closing lid member 33b has a bulging portion 3.
It is lightly fixed with an adhesive or the like so that the supply port 7b is covered with the supply port 7b facing upward. On the other hand, the toner storage bottle is
Although not shown, unlike the starter storage bottle 20b, there is no recess 32b.

[0016] The starter storage bottle 20b is placed in the supply section 5.
b, the front shaft 38b is supported by the bearing recess 39b of the drive unit 5b, and the drive transmission gear 22b is connected to the drive gear 1.
3b, the bulging portion 36b of the closing lid member 33b is fitted into the recess 32b, and the shaft 17b is inserted into the rear bearing recess 27b and fixed. And starter storage bottle 20
When b is forcibly rotated, the closing lid member 33b closes the supply part 4b.
It separates from the bottle 20b and rotates together with the bottle 20b.

When attaching the toner container bottle to the supply section 4b, the toner container bottle can be attached without difficulty since the closing lid member 33b has already been removed from the supply section 4b. However, before installing the starter storage bottle 20b, the supply section 4b
Since the closing member 33b is present in the closing member 33b, this closing member 33b
It is not possible to attach the toner storage bottle to the supply section 4b because the toner storage bottle gets in the way.

(3) Third embodiment (see FIGS. 7 to 10) In this embodiment, the developing material supply section 51 of the developing device 50 includes a bottle insertion section 52 into which a bottle is inserted from the side, and a bottle insertion section 52 into which a bottle is inserted from the side. The storage section 53 temporarily stores the developing material dropped from a bottle inserted into the container 52 and supplies it to the developing section as needed. The insertion port 54 of the bottle insertion portion 52 is removably provided with a cylindrical portion 56 having a smaller diameter than the insertion port 54 and a discriminating member 55 having an engaging portion 57 on the outer periphery of the cylindrical portion 56. There is.

The starter housing bottle 60 includes a cylindrical bottle body 61 whose axial opening 62 is sealed with a seal 63 and which houses the starter therein, and a cap 64 provided at one end of the bottle body 61. , the bottle main body 61
The outer diameter D1 is substantially the same as the inner diameter D1' of the discrimination member 55, and an engaging portion 65 is formed around the cap 64.

The toner storage bottle 70 consists of a cylindrical bottle body 71 with an axial opening 72 sealed with a seal and containing toner therein, and a cap 74 provided at one end of the bottle body 71. , the outer diameter D of the bottle body 71
2 is approximately the same as the inner diameter D2' of the insertion port 54. The cap 74 also includes the starter storage bottle 60.
Unlike the cap 64 shown in FIG.

In the above configuration, the starter storage bottle 6
0 is inserted into the bottle insertion part 52 through the discrimination member 55. At this time, the engaging portion 65 of the cap 64 is connected to the discriminating member 5.
5, and both the engaging parts 65 and 57 are integrated inseparably. Therefore, when the starter storage bottle 60 is pulled out from the insertion section 52, the discrimination member 55 is removed from the supply section 51 together with this. Therefore, after that, the toner storage bottle 70 can be inserted into the insertion portion 52. However, since the discrimination member 55 is present in the supply section 51 when the starter is not put in, the starter storage bottle 60
A toner storage bottle 70 having a larger diameter cannot be inserted, and toner alone will not be introduced into the developing device 50 without the starter being introduced.

(4) Fourth embodiment (see FIGS. 11 and 12) In this embodiment, the supply port of a bottle-shaped bottle is directed diagonally downward, and the developing material is supplied falling while rotating the bottle. Regarding the supply device, the developing material supply device 8
0 includes a cylindrical container-shaped gear holding member 82 on a mounting plate 81 disposed diagonally, and a bottom plate 83 of this holding member 82.
A stirring rod 84 is provided approximately in the center of the holder. In addition, the mounting plate 81
A drop supply port 85 is formed at the contact portion of the holding member 82 with the bottom plate 83 and passes through both, and a transport device 86 is provided below the drop supply port 85.
is located.

Inside the holding member 82, a gear 87 has a gear portion 88 on the outer circumference, a threaded portion 89 on the inner circumference, and a plurality of slotted plates 90 protruding inward at the lower end. The member 82 is rotatably disposed along the inner circumferential surface, and the gear portion 88 on the outer circumference is meshed with a drive gear 93 fixed to a drive shaft 92 of a motor 91 . Also, gear 87
A ring-shaped discrimination member 94 having a threaded portion 95 on the inner circumferential surface is attached to the inside thereof.

The mouth portion 97 of the starter storage bottle 96 has a threaded portion 9 of a size corresponding to the threaded portion 95 of the discriminating member 94.
8, and the toner storage bottle (not shown) is provided with a threaded portion (not shown) of a size corresponding to the threaded portion 89 of the gear 87.

In the above configuration, the starter housing bottle 96 is attached by engaging the threaded portion 98 with the threaded portion 95 of the discriminating member 94. Then, when the gears 93, 88 and the discrimination member 94 are rotated by the drive of the motor 91,
The toner in the starter storage bottle 96 is supplied to the conveying device 86 via the drop supply port 85 .

The starter storage bottle 96 is removed from the supply device 80 by pulling it diagonally upward. At this time, since the discriminating member 94 is engaged with the threaded portion 98 of the bottle 96, the discriminating member 94 is also removed from the supply device 80 together with the bottle 96.

The toner storage bottle is attached by engaging the threaded portion thereof with the threaded portion 89 of the holding member 87. However, when the starter is not turned on, the discrimination member 94 is present in the supply device 80, and the toner storage bottle cannot be attached.

[0028]

Effects of the Invention As is clear from the above description, the developing material supply device according to the present invention is provided with a removably attached attachment prohibiting member that prohibits attachment of the toner accommodation bottle to the bottle attachment portion, and prevents attachment of the toner accommodation bottle to the starter accommodation bottle. A prohibition member removal section is provided that removes the attachment prohibition member by attaching and detaching the starter storage bottle to and from the bottle attachment section.

[0029] Therefore, by first attaching and detaching the starter accommodating bottle to and from the bottle mounting portion, the toner accommodating bottle attachment prohibiting member is removed. In other words, the toner storage bottle cannot be attached to the bottle mounting portion without the starter being inserted, and toner can only be inserted into the developing device when the starter is inserted. This prevents toner from being erroneously thrown into an empty developing device.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a developing material supply device and an imaging unit according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway side view of the developing material supply device according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway perspective view of the developing material supply device according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view of the toner storage bottle according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a partially cutaway side view of a developing material supply device according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a discrimination member according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a side view of a developing device according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of the developing device according to the third embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a front view of a starter storage bottle according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a front view of a toner storage bottle according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a sectional view of a developing material supply device according to a fourth embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a partially enlarged sectional view of a developing material supply device according to a fourth embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

1... Developing device, 3... Developing material supply device, 4... Supply section, 5
... Drive unit, 6... Bottle mounting part, 7... Supply port, 14... Axis,
20... Starter storage bottle, 30... Toner storage bottle.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A developing material supply device, wherein either a starter storage bottle or a toner storage bottle is mounted on a bottle mounting section, and the starter or toner is supplied from a developing material supply section, the bottle mounting section A mounting prohibition member for prohibiting attachment of the toner storage bottle is removably provided in the starter storage bottle, and a prohibition member removing portion is provided for removing the installation prohibition member by attaching and detaching the starter storage bottle to the bottle mounting portion. A developing material supply device characterized by: