JPH05303311A - Waste toner discharge device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To release a shutter by rotating the shutter member of a waste toner pipe by a moving means to open the discharge port of the toner pipe, when the waste toner pipe is fitted to a waste toner container. CONSTITUTION:When the waste toner container 20 is fitted to the shutter member 4, the waste toner container 20 is moved in the direction of the arrow A, to fit a lever 8 into a parallel part 22a. Then, an opening 21 and the shutter member 4 are fitted, and the shutter member 4 is housed in the waste toner container 20. Then, the lever 8 butts against the corner part 22c of a groove, and further, is moved in the direction of the arrow A, so that the shutter member 4 is pressed against first pressing force. Then, a pin 11 restrained on a notch 14, is disengaged and the shutter member 4 is rotated in the direction of the arrow B, that is, counterclockwise, by second pressing force, further, moved in the direction to open the discharge port, and opens it. Therefore, when the waste toner container 20 is fitted, the shutter is automatically opened, and the discharge port is opened, so that the toner is never retained on the waste toner pipe.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a waste toner discharging device, and more particularly to a waste toner discharging device which conveys and discharges toner removed by a cleaning device in an image forming apparatus such as an electrophotographic copying machine to a waste toner bottle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a cleaning device for removing toner remaining on the surface of an image carrier of an image forming apparatus,
An apparatus for conveying and discharging the removed residual toner to the outside is already well known, for example, from Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 3-264979.

[0003]

In this conventional waste toner discharging device, the residual toner collected by the cleaning device is conveyed from the discharging pipe to the collecting bottle, and the collecting bottle is replaced with a new bottle. sometimes,
Forgetting to open the shutter provided on the discharge port side of the discharge pipe, residual toner accumulates in the waste pipe, and this toner agglomerates and solidifies in the pipe, and the transport screw for toner transport is used. However, there is a problem that the toner is damaged, or the residual toner overflows into the cleaning unit, and the toner is scattered outside the cleaning unit.

An object of the present invention is to provide a waste toner discharging device which prevents forgetting to open a shutter provided on the discharge port side of a discharge pipe when a recovery bottle is replaced with a new bottle. ..

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, the invention of claim 1 has a discharge port for discharging waste toner and a pin projecting from an outer peripheral surface at a front end thereof, and one end thereof is cleaned. A waste toner pipe supported and fixed to a part of the unit is loosely fitted to the outside of the waste toner pipe so as to be movable in the outer peripheral direction of the pipe and in the axial direction of the pipe. A shutter that opens and closes the discharge port by rotation in the outer peripheral direction is engaged with the pin and is bored in the outer peripheral direction of the pipe, and the shutter is between the open position and the closed position of the discharge port. A shutter member having a long hole for guiding the movement of the cylindrical outer wall and locking the outer wall of the cylinder projecting to the outside of the waste toner pipe, and a lever for holding the waste toner pipe, and the shutter member. But The shutter engages with the corresponding opening to guide the shutter member into the opening, and when the shutter member is housed in the opening, the shutter opens and closes the outlet. In a waste toner discharging device having a waste toner container having a groove for guiding the movement of the member, when the opening is fitted to the shutter member, and the waste toner container is attached to the shutter member, The waste toner discharging device is provided with a moving unit that rotates the shutter member to move the shutter in an opening direction.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the moving means is provided between the cleaning unit and the shutter member.
One end thereof is fixed to the cleaning unit and the other end is fixed to the shutter member, respectively. The shutter member has a first urging force for opening the shutter, and the shutter member projects to the outside of the waste toner pipe. And a spring for applying a second biasing force in a direction to move the shutter member when the shutter member is moved against the second biasing force of the spring. 2. The waste toner discharging device according to claim 1, further comprising a notch for locking the movement of the pin in the opening direction of the shutter against the first biasing force. ..

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the moving means has one end fixed to the cleaning unit and the other end fixed to the shutter member between the cleaning unit and the shutter member. A spring for applying a third biasing force for closing the shutter, a guide portion for guiding the lever to move in the closing direction of the shutter, and a groove for guiding the lever in the closing direction. 2. A guide / blocking member having a blocking portion for blocking the lever from moving in the closing direction when the shutter is moved to the open position. It is in the waste toner discharge device.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the moving means has one end fixed to the cleaning unit and the other end fixed to the shutter member between the cleaning unit and the shutter member. 2. The waste according to claim 1, wherein a spring for applying a third biasing force for closing the shutter and a solenoid for moving the shutter member in a direction for opening the discharge port are provided for the shutter. It is in the toner discharge device.

[0009]

According to the present invention, when the waste toner container is attached to the waste toner pipe, the shutter member of the waste toner pipe is rotated by the moving means to open the discharge port of the toner pipe.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, when the waste toner container is attached to the waste toner pipe, the pin is removed from the notch and the shutter member of the waste toner pipe is rotated by the spring so that the toner pipe is The outlet is opened.

According to the third aspect of the invention, when the waste toner container is attached to the waste toner pipe, the shutter member of the waste toner pipe is rotated by the guide / blocking member to open the discharge port of the toner pipe. ..

According to the fourth aspect of the invention, when the waste toner container is attached to the waste toner pipe, the shutter member of the waste toner pipe is rotated by the solenoid to open the discharge port of the toner pipe.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

Reference numeral 2 indicates a waste toner pipe. The waste toner pipe 2 has one end fixed to a part of the cleaning unit 3 and the other end extending outside the cleaning unit. The waste toner pipe 2 is made of a metal pipe such as aluminum or brass, and is fixed to the resin cleaning unit 3 by insert molding. The other end 2a of the waste toner pipe 2 has a shutter member 4 which is movable in the outer peripheral direction and the axial direction of the pipe.
Is provided, and inside the waste toner pipe 2, a toner conveying screw 5 that is rotatable in a fixed direction is arranged,
By rotating the toner carrying screw 5, as shown in FIG.
In, the toner in the cleaning unit 3 on the right side is conveyed leftward.

A circumferential elongated hole 10 is provided in the outer peripheral portion of the shutter member 4, and a pin 11 protruding from the outer peripheral portion of the waste toner pie 2 is fitted into the elongated hole 10. The pin 11 also serves as a stopper for preventing the shutter member 4 from slipping out of the waste toner pipe 2. A discharge port 12 for discharging the toner is provided on the opposite side of the portion of the waste toner pipe 2 where the pin 11 is planted. A shutter 13 is provided on the outer peripheral portion of the shutter member 4 opposite to the portion where the elongated hole 10 is provided. With respect to the discharge port 12 and the shutter 13, the shutter member 4 has the waste toner pipe 2 with the pin 11 fitted in the elongated hole 10.
The outlet 12 is opened or closed by rotating along the outer peripheral surface of the. On the outer periphery of the shutter member 4,
A lever 8 is provided for holding the shutter member 4 when the opening of the waste toner container and the shutter member 4 to be described later are fitted to each other.

A spring 9 is provided outside the waste toner pipe 2, one end of which is fixed to the cleaning unit 3 and the other end of which is fixed to the base end of the shutter member 4. .. The spring 9 causes the shutter member 4 to have a first urging force in a direction projecting outward from the outer end portion of the waste toner pipe 2 and the counterclockwise direction of the outer circumference of the waste toner pipe 2, that is, the shutter 13 causes the discharge port 1 to move.
The second biasing force in the direction of opening 2 is applied.

On the downstream side of the elongated hole 10 in the outer peripheral rotation direction of the shutter member 4, there is provided a notch 14 extending to the opposite side of the direction in which the shutter member 4 projects from the elongated hole 10. When the pin 11 is engaged with the shutter member 4, the shutter member 4 maintains the state in which the shutter 13 closes the discharge port 12. Reference numeral 16 indicates a flange of the shutter member 4, and reference numeral 17 indicates a sponge seal.

Reference numeral 20 denotes a waste toner container,
The waste toner container 20 is provided with an opening 21 into which the shutter member 4 is coupled and a groove 22 into which the lever 8 is engaged. The groove 22 is L-shaped, and has a portion 22 a parallel to the axial direction of the waste toner pipe 2 and the waste toner pipe 2.
And a portion 22b parallel to the outer peripheral direction of the. The lever 8 is engaged with the parallel portion 22a, the parallel portion 22a serves to guide the shutter member 4 into the opening 21, and the lever 8 is engaged with the parallel portion 22b. In 22b, the shutter 13 has an outlet 1
It serves to guide the rotation of 2 into its open and closed positions.

When the waste toner container 20 is attached to the shutter member 4, the waste toner container 20 is moved in the direction of arrow A and the lever 8 is fitted in the parallel portion 22a, so that the opening 21 and the shutter member 4 are fitted. Then, the shutter member 4 is housed inside the waste toner container 20. Then, when the waste toner container 20 is still moved in the arrow A direction after the lever 8 hits the corner portion 22c of the groove, the shutter member 4 is pushed in the arrow A direction against the first biasing force. (See FIG. 4A). When the shutter member 4 is pushed in the direction of the arrow A against the first biasing force, the pin 11 that is locked in the notch 14 is disengaged, and the shutter member 4 is released.
Is rotated in the direction of arrow B, that is, counterclockwise by the second biasing force (see FIG. 3B). Then, the shutter 13 is moved to open the discharge port 12, and the discharge port 12 is opened. Along with this, the lever 8 is moved to the back side of the parallel portion 22b. By moving the lever 8 to the inner side of the parallel portion 22b, the waste toner container 20 and the shutter member 4 are locked in a coupled state (see FIG. 4B).

When the waste toner container 20 is detached from the waste toner pipe 2, the lever 8 is moved in the direction opposite to the arrow B against the parallel portion 22b against the second biasing direction.
1 is engaged with the notch 14 and is in a locked state as shown in FIG. When the pin 11 is locked, the shutter 13 closes the discharge port 12, the lever 8 can move the parallel portion 22a, and the waste toner container 20 can be removed from the shutter member 4. become able to.

Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
It will be explained based on. 5 to 8, the same members as those in the above embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

In FIG. 5, the shutter member 4 is provided with a spring 19 which gives a third biasing force in the direction of arrow C of the waste pipe 2, that is, in the direction in which the shutter 13 closes the discharge port 12. Has been. One end of the spring 19 has the cleaning unit 3
The other end is fixed to the base end of the shutter member 4. Further, a channel-shaped guide / blocking member 31 is provided in the vicinity of a portion of the image forming apparatus main body (not shown) where the waste toner container 20 is provided. The guide / blocking member 31 includes a guide portion 31a formed by a curved surface that moves the lever 8 in the groove 22 in a direction in which the shutter 13 opens the discharge port 12, and the lever 8 moves in the groove 22 so that the shutter 13 moves. Lever 8 in groove 22 to close outlet 12
It has a tapered blocking portion 31b that blocks the movement of the. The guide / block member 31 is moved in the direction of arrow D in FIG. 5 by a guide fixing means (not shown) to be fixed at the position where the waste toner container 20 is stored.

When mounting the waste toner container 20 on the shutter member 4, the waste toner container 20 is moved in the direction of arrow A while fitting the lever 8 on the parallel portion 22a, and the opening 21 is fitted on the shutter member 4. Parallel part 2
When the lever 8 is advanced to 2a, the waste toner container 20 is stored in the shutter member 4. (See FIGS. 6 and 8A). Then, when the guide / blocking member 31 is moved in the direction of the arrow D by the guide means, the lever 8 is moved to the inner side of the parallel portion 22b along the curved surface of the guide portion 31a.
As a result, the shutter 13 closes the outlet 12.
Further, the guide / blocking member 31 is guided by the guide means by the arrow D.
When the lever 8 is moved in the direction, the lever 8 is blocked by the blocking portion 31b against the third biasing force, and the shutter 13 is blocked from moving in the direction of closing the discharge port 12, and the discharge port 12 is held in the open state. (See FIG. 7 (b) and FIG. 8 (b)).

When removing the waste toner container 20 from the waste toner pipe 2, the guide / blocking member 31 is moved in the direction opposite to the arrow D by the guide means and the lever 8 blocked by the blocking portion 31b is released. Reaches the corner portion 22c by the third biasing force. Lever 8 has a corner 22c
Then, the shutter 13 closes the outlet 12 (see FIG. 7A). At that time, the lever 8 can move the parallel portion 22a, and the waste toner container 20 can be removed from the shutter member 4.

Still another embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG.
Or, it demonstrates based on FIG. 9 to 12, the same members as those in the above-described embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

In FIG. 9, in the vicinity of a portion of the main body of the image forming apparatus (not shown) where the waste toner container 20 is provided,
A solenoid 41 fixed to a bracket 42 is provided. Reference numeral 43 is a plunger, 45 is a return spring, and 46 is a stud for a spring hook. An L-shaped lever 44 is attached to the plunger 43 so that the lever 8 is positioned inside the tip portion 44a of the lever 44 when the solenoid 41 is off, as shown in FIG. It has become. The solenoid 44 is operated in conjunction with a main switch of an image forming apparatus (not shown),
When the main switch is turned on, the solenoid is also turned on, and when the main switch is turned off, the solenoid is also turned off.

When the solenoid 41 is turned on, the plunger 43 is excited as shown in FIG. 10, the L-shaped lever 44 is pulled in the direction of arrow E, and the lever 8 is grooved 22.
The waste toner pipe 2 is moved to the inner side of the parallel portion 22b. As a result, the shutter 13 opens the discharge port 12 (see FIGS. 11B and 12B). When the solenoid 41 is turned off, the excitation of the plunger 43 is released, and the L-shaped lever 44 moves the return spring 45.
Is returned in the direction opposite to the arrow E. When the L-shaped lever 44 is returned in the direction opposite to the arrow E, the lever 8
The urging force of the spring 19 causes the groove 22 to move to the corner 22c. As a result, the shutter 13 is in a state in which the discharge port 12 is closed (FIGS. 11A and 12A).
reference).

When the waste toner container 20 is attached to the shutter member 4, the waste toner container 20 is moved in the direction of arrow A, the lever 8 is fitted in the parallel portion 22a, and the opening 2 is opened.
1 is fitted into the shutter member 4, the waste toner container 20
The shutter member 4 is housed inside. (Fig. 11
(A) and FIG. 12 (a)). In this state, when the main switch is turned on, the solenoid 41 is turned on, the plunger 43 is excited, and the L-shaped lever 44 is
It is pulled in the direction of arrow E. The L-shaped lever 44 has an arrow E
When pulled in the direction, the tip end 44a of the lever 44 causes
The lever 8 is moved to the back side of the parallel portion 22b, and the shutter 13 opens the discharge port 12. While the main switch is on, the solenoid 41 is also kept in the on state. Therefore, when the L-shaped lever 41 is kept in the pulled state, the tip end portion 44a of the lever 8 causes the third urging force. Against this, the shutter 13 is prevented from moving in the direction of closing the discharge port 12, and the discharge port 12 is kept in the open state. At this time, the lever 8 is moved to the inner side of the groove 22b, so that the waste toner container 20 and the shutter member 4 are locked in a coupled state (FIGS. 11B and 12B).
reference).

When removing the waste toner container 20 from the waste toner pipe 2, when the main switch is turned off, the solenoid 41 is turned off, the excitation of the plunger 43 is released, and the L-shaped lever 44 is returned. The spring 45 returns it in the direction opposite to the arrow E. When the L-shaped lever 44 is returned in the direction opposite to the arrow E, the lever 8 is moved to the corner portion 22c by the urging force of the spring 19. As a result, the shutter 13 is in a state in which the discharge port 12 is closed. Then, the lever 8 has a parallel portion 22a.
The waste toner container 20 can be moved.
Can be removed from the shutter member 4.
(See FIG. 11A and FIG. 12A).

In the above embodiment, the solenoid 41 is turned off by turning off the main switch. However, when the copying machine is in an abnormal state, that is, when a service man call is made, the operation panel is displayed. The solenoid may be turned off in conjunction with the display being turned on.

[0031]

According to the invention, when the waste toner container is fitted with the shutter member, the shutter automatically opens,
Since the discharge port is opened, the toner will not stay in the waste pipe, the transport screw for transporting the toner may be damaged, or the toner may overflow into the cleaning unit and may be scattered outside the cleaning unit. Disappear.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing an embodiment of a waste toner discharging device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a central longitudinal sectional view of the waste toner discharging device of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an opening / closing operation of a shutter member of the waste toner discharging device of FIG.

4 is a plan view illustrating a state in which a waste toner container of the waste toner discharging device of FIG. 1 is attached to a shutter member.

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing another embodiment of the waste toner discharging device of the present invention.

6 is a partial perspective view of the waste toner discharging device of FIG. 5 with a waste toner container attached to a shutter member.

7 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an opening / closing operation of a shutter member of the waste toner discharging device of FIG.

8 is a plan view illustrating a state in which a waste toner container of the waste toner discharging device of FIG. 5 is attached to a shutter member.

FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view showing still another embodiment of the waste toner discharging device of the present invention.

10 is a partial perspective view of the waste toner discharging device of FIG. 9 with a waste toner container attached to a shutter member.

11 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an opening / closing operation of a shutter member of the waste toner discharging device of FIG.

12 is a plan view illustrating a state where the waste toner container of the waste toner discharging device of FIG. 9 is attached to a shutter member.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 Waste toner pipe 4 Shutter member 8 Lever 9, 19 Spring 10 Long hole 11 Pin 12 Discharge port 13 Shutter 14 Notch 20 Waste toner container 21 Opening 22 Groove 31 Guide / blocking member 31a Guide part 31b Blocking part 41 Solenoid

Front page continuation (72) Inventor Naoshi Hayakawa 1-3-6 Nakamagome, Ota-ku, Tokyo, stock company Ricoh (72) Naomi Misuna 1-3-6 Nakamagome, Ota-ku, Tokyo stock company In Ricoh

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A waste toner pipe having a discharge port for discharging waste toner at a front end thereof and a pin protruding from an outer peripheral surface, one end of which is supported and fixed to a part of a cleaning unit, and the waste toner pipe of the waste toner pipe. On the outside, with the outer peripheral direction of the pipe,
A shutter, which is movably fitted in the axial direction of the pipe, is engaged with the shutter which opens and closes the discharge port by the rotation of the outer peripheral direction on the outer wall of the cylinder, and the pin engages with the shutter so as to form the outer peripheral direction of the pipe. And a guide for the shutter to move between the open position and the closed position of the discharge port, and to prevent the outer wall of the cylinder from protruding to the outside of the waste toner pipe. A shutter member having a hole and a lever for holding the waste toner pipe, an opening into which the shutter member is fitted, and the lever are engaged with each other to guide the shutter member into the inside of the opening and the shutter member. Waste toner container having a groove for guiding movement of the shutter member in a direction in which the shutter opens and closes the discharge port when the toner is stored in the opening. In the discharging device, the shutter member is fitted with the opening, and when the waste toner container is attached to the shutter member, the shutter member is rotated to include a moving means for moving the shutter in an opening direction. A waste toner discharging device characterized in that 2. The moving means has one end fixed to the cleaning unit and the other end fixed to the shutter member between the cleaning unit and the shutter member, and the shutter opens on the shutter member. A first biasing force in the direction and a spring for applying a second biasing force to the shutter member in a direction projecting to the outside of the waste toner pipe; and a spring provided in the elongated hole, Two
A notch for locking the movement of the pin in the opening direction of the shutter against the first biasing force of the spring when the shutter member is moved against the biasing force of the shutter. The waste toner discharging device according to claim 1, wherein the waste toner discharging device is constituted by: 3. A direction in which the moving means is fixed between the cleaning unit and the shutter member, one end of which is fixed to the cleaning unit and the other end of which is fixed to the shutter member, and the shutter member is closed by the shutter member. A spring for applying a third biasing force to the lever, a guide portion for guiding the lever to move in the direction to close the shutter, and
7. A guide / blocking member having a blocking section for blocking the lever from moving in the closing direction when the lever moves to the position where the shutter is opened. 1. The waste toner discharging device according to 1. 4. A direction in which the moving means has one end fixed to the cleaning unit and the other end fixed to the shutter member between the cleaning unit and the shutter member, and the shutter member closes the shutter. 2. The waste toner discharging device according to claim 1, wherein the spring applies a third biasing force to the shutter, and the shutter includes a solenoid that moves the shutter member to open the discharge port.