JP2010204150A - Toner supply device and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To achieve satisfactory sealability while ensuring the facilitation of an attaching operation and to avoid unnecessary maintenance costs. <P>SOLUTION: The toner supply device includes: a container body 30 that has an opening in the top, into which toner is filled; a body-side flange 35 projecting outward from the upper edges of the container body 30; a lid 40 for closing the opening in the top of the container body 30; and a lid-side flange 45 opposite the body-side flange 35, projecting outward from the lower edges of the lid 40. An inclining flange 21 as a toner supply device 20 is formed by bringing the body-side flange 35 and lid-side flange 45 into contact with each other, thereby integrating them. The inclining flange 21 inclines such that the portion of the toner supply device 20 extending in the direction in which the toner supply device 20 is detached from the image forming apparatus extends downwards toward the end in the direction in which the toner supply device 20 is attached. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a toner supply device for supplying toner to an image forming apparatus and an image forming apparatus to which the toner supply device is detachably mounted.

  The toner container (toner supply device) is for supplying toner to a developing device built in the image forming apparatus in order to form a toner image on the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum. Such a toner container is composed of a long container body having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape and a lid that closes the upper surface opening of the container body. The upper edge of the container body is provided with a body-side flange projecting outward over the entire circumference, and the cover body is projecting outward over the entire circumference. A lid side flange is provided.

  Then, the upper surface opening is closed by the lid, and the main body side flange and the lid side flange that are in surface contact with each other are subjected to a welding process, thereby storing the toner in a state where the flange as the toner container is formed. The toner container is completed. A filling port for filling the toner is provided at an appropriate position of the toner container. After the toner is filled into the toner container from the filling port, the filling port is closed by a cap.

  On the other hand, in the image forming apparatus main body, a pair of parallel guide rails extending in the horizontal direction are attached to positions corresponding to the flanges of the toner container. Then, the toner container is slid toward the back of the apparatus main body with its flange supported by the guide rail, whereby the toner container is mounted on the apparatus main body of the image forming apparatus.

  At a suitable position on the bottom surface of the container main body, there is provided a supply port for supplying toner to the developing device and a shutter portion having a shutter plate for opening and closing the supply hole. (Specifically, for example, the top plate of the developing device) is provided with a receiving port for receiving toner replenished from the toner container through a replenishing port at a position corresponding to the shutter unit.

  Then, by pushing the toner container into the apparatus main body while guiding it to the guide rail, the shutter plate of the shutter portion interferes with a predetermined interference member on the apparatus main body side and moves relative to the toner container. As a result, the replenishing port is opened and toner is replenished to the developing device via the replenishing port and the receiving port.

  Patent Document 1 describes an example of a toner container in which a flange is formed in parallel with the mounting direction of the toner container.

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-228707 describes a device in which a portion extending in a direction orthogonal to the mounting direction of the toner container in the flange is inclined (development cartridge in Patent Document 2). However, the portions of the flange that extend in the mounting direction of the toner container are different, but both are parallel to the mounting direction. That is, the flange extending in the mounting direction of the toner container is not inclined.

JP 2008-164694 A JP 2008-209593 A

  By the way, in the conventional toner container, since the flange is parallel to the mounting direction to the apparatus main body, the shutter part of the toner container may interfere with the cap part of the receiving port on the apparatus main body side, which causes the toner There is a case where the operation of mounting the container to the apparatus main body cannot be performed quickly, and the operability of the mounting operation is inferior.

  In addition, there is a slight gap between the replenishing port and the receiving port, so that the sealing performance is poor, and there is a problem that toner easily leaks from the gap. In order to solve such a problem, there is a case where a seal member is interposed between the two, but in this case, the seal member is easily damaged because it is in sliding contact with the end surface on the replenishing port side or the receiving port side. The problem of increased maintenance costs is raised.

  The present invention has been made to solve the conventional problems as described above, and has a good sealing property while ensuring ease of mounting operation, and a toner supply device that does not require useless maintenance costs. It is another object of the present invention to provide an image forming apparatus.

  A first aspect of the present invention (toner supply device) is a toner supply device that is detachably attached to an image forming apparatus in a slidable state, wherein the container main body has a box shape in which toner is filled; A pair of guided ridges extending in opposite directions from the both sides of the container body and extending in the attaching / detaching direction of the container body, and the guided ridges are directed in the mounting direction with respect to the image forming apparatus. It is characterized in that it is set to be inclined forward and downward.

  According to such a configuration, the toner supply device can be smoothly attached to the image forming apparatus with a simple configuration by guiding the attachment / detachment of the toner supply device on the side of the image forming apparatus using the inclined guided protrusion. Sex is secured.

  That is, for example, the container main body is naturally moved from a high position to a low position by attaching the container main body to the image forming apparatus so as to correspond to the inclination of the guided protrusion. Therefore, not only the bottom of the container body does not slide in contact with the mounting position on the image forming apparatus side, but also the edge of the toner receiving port on the image forming apparatus side provided on the front side of the operator and the container There is no interference with the bottom of the main body, and deformation or breakage of the container main body due to sliding contact or interference is prevented, and the container main body can be easily attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the container main body has an upper surface opening whose upper surface is opened over the entire surface, and a lid for closing the upper surface opening of the container main body is provided. The container body is provided with a main body side flange formed by projecting outward from the upper edge portion, and the lid body projects outward from the lower edge portion. A lid body-side flange that is opposed to the body-side flange formed by the above-mentioned configuration, and the body-side flange and the lid-side flange are brought into contact with each other to be integrated to form a flange as a toner supply device. The flange is an inclined flange as the guided protrusion.

  According to such a configuration, the inclined flange provided at the joint position between the container body and the lid functions as a guided ridge, so that the number of members is smaller than when a guided ridge is provided separately from the flange. This can contribute to a reduction in manufacturing cost.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, a replenishing port for replenishing toner is provided on the bottom plate of the container body.

  According to such a configuration, the toner in the container main body is supplied to the image forming apparatus in a falling state through the supply hole provided in the bottom plate, so that the supply is smoothly performed. When the toner supply device is attached to the installation surface on the image forming apparatus side, a member projecting downward such as a shutter portion provided on the bottom plate of the container main body slides on the installation surface on the image forming apparatus side. Since contact is avoided, even when a seal member is interposed between the shutter portion and the apparatus main body side, it is possible to effectively prevent the occurrence of inconvenience that the seal member easily peels off. Thus, the operation of mounting the toner supply device to the image forming apparatus is smoothly performed.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the first to third aspects, the container main body is provided with a stirring member extending in the attaching / detaching direction for stirring the toner in the container main body. A driving force transmission member for transmitting a driving force to the stirring member is provided on the lower end surface of the inclined flange in the above-described configuration, and an information storage means is provided on the same end surface of the lid. To do.

  According to such a configuration, the coupling of the driving means is provided at the position facing the toner supply device at the back of the apparatus main body so as to face the driving force transmission member, and the reader / writer is provided so as to face the information storage means. Thus, by attaching the toner supply device to the apparatus main body, the driving force of the driving means can be transmitted to the stirring member via the joint and the driving force transmitting member. In addition, since the information storage unit faces the reader / writer when the toner supply device is attached to the main body of the image forming apparatus, the information stored in the information storage unit is reliably read by the reader / writer.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, a replenishing port provided on a higher side of the inclined flange in the bottom plate of the container main body for replenishing toner, And a shutter portion that opens and closes the supply port.

  According to such a configuration, when the toner supply device is installed in the apparatus main body, the shutter part presses the peripheral edge of the toner receiving port on the apparatus main body side due to gravity. It is possible to effectively prevent inconveniences such as toner leakage from a gap formed between the peripheral edge of the entrance.

  Further, since the operator can visually recognize the state of the shutter portion when the container main body is being installed in the apparatus main body and when the installation is completed, it is convenient for performing maintenance when there is a malfunction. .

  A sixth aspect of the present invention (an image forming apparatus) is an image forming apparatus in which the toner supply device according to any one of the first to fifth aspects is detachably mounted in the main body of the apparatus. Is characterized in that an inclined guide rail that supports the inclined flange of the toner supply device and is inclined downward toward the mounting direction of the toner supply device is provided.

  According to this configuration, the image forming apparatus can enjoy the excellent effects provided by the toner supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

  In particular, by providing an inclined guide rail on the image forming apparatus side that supports and guides the inclined flange, the toner supply device is lowered while sliding the inclined flange toward the insertion direction on the inclined guide rail. It is mounted in the image forming apparatus. Therefore, when the toner supply device is mounted on the image forming apparatus, it is possible to avoid a member projecting downward such as a shutter portion provided on the bottom plate of the container main body from sliding on the image forming apparatus side. Therefore, when a seal member is interposed between the shutter portion and the apparatus main body side, it is possible to effectively prevent the occurrence of inconvenience that the seal member is easily peeled off, and to the image forming apparatus of the toner supply device. The mounting operation is performed smoothly.

  According to the toner supply device of the present invention, for example, the container main body is guided in a lowered state toward the installation surface on the image forming apparatus side so as to correspond to the inclination of the guided protrusion. In this way, since the container body naturally moves from a high position to a low position, the bottom of the container body is in sliding contact with the installation surface on the image forming apparatus side or provided on the installation surface. As a result, the toner supply device can be guided on the side of the image forming apparatus by using the inclined guide ridges so that the toner supply device can be easily configured. In spite of this, the smooth mounting property of the toner supply device can be ensured.

  According to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the image forming apparatus can enjoy the effects provided by the toner supply device of the present invention.

1 is an exploded perspective view showing an embodiment of a toner supply device according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is an assembled perspective view of the toner supply device shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing an embodiment of a container mounting chamber provided in the apparatus main body of the image forming apparatus, showing a state immediately before the toner supply device is mounted in the container mounting chamber. FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing an embodiment of a container mounting chamber provided in the apparatus main body of the image forming apparatus, in which (A) is a state where the toner supply device is being mounted in the container mounting chamber; ) Shows a state where the toner supply device is completely mounted in the container mounting chamber. 4A and 4B are explanatory diagrams for explaining the operation of the toner supply device according to the present embodiment, in which FIG. 5A shows a state immediately before the toner supply device is mounted in the container mounting chamber, and FIG. (C) shows a state immediately before the toner supply device is mounted in the container mounting chamber, and a state in which the toner supply device is mounted in the container mounting chamber.

  FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing an embodiment of a toner supply device according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an assembled perspective view thereof. 1 and 2, the X direction is referred to as the left-right direction, and the Y direction is referred to as the front-rear direction. Particularly, -X is referred to as the left, + X is referred to as the right, -Y is referred to as the front, and + Y is referred to as the rear.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the toner supply device 20 includes a container body 30 having an upper surface opening, a lid body 40 that closes the upper surface opening of the container body 30, and an internal toner contained in the container body 30. It has the basic composition provided with the stirring member 50 which stirs.

  The container body 30 is formed long in the front-rear direction, which is the mounting direction of the toner supply device 20 with respect to the image forming apparatus. The container body 30 includes a bottom plate 31 elongated in the front-rear direction, a pair of side plates 32 erected from the left and right edges of the bottom plate 31, and a front plate 33 erected from the front edge of the bottom plate 31. And a rear plate 34 erected from the rear edge of the bottom plate 31.

  The pair of side plates 32 is formed so as to be inclined downward as each upper edge portion moves rearward. The front plate 33 has the vertical dimension set to be the same as the vertical dimension of the front end of the side plate 32, and the rear plate 34 has the vertical dimension set to be the same as the vertical dimension of the rear end of the side plate 32. As a result, the upper edges of the side plates 32, the front plate 33, and the rear plate 34 are flush with each other.

  A main body side flange 35 is formed on the upper edge portion of the container main body 30 so as to protrude outwardly over the entire circumference. The main body side flanges 35 are formed at the upper edge portions of the pair of side plates 32, respectively, and a pair of inclined flanges 351 inclined downward toward the rear, and a front flange formed at the upper edge portion of the front plate 33. 352 and a rear flange 353 formed at the upper edge of the rear plate 34. The front flange 352 and the rear flange 353 are inclined with the same gradient as the inclined flange 351 in the front-rear direction, but are not inclined in the left-right direction. The upper surfaces of the pair of inclined flange 351, front flange 352, and rear flange 353 are flush with each other.

  A toner replenishing port 311 for replenishing toner is formed at an appropriate position in front of the bottom plate 31 of the container main body 30. Further, the bottom plate 31 is provided with a shutter portion 36 bulging downward while surrounding the toner supply port 311. A shutter plate (not shown) that opens and closes the toner supply port 311 is provided in the shutter portion 36. The shutter plate is configured to be opened when the toner supply device 20 is attached to the apparatus main body of the image forming apparatus, and to be closed when the toner supply apparatus 20 is pulled out from the apparatus main body.

  In addition, the front plate 33 of the container body 30 is provided with a toner filling port 331 for filling toner at an appropriate position. The toner filling port 331 is closed when the cap 332 is fitted in a press-fitted state after a predetermined amount of toner is filled in the toner supply device 20.

  The stirring member 50 includes a stirring shaft 51 installed between the front plate 33 and the rear plate 34 of the container body 30, a spiral fin 52 concentrically fixed to the stirring shaft 51, and a rear end of the stirring shaft 51. And a coupling member (driving force transmission member) 53 on the toner supply device 20 side provided concentrically on the side. The coupling member 53 is a coupling member (driving means) M4 on the apparatus body side provided on the apparatus body side of the image forming apparatus with the toner supply device 20 mounted in the container mounting chamber 60 (FIG. 5). Connected to

  The coupling force of the drive motor M (FIG. 5) provided on the apparatus body side is applied to the coupling member M4 on the apparatus body side by the drive shaft M1, the gear mechanism M2 for predetermined speed change, and the coupling member M4. Concentricity is transmitted through an integral transmission shaft M3.

  Accordingly, the driving force of the driving motor M is transmitted to the coupling member 53 on the apparatus main body side via the driving shaft M1, the gear mechanism M2, the transmission shaft M3, and the coupling member M4 at the tip thereof, and thereby the stirring shaft 51 The spiral fin 52 rotates integrally with the stirring shaft 51 by rotating around the axis. Then, the toner in the toner supply device 20 is conveyed forward while being agitated by the rotation of the spiral fins 52 and supplied to the developing device through the toner supply port 311.

  The lid body 40 has the same planar shape as the container body 30. The lid 40 includes a top plate 41 that is long in the front-rear direction, a pair of side plates 42 that are suspended from the left and right edges of the top plate 41, and a front plate that is suspended from the front edge of the top plate 41. 43 and a rear plate 44 erected from the rear edge of the top plate 41.

  The pair of side plates 42 are set to have the same shape, and each lower edge portion is formed so as to incline downward as it goes rearward. The inclination angle of the lower edge portion of the side plate 42 with respect to the top plate 41 is set to be the same as the inclination angle of the upper edge portion of the side plate 32 of the container body 30 with respect to the bottom plate 31.

  The front plate 43 has the vertical dimension set to be the same as the vertical dimension of the front end of the side plate 42, and the rear plate 44 has the vertical dimension set to be the same as the vertical dimension of the rear end of the side plate 42. As a result, the upper edges of the side plates 42, the front plate 43, and the rear plate 44 are flush with each other.

  And the cover body side flange 45 formed by projecting outward is formed in the lower edge part of this cover body 40 over the perimeter. The lid body side flange 45 is formed at the lower edge portion of the pair of side plates 42, and is inclined to the rear as it goes backward, and the front flange 452 is formed at the upper edge portion of the front plate 43, And a rear flange 453 formed on the upper edge of the rear plate 44. The front flange 452 and the rear flange 453 are inclined at the same gradient as the inclined flange 451 in the front-rear direction, but are not inclined in the left-right direction. The upper surfaces of the inclined flange 451, the front flange 452, and the rear flange 453 are flush with each other.

  Therefore, by closing the upper surface opening of the container main body 30 with the lid body 40, the upper surface of the main body side flange 35 and the lower surface of the lid body side flange 45 are brought into close contact with each other as shown in FIG. In this state, the main body side flange 35 and the lid side flange 45 are subjected to a welding process by applying a high frequency or the like, whereby the main body side flange 35 and the lid side flange 45 are integrated to form an inclined flange (guided protrusion) of the toner supply device 20. Article) 21. The reason why the main body side flange 35 and the lid body side flange 45 are projected outward is to improve the workability of the welding process.

  An RFID tag (radio frequency identification tag) 49 as an information storage unit is attached to an appropriate position on the outer surface side of the toner supply device 20. The RFID tag 49 stores various types of information related to the toner supply device 20 to which the RFID tag 49 is attached, for example, data such as toner filling date, filling toner amount, filling toner type, and the like.

  In the present embodiment, the RFID tag 49 is attached to the rear plate 44 of the lid 40. On the other hand, information is written to the RFID tag 49 or information stored in the RFID tag 49 in a back wall 63 (FIG. 3) of the container mounting chamber 60 (described later) for mounting the toner supply device 20 in the image forming apparatus. A reader / writer 70 for reading out the information is disposed opposite to the RFID tag 49.

  Accordingly, when the toner supply device 20 is mounted in the container mounting chamber 60, the reader / writer 70 reads various information stored in the RFID tag 49 and outputs the contents to an output screen (not shown). The operator can check the output contents of the toner supply device 20 that has been exchanged between old and new, whether or not it is correct, and the like.

  3 and 4 are partially cutaway perspective views showing an embodiment of the container mounting chamber 60 provided in the apparatus main body of the image forming apparatus. FIG. FIG. 4 shows a state immediately before being mounted on the container, and a state where the toner supply device 20 is mounted in the container mounting chamber 60. 4A shows a state in which the toner supply device 20 is being installed in the container mounting chamber 60, and FIG. 4B shows a state in which the toner supply device 20 has been completely installed in the container mounting chamber 60. ing. Incidentally, the direction display by X and Y in FIGS. 3 and 4 is the same as in FIG. 1 (−X: leftward, + X: rightward, −Y: forward, + Y: backward).

  First, as shown in FIG. 3, the container mounting chamber 60 is disposed horizontally and has a bottom wall 61 whose plane shape is set slightly larger than the plane shape of the toner supply device 20, and the bottom wall 61. A pair of horizontal walls 62 erected from the left and right edges of the bottom wall 61 and a back wall 63 erected from the rear edge of the bottom wall 61. The container mounting chamber 60 is provided with an entrance for inserting and removing the toner supply device 20 on the front surface thereof, and a mounting space for mounting the toner supply device 20 is formed therein.

  The toner supply device 20 is mounted on the bottom wall 61 of the container mounting chamber 60 at a position facing the toner supply port 311 provided in the bottom plate 31 of the toner supply device 20 in a state where the toner supply device 20 is mounted in the container mounting chamber 60. An inlet 611 is drilled. Replenishment of toner from the toner supply device 20 to the developing device is performed through the toner receiving port 611.

  Inclined guide rails 65 are laid on opposing surfaces of the pair of lateral walls 62 at positions facing each other. Each inclined guide rail 65 is for guiding the pair of inclined flanges 21, and is set at the same inclination angle as the inclined flange 21. The inclined guide rail 65 is disposed in parallel with the lower rail 651 at a position slightly above the lower rail 651 (specifically, a position slightly separated from the thickness dimension of the inclined flange 21). And upper rail 652. The front end portion of the lower rail 651 is horizontal, thereby increasing the gap dimension between the lower rail 651 and the upper rail 652 toward the front, making it easier to fit the inclined flange 21.

  Then, the left and right portions of the inclined flange 21 of the toner supply device 20 are inserted between the lower rail 651 and the upper rail 652 of the corresponding left and right inclined guide rails 65 and pushed into the container mounting chamber 60, respectively. The toner supply device 20 is inserted into the container mounting chamber 60 in a state of being lowered downward while being guided by the inclined guide rail 65.

  FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the operation of the toner supply device 20 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 5A is a state immediately before the toner supply device 20 is mounted in the container mounting chamber 60. 5B shows a state immediately before the toner supply device 20 is being installed in the container mounting chamber 60, and FIG. 5C shows a state in which the toner supply device 20 is installed in the container mounting chamber 60. Yes. In addition, the direction display by Y in FIG. 5 is the same as the case of FIG. 1 (-Y: front, + Y: back).

  When the toner supply device 20 is mounted in the container mounting chamber 60, first, the rear end portion of the inclined flange 21 is opposed to the front end portion of the inclined guide rail 65 as shown in FIG. Subsequently, the inclined flange 21 is fitted into the gap between the lower rail 651 and the upper rail 652. As a result, the left and right portions of the inclined flange 21 enter the gap between the lower rail 651 and the lower rail 651 as shown in FIG. 5B, and are thereafter supported by the lower rail 651 and on the lower rail 651. The container is mounted in the container mounting chamber 60 while sliding backward.

  When the toner supply device 20 is mounted in the container mounting chamber 60 as shown in FIG. 5C, first, the shutter portion 36 of the toner supply device 20 is placed on the bottom wall 61 of the container mounting chamber 60. It is in a state facing the provided toner receiving port 611. In this state, the shutter plate (not shown) operates to open the toner supply port 311.

  When the toner supply device 20 is mounted in the container mounting chamber 60, a coupling member 53 on the toner supply device 20 side provided concentrically at the rear end of the stirring shaft 51 that penetrates the rear plate 34 of the container main body 30 is provided. It is connected to a coupling member M4 on the drive motor M side. As a result, the driving force of the drive motor M is transmitted to the stirring shaft 51 via the coupling members M4 and 53. As a result, the toner in the toner supply device 20 is conveyed toward the toner replenishing port 311 while being agitated by the integral rotation of the spiral fin 52 around the agitation shaft 51, and the toner reception of the shutter 36 and the bottom wall 61 of the container mounting chamber 60 is performed. The developing device is replenished through an inlet 611 (FIG. 3).

  Further, when the toner supply device 20 is mounted in the container mounting chamber 60, an RFID tag 49 attached to the rear plate 44 of the lid 40 of the toner supply device 20 is attached to the back wall 63 of the container mounting chamber 60. Opposite the reader / writer 70. As a result, the information stored in the RFID tag 49 is read by the reader / writer 70 and output to an unillustrated output screen, so that the operator can know various information related to the toner supply device 20 that is actually mounted. it can.

  As described in detail above, the toner supply device 20 according to the present embodiment is slidably attached to the image forming apparatus in a slidable state so as to supply toner to the developing device built in the image forming apparatus. A container main body 30 having an upper surface opening filled with toner, and a main body side flange 35 formed by projecting outward from the upper edge of the container main body 30 over the entire circumference; A lid body 40 that closes the upper surface opening of the container body 30 and a lid body side that faces the body side flange 35 formed by projecting outward from the lower edge of the lid body 40 over the entire circumference. The main body side flange 35 and the lid body side flange 45 are brought into contact with each other and integrated to form the inclined flange 21 as the toner supply device 20.

  The inclined flange 21 uses the inclined flange 21 because the portion extending in the attaching / detaching direction of the toner supply device 20 with respect to the container mounting chamber 60 is inclined downward toward the mounting direction of the toner supply device 20. By guiding the toner supply device on the side of the image forming apparatus, it is possible to ensure a smooth mounting property of the toner supply device to the image forming apparatus with a simple configuration.

  In the present embodiment, the inclined guide rails 65 having the same inclination angle corresponding to the inclined flange 21 are provided on the opposite side walls 62 of the container mounting chamber 60 formed in the apparatus main body of the image forming apparatus. When the toner supply device 20 is pushed into the container mounting chamber 60, the inclined flange 21 is slid in the insertion direction on the lower rail 651 of the inclined guide rail 65, so that the toner supply device 20 is lowered and the image forming apparatus is lowered. It will be mounted in a container mounting chamber 60 provided in the apparatus main body.

  Therefore, when the toner supply device 20 is mounted in the container mounting chamber 60, a member protruding downward such as the shutter portion 36 provided on the bottom plate 31 of the container main body 30 may be in sliding contact with the bottom plate 31. Since it can be avoided to the maximum, the toner supply device 20 can be smoothly mounted in the container mounting chamber 60.

  In particular, when a seal member is interposed between the lower surface of the shutter portion 36 and the periphery of the toner supply port 311 in the bottom plate 31, the toner supply device 20 is mounted horizontally into the container mounting chamber 60 as in the past. In such a case, the seal member is easily peeled off. However, in this embodiment, since the toner supply device 20 is mounted in a state where the shutter portion 36 presses the seal member from above, the seal member is easily peeled off. Such an inconvenience can be effectively prevented.

  When the toner supply device 20 is mounted in the container mounting chamber 60, the shutter portion 36 presses the peripheral edge of the toner receiving port 611 provided in the bottom wall 61 of the container mounting chamber 60 due to gravity. As described above, it is possible to effectively prevent the occurrence of inconvenience that the toner leaks from a gap formed between the shutter portion 36 and the peripheral edge of the toner receiving port 611.

  Further, the bottom plate 31 of the container body 30 is provided with a toner supply port 311 for supplying internal toner to the higher side (that is, the front side) of the inclined flange 21 and a shutter unit 36 for opening and closing the toner supply port 311. Therefore, the operator can visually check whether the shutter unit 36 is operating normally in a state where the toner supply device 20 is being mounted in the container mounting chamber 60, which is convenient for maintenance.

  Further, a coupling member M4 on the drive motor M side is provided on the back wall 63 of the container mounting chamber 60 at a position facing the stirring member 50 of the toner supply device 20 so as to face the coupling member 53 on the toner supply device 20 side. Therefore, when the toner supply device 20 is mounted in the container mounting chamber 60, the driving force on the drive motor M side can be transmitted from the coupling member M4 to the stirring member 50 via the coupling members M4 and 53. it can.

  Further, since the reader / writer 70 is provided on the back wall 63 of the container mounting chamber 60 so as to face the RFID tag 49 provided on the rear plate 44 of the toner supply device 20, the reader / writer 70 is stored in the RFID tag 49. Can be read by the reader / writer 70, and various information about the toner supply device 20 that is actually mounted can be known.

  The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and includes the following contents.

  (1) In the above embodiment, the toner container is described as an example of the toner supply device 20, but a so-called developing unit in which the developing device and the toner container are integrated is adopted, and this developing unit is an image. Also included in the toner supply device according to the present invention is a device that is detachably attached to the forming device.

  (2) In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the container mounting chamber 60 is provided in the apparatus main body of the image forming apparatus has been shown in order to ensure ease of explanation. In order to mount the forming apparatus at a predetermined position in the apparatus main body, it is not limited to providing the container mounting chamber 60 surrounded by a wall, but guides the mounting of the toner supply apparatus 20 in the apparatus main body. As long as the inclined guide rail 65 is provided, it is not necessary to surround the four sides with a wall surface.

  (3) In the above embodiment, the inclined guide rail 65 is constituted by the lower rail 651 and the upper rail 652, but it is sufficient that there is at least the lower rail 651 that supports the inclined flange 21 of the toner supply device 20, The upper rail 652 may be omitted.

  (4) In the above embodiment, when the image forming apparatus is for color printing, a plurality of toner supply devices 20 according to the present invention are employed according to the toner of each color, and the supply of these toners A plurality of container mounting chambers 60 are formed to accommodate the device 20.

  (5) In the above embodiment, only the inclined flange 21 may be provided in a state where the front flanges 352 and 452 and the rear flanges 353 and 453 are not provided. In addition, the inclined flanges 351 and 451 are not limited to be provided continuously over the entire length, and a plurality of flange pieces may be provided in parallel in the front-rear direction via a gap.

  (6) In the above embodiment, the inclined flange 21 formed for joining the container main body 30 and the lid body 40 to each other is a guided protrusion when the toner supply device 20 is mounted in the container mounting chamber 60. However, the present invention is not limited to the case where the inclined flange 21 is also used as the guided ridge, and an independent guided ridge that is separate from the inclined flange 21 is used as the container body 30. May be provided.

  (7) In the above embodiment, the RFID tag 49 is adopted as the information storage means. However, the present invention is not limited to the information storage means being the RFID tag 49, and a barcode or the like is used. Other types of information storage means may be employed.

20 Toner supply device 21 Inclined flange (guided protrusion)
30 Container body 31 Bottom plate 311 Toner supply port 32 Side plate 33 Front plate 331 Toner filling port 332 Cap 34 Rear plate 35 Body side flange 351 Inclined flange 352 Front flange 353 Rear flange 36 Shutter unit 40 Cover body 41 Top plate 42 Side plate 43 Front plate 44 Rear plate 45 Cover side flange 451 Inclined flange 452 Front flange 453 Rear flange 49 RFID tag (information storage means)
50 Stirring member 51 Stirring shaft 52 Spiral fin 53 Coupling member (driving force transmitting member) on the toner supply device side
60 Container mounting chamber 61 Bottom wall 611 Toner receiving port 62 Horizontal wall 63 Back wall 65 Inclined guide rail 651 Lower rail 652 Upper rail 70 Reader / writer M Drive motor (drive means)
M1 Drive shaft M2 Gear mechanism M3 Transmission shaft M4 Device body side coupling member (joint)

Claims (6)

A toner supply device detachably attached to the image forming apparatus in a slid state;
A container body having a box shape filled with toner;
A pair of guided ridges extending in opposite directions of the container main body projecting in opposite directions from both side surfaces of the container main body,
The toner supply device according to claim 1, wherein the guide protrusion is set to be inclined downward toward the mounting direction with respect to the image forming apparatus. The container body has an upper surface opening having an upper surface opened over the entire surface,
A lid for closing the upper surface opening of the container body is provided,
The container body is provided with a body side flange formed by projecting outward from the upper edge portion,
The lid body is provided with a lid body side flange facing the main body side flange formed by projecting outward from a lower edge portion,
The main body side flange and the lid side flange are brought into contact with each other and integrated to form a flange as a toner supply device,
The toner supply device according to claim 1, wherein the flange is an inclined flange as the guided protrusion.   The toner supply device according to claim 1, wherein a supply port for supplying toner is provided on a bottom plate of the container main body.   A stirring member extending in the attaching / detaching direction for stirring the toner inside the container body is provided in the container body, and a drive for transmitting a driving force to the stirring member on the lower end surface of the inclined flange in the container body. 4. The toner supply device according to claim 1, wherein a force transmission member is provided and an information storage means is provided on the same end surface of the lid.   5. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a supply port for supplying toner and a shutter portion for opening and closing the supply port, which are provided on a higher side of the inclined flange in the bottom plate of the container main body. The toner supply device according to claim 1. An image forming apparatus in which the toner supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 is detachably mounted in the apparatus main body.
In the image forming apparatus, an inclined guide rail that supports an inclined flange of the toner supply device and is inclined downward toward the mounting direction of the toner supply device is provided in the apparatus main body. apparatus.

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