JP2000338760A - Cartridge for image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [PROBLEMS] To use one or two or more holes which must be formed in a cartridge which can be used as a toner cartridge or a process cartridge in an image forming apparatus.
The manufacturing process and the number of parts will be reduced. SOLUTION: A shaft 24 of an agitator 11, which is a developer supply member, is protruded to the outside to fill a developer through a shaft hole 25 for mounting a gear 23, and after the filling is completed, a seal material 26 and a gear 23 are inserted into the shaft hole 25. Is attached, and the shaft hole 25 is closed in a form that also serves as a cap. At the end of the shaft 24, a concave portion 24a is formed in a funnel shape as a guide portion for guiding the developer filling nozzle into the lower housing 13.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cartridge that can be used as a toner cartridge or a process cartridge in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a facsimile, and a printer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A cartridge of this type has a housing provided with a developer charging port, which is closed after the developer is filled, and is attached to an image forming apparatus. Further, it is common to have a replenishing member for supplying the developer in the housing to the outside after the developer is attached to the image forming apparatus main body, and the replenishing member needs to have a driving force transmitted from outside the housing. In many cases, a part of the portion protrudes outward from a hole provided in the housing. Further, when the amount of the developer in the housing becomes low due to supply to the outside or the like, the developer must be supplied, but a supply port for that purpose is generally provided separately from the developer filling port. .
The developer filling port and the supply port are often closed with a cap made of, for example, polypropylene. Therefore, a cartridge used in an image forming apparatus needs to make a plurality of holes in a housing, and often uses one or more caps as parts.

[0003]

As described above, a structure in which a large number of holes are formed in a cartridge and caps are closed in some of the holes inevitably increases the manufacturing process of the cartridge housing. Manufacturing costs will also increase. In the case of drilling holes in the housing, it is naturally necessary to design so as to drill at the most suitable place for each purpose, but when the number of holes increases, it becomes troublesome.

In view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, the present invention is intended to reduce the number of manufacturing steps and the number of parts by using one or more holes that must be formed in the cartridge housing. The purpose is to get.

[0005]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cartridge for an image forming apparatus having a charging port for charging a developer such as a toner in a housing to achieve the above object. Along with exposing at least one gear for driving transmission to components in the housing to the outside, at least one of the gears is attached to the housing so as to also serve as a member for closing the filling port. It is characterized by becoming.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in order to achieve the above object, a gear for closing the filling port is driven by a shaft member for supplying or stirring the developer inside the housing to the outside. It is for transmitting force.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in order to achieve the above object, the diameter of the filling port is set to a size that allows insertion of the filling chil while the shaft member is inserted. It is characterized by the following.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in order to achieve the above object, a filling nozzle inserted into the housing when the developer is filled in the housing is guided to a part of the shaft member. It is characterized in that a concave portion serving as a guide to be provided is provided.

[0009]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the periphery of a photoconductor of an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine using an embodiment of the cartridge of the present invention. In the figure, 1 is a photoreceptor, 2 is a developing roller, 3
Is a registration roller pair, 4 is a transfer roller, 5 is a static elimination needle, 6
Is a charging roller, 7 is a cleaning blade, and 8 is a developing blade. Reference numeral 10 denotes a toner storage unit, 11 denotes an agitator (developer supply member), and 12 denotes a toner end sensor.

Further, in the figure, reference numeral 13 denotes a lower housing, in which a developing roller 2 and an agitator 11 are arranged to constitute a developing device, and an upper housing 1 for covering the toner accommodating section 10 is provided.
The photoconductor 1 and the like are housed on the 4 side, and the above-described components except for the transfer roller 4 and the discharging needle 5 are integrated to form a process cartridge. In the figure, reference numeral 15 denotes a photoconductor shutter. In the drawing, L indicates exposure, and P indicates transfer paper.

The photoreceptor 1 and the developing roller 2 are rotated in the directions indicated by arrows in FIG. 1 by a motor and a drive system (not shown).
The transfer paper P is conveyed with its posture regulated in the transfer nip direction between the photoconductor 1 and the transfer roller 4 while being in contact with and contacting one surface 13a of the lower housing 13 by the registration roller pair 3.

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the process cartridge shown in FIG. In the figure, reference numeral 20 denotes a boss,
The upper housing 14 is rotatably fitted with the upper housing 14. In the figure, 21 is a gear for driving the developing roller 2, 22 is an idler gear, and 23 is a gear for driving the agitator 11.

FIG. 3A is a schematic perspective view showing the inside of the lower housing 13 shown in FIG. In the figure, reference numeral 24 denotes a shaft of the agitator 11, which is a developer supply member, and reference numerals 25, 25 denote shaft holes. The shaft holes 25 are provided on the side surfaces of the lower housing 13 for mounting gears 23 for driving the shafts 24 of the two agitators 11. Reference numeral 26 in the figure denotes a sealing material for preventing the developer from spilling from the shaft hole 25.
Each of the gears 23 is attached so as not to be easily removed by a claw formed at an end of the shaft 24.

In this type of cartridge, the developer charging port is usually provided separately on the side where the gear is not connected (the side not shown) or the like.
Is used as a developer filling port. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 3B, a concave portion shown by hatching in the figure as a guide portion for guiding a developer filling nozzle (not shown) into the lower housing 13 at the end of the shaft 24. 24a is formed in a funnel shape, for example. Of course, instead of a funnel shape, it may be formed in a groove shape, for example, and the filling nozzle may have a convex portion that enters the groove to form an insertion guide by fitting.

The developer is filled from the shaft hole 25 with at least one of the gears 23 not attached to the lower housing 13, and after the filling is completed, the sealing material 26 and the gear 23 are attached to the shaft hole 25 to remove the cap. Shaft hole 25 can be used for
Close up.

[0016]

Since the cartridge for an image forming apparatus according to the present invention is as described above, the developer charging port can be closed without using a dedicated cap, and the number of manufacturing steps, manufacturing cost, and parts can be reduced. There is an effect that the number of points can be reduced and the developer can be filled without lowering the filling efficiency. Further, since the number of holes provided in the housing can be reduced, there is also an effect that restrictions on the layout of perforated portions are eased.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view around a photoconductor of an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine using an embodiment of a cartridge of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of a lower housing constituting one embodiment of the cartridge of the present invention.

3A is a schematic perspective view showing a lower housing of the cartridge shown in FIG. 2, and FIG. 3B is an enlarged perspective view showing a shaft end structure of an agitator as a developer supply member.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 photoconductor 2 developing roller 3 registration roller pair 4 transfer roller 5 static elimination needle 6 charging roller 7 cleaning blade 8 developing blade 9 conductive sheet 10 toner container 11 agitator (developer replenishing member) 12 toner end sensor 13 lower housing 14 Upper housing 15 Photoconductor shutter 20 Boss 21, 23 Gear 22 Idler gear 24 Agitator shaft 24a Concave portion 25 Shaft hole 26 Sealing material L Exposure P Transfer paper

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F-term (reference) 2H071 BA04 BA20 BA41 CA05 DA08 DA09 DA13 DA15 DA26 2H077 AB04 AD13 BA03 BA08 BA09 CA12 DA16

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A housing having a filling port for filling a developer such as toner into a housing, and having at least one gear for transmitting drive to components in the housing exposed to the outside. Wherein at least one of the cartridges is attached to the housing so as to also serve as a member for closing the filling port. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the gear for closing the filling port is for transmitting a driving force to a shaft-like member for supplying or stirring the developer in the housing to the outside. Item 7. A cartridge for an image forming apparatus according to Item 1. 3. The cartridge for an image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the diameter of the filling port is set to a size that allows insertion of the filling chimney in a state where the shaft member is inserted. . 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein a part of the shaft-like member is provided with a concave portion serving as a guide for guiding a filling nozzle inserted into the housing when the developer is filled into the housing. 4. The cartridge for an image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein