JPH01129273A - Loading/unloading mechanism for toner cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To simply and easily execute the loading/unloading of a toner cartridge by rotating a ring-shaped member directly or through a flange and disengaging a 1st pawl and a 2nd pawl which can be engaged with and disengaged from the engagement part of the flange. CONSTITUTION:At the time of replenishing toner, the toner cartridge is inserted into a toner cartridge mounting part 22 in a state where the 1st pawl 31 of the ring-shaped member 24 is engaged with the engagement part 30 of the flange 26 of a cylindrical body 23. When the flange 26 is rotated by a specified angle after completing the insertion, the 1st pawl 31 engages with a 2nd pawl 32 on a toner cartridge mounting part side. At the time of replacing the toner cartridge 21, the flange 26 is drawn this side and a ring-shaped member 24 is rotated a little in a state where a cylindrical body 23 is completely drawn out, so that the engagement of the 1st and the 2nd pawls 31 and 32 can be released and the toner cartridge 21 can be unloaded. Thus, the loading/unloading of the toner cartridge can be easily performed.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Summary] To facilitate the installation and removal of a toner cartridge, regarding a toner cartridge installation and removal mechanism equipped with a covering member such as vinyl to prevent an operator's hands from getting dirty when replacing the toner cartridge. A cover made of vinyl or the like that is shaped to completely enclose the cylindrical body is provided between a flange provided at one end of the operation side of the cylindrical body for toner storage and a ring-shaped member that loosely fits into the cylindrical body. In the attachment/detachment mechanism for attaching and detaching a toner cartridge having each end of a member attached to a toner cartridge mounting portion of a developing device, the ring-shaped member has a plurality of first claws, and the flange has a plurality of first claws. a plurality of engaging portions each of which is engaged with and disengaged by a claw are provided, and the toner cartridge mounted by engaging the first claw with the engaging portion is stored in the toner cartridge mounting portion to prevent toner from falling. A plurality of second pawls are provided to engage with each of the first pawls, release the engagement with the engaging portion, and hold the first pawls when rotated.

[Industrial application field]

The present invention relates to a cartridge attachment/detachment mechanism that includes a covering member such as vinyl to prevent an operator's hands from getting dirty during cartridge replacement.

In recent years, copying machines and electrophotographic printers that use toner have become popular.
It is rapidly becoming popular because it has advantages such as high print quality, high resolution, high speed, and low noise.

In this case, toner replenishment is left to the operator, especially in popular and intermediate models.

However, since toner is a fine powder, it is easily blown away, and replenishing toner is a task that is disliked by operators because their hands get dirty.

As a solution to this problem, attempts have been made to use a covering member such as vinyl to prevent the operator's hands from getting dirty when replacing the toner cartridge.

[Conventional technology]

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a conventional toner cartridge using this covering member. In the figure, 1 indicates a cylindrical body 2 made of paper or the like for storing the toner, a ring-shaped member 3, and a covering member made of vinyl or the like. This is a toner cartridge composed of 4.

The cylindrical body 2 includes a flange 5 integrally formed at one end on the operation side and an opening 6 for dropping stored toner, and a seal 7 is attached to the opening 6.

The ring-shaped member 3 includes a protrusion 3a and is loosely fitted into the cylindrical body 2.

The covering member 4 has a shape that can completely enclose the cylindrical body 2, and each end thereof is fixed to the ring-shaped member 3 and the flange 5, respectively.

The flange 5 includes a handle 8 for operation.

This toner cartridge 1 is for replenishing toner to a developing device 9 shown in FIG. A doctor blade 13 for controlling the height of the upper toner, a scraper 14 for scraping off residual toner after development, and a toner cartridge mounting section 1
5 and a replenishment roller 17. Toner replenishment to the developing device 9 is performed as follows.

When replenishing toner, as shown in FIG. 8(a), insert the cylindrical body 2 into the toner cartridge mounting portion 15 while pulling the seal 7 toward you and peeling it off with the opening 6 facing up. In the fully inserted state, the seal 7 is completely peeled off.

Next, as shown in FIG. 8(b), the ring-shaped member 3 is fixed to the toner cartridge mounting part 15 with the screw 18 inserted into the protrusion 3a, and the cylindrical body 2 is rotated by operating the handle 8. let FIG. 8(C) shows a state in which the cylindrical body 2 has been rotated 180 degrees. In this state, the opening 6 is directly below and the toner inside the cylindrical body 2 falls into the hopper as shown by the arrow. Incidentally, if one end of the covering member 4 is not fixed to the flange 5 but supported so as to be relatively rotatable, the rotation of the above-mentioned cylindrical body 2 becomes smoother.

When removing the installed toner cartridge 1 for the next toner replenishment, etc. (toner cartridge replacement), the cylindrical body 2 is pulled out as shown in FIG. 8(d).

At this time of withdrawal, the cylindrical body 2 is fitted into the covering member 4 that is stretched by the withdrawal, so that the toner attached to the periphery of the opening 6 or remaining inside the cylindrical body 2 falls. It will not be leaked to the outside.

Next, when the cylindrical body 2 is completely pulled out, as shown in FIG.
As shown in e), the ring member 3 is separated from the toner cartridge mounting portion 15 by loosening the screw 18 to complete the removal. When the removal is completed, the cylindrical body 2 is completely covered by the covering member 4.

In this manner, by using the covering member 4, it is possible to completely eliminate toner leakage when removing the toner cartridge 1, and the operator's hands are no longer soiled.

The toner replenished into the hopper 16 as described above is replenished into the developer tank IO by the replenishment roller 17.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

In the above-described toner cartridge attachment/detachment method, the ring-shaped member 3 is left on the toner cartridge mounting portion 15 side by the screw 18 in order to extend the covering member 4 and insert the cylindrical body 2 into it when removing the toner cartridge. Therefore, it is necessary to operate the screw 18 in order to attach and detach the toner cartridge 12, and this operation is troublesome.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a toner cartridge attachment/detachment mechanism that allows the toner cartridge to be easily attached and detached.

[Means for solving problems]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, in the present invention, the cylindrical body is attached to a flange provided at one end of the operating side of the cylindrical body for toner storage, and a ring-shaped member that loosely fits into the cylindrical body. In the attachment/detachment mechanism for attaching and detaching a toner cartridge, which is formed by attaching each end of a covering member made of a collapsible material and having a shape that can be completely wrapped, to a toner cartridge mounting portion of a developing device, the ring-shaped member is attached to the toner cartridge. is the first of several
The flange is provided with a plurality of engaging portions to which each of the first pawls engages and disengages, and the cartridge is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion by engaging the first pawl with the engaging portion. a plurality of plurality of claws that engage with each of the first claws to release the engagement with the engaging portion and hold the first claws when the toner cartridge is rotated to cause stored toner to fall; It is configured by providing a second claw.

[Effect]

When replenishing toner, the toner cartridge is inserted into the toner cartridge mounting portion with the first claw of the ring-shaped member engaged with the engaging portion of the flange of the cylindrical body. At this time,
As in the past, insert the cylindrical body with the opening for toner falling facing upward and peel off the seal. After insertion is complete, rotate the flange to a specified angle (until the opening is directly below).
The ring member also rotates at the same time, and when the rotation is completed, the first claw engages with the second claw on the toner cartridge mounting section side. Due to this engagement, the first claw is released from engagement with the engaging portion and is held by the second claw.

Furthermore, when the rotation is complete, the opening is directly below, so the toner stored in the cylindrical body falls into the hopper.

Then, when replacing the toner cartridge, when the flange is pulled toward you (this is possible because the engagement between the first claw and the engaging portion has been released), the ring-shaped member engages with the first and second claws. The cylindrical body is held in place and remains on the side of the toner cartridge mounting portion, and the covering member is extended and the cylindrical body is fitted therein. When the cylindrical body is completely pulled out, the cylindrical body is completely covered by the covering member. Therefore, toner does not leak outside when replacing the toner cartridge.

When the ring-shaped member is slightly rotated with the cylindrical body completely pulled out, the engagement between the first and second claws is released, and the toner cartridge can be removed.

In this way, in the present invention, by rotating the flange, the first
By engaging the second claw, the ring-shaped member is held on the toner cartridge mounting part side and the flange can be pulled out, and by rotation of the ring-shaped member, the first,
The toner cartridge can be removed by disengaging the second pawl, and there is no need to operate a screw as in the conventional case, making it easier to replace the toner cartridge.

[Example] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a toner cartridge attaching/detaching mechanism according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a side view of the same. In the figure, 21 is a toner cartridge, and 22 is a toner cartridge mounting portion on the developing device side.

The toner cartridge 21 is a cylindrical body 2 that stores toner.
3, a ring-shaped member 24, and a covering member 25 made of a foldable material such as vinyl.

The cylindrical body 23 has a flange 26 integrally formed at one end on the operation side, and an opening 27 for dropping the stored toner.
A seal 28 is attached to the opening 27. The flange 26 includes a handle 29 for operation and a pair (-
A fishing boat is provided with a plurality of engaging portions (holes are shown in this figure) 30.

The ring-shaped member 24 has a pair of first
It is provided with a claw 31 and is loosely fitted into the cylindrical body 23.

The covering member 25 has a shape that can completely enclose the cylindrical body 23, and each end thereof has a ring-shaped member 24 and a flange 26.
are fixed respectively.

On the other hand, a first claw 3 is attached to the toner cartridge mounting portion 22.
A second pawl 32 that can be engaged with and detached from the second pawl 32 is provided. The second claw 32 is provided with a protrusion 33 for engagement with the first claw 31, as shown in detail in FIG. A curved chamfer 34 is provided to facilitate engagement with 31. Further, the first claw 31 is provided with a protrusion 35 for locking the protrusion 33 (details will be described later).

The first and second pawls 31 and 32 and the engaging portion 30 constitute a toner cartridge attachment/detaching mechanism.Next, the operation of this attachment/detachment mechanism will be explained.

When replenishing toner, the toner cartridge 21 is inserted into the toner cartridge mounting portion 22 from which the old toner cartridge has been removed, as shown in FIG. 4(a). This insertion is performed while peeling off the seal 28 as in the conventional case. During this insertion, the tip 31a of the first claw 31 of the ring-shaped member 24
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the engaging portion 3 of the flange 26
0, and the covering member 25 is folded.

Further, at the time of this insertion, as shown in FIG. 5(a), the first claw 31 is disengaged from the second claw 32 in the circumferential direction, so that the ring-shaped member 24 is attached to the toner cartridge mounting portion 22.
It is possible to insert it until it makes contact with the

Next, as shown in FIG. 4(b), the fully inserted toner cartridge 21 is rotated in the direction shown by the arrow in FIG. 5(b).
Do this by operating 9. When the handle 29 is rotated by operating the handle 29, the first claw 31 is engaged with the engaging portion 30.
The ring-shaped member 24 also rotates at the same time, and when the rotation progresses by a predetermined amount, the second pawl 32 engages with the first pawl 31. Figure 4 (
C), FIG. 5(C), and FIG. 3(b) show this state, and due to this engagement, the first claw 31 is elastically deformed inward under the pressing force of the protrusion 33, and the first claw 31 is The engagement between the claw 31 of No. 1 and the engaging portion 30 is released as shown in FIG. 3(b). Therefore, in this state, the cylindrical body 23 can be pulled out. In this case, the first and second pawls 31 and 32 can be smoothly engaged because the chamfer 34 is provided on the second pawl 32 side. In this example, the third claw 32 side is chamfered, but it goes without saying that the first claw 31 side may be chamfered.

After using the toner, the toner cartridge 21 is removed, and this removal is performed as follows.

When the flange 26 is pulled out from the state shown in FIG. 4(c) as shown in FIG. 4(d), the cylindrical body 23 integrated with the flange 26 is also pulled out, but the ring-shaped member 24
The first protrusion 35 is engaged with the protrusion 33 of the second claw 32 and remains on the toner cartridge mounting portion 22 side, and as a result, the covering member 25 is extended and the cylindrical body 23 is fitted into it ( .

When the cylindrical body 23 is completely pulled out, the cylindrical body 23 is completely covered by the covering member 25.

Finally, when the ring-shaped member 24 is slightly rotated as shown in FIG. 5(d), the first pawl 31 is separated from the second pawl 32. FIG. 4(e) shows this state, and in this state, the toner cartridge 22 can be removed from the toner cartridge mounting portion 22.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, according to the present invention, the toner cartridge is attached to and detached from the toner cartridge attachment portion by using the first pawl provided on the ring-shaped member and capable of engaging and detaching from the engaging portion of the flange, and the toner cartridge attachment portion. This is done by engaging and disengaging the second pawl provided on the part, and this engagement and disengagement can be achieved by simply rotating the ring-shaped member directly or through the flange, so the attachment and detachment work is extremely easy. becomes easier.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the attachment/detachment mechanism of the toner cartridge according to the embodiment of the present invention, an explanatory diagram of the shape and engagement state, and Fig. 4(a) to (e) are illustrations of the procedure for attaching/detaching the toner cartridge according to the embodiment of the present invention. 5(a) to 5(d) are explanatory diagrams of the operation of the toner cartridge attaching/detaching mechanism according to the embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a conventional toner cartridge, and FIG. 7 is a toner cartridge shown in FIG. 6. Schematic explanatory diagram of the structure of a developing device that replenishes toner using a cartridge, FIGS. 8(a) to (e)
2 is an explanatory diagram of the procedure for attaching and detaching a conventional toner cartridge. In the figure, 21 is a toner cartridge, 22 is a toner cartridge mounting part, 23 is a cylindrical body, 24 is a ring-shaped member, 25 is a covering member, 26 is a flange, and 30 is a cylindrical body. In the engaging portion, 31 is a first claw, and 32 is a second claw.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] A flange (26) provided at one end of the operating side of the toner storage cylindrical body (23), and a ring-shaped member (24) that loosely fits into the cylindrical body (23), A toner cartridge (21) to which each end of a covering member (25) made of a collapsible material and having a shape that can completely enclose the cylindrical body (23) is attached is attached to a toner cartridge mounting portion of a developing device. In the attachment/detachment mechanism for attachment/detachment to (22), a plurality of first pawls (31) are engaged with the ring-shaped member (24), and each of the first pawls (31) is engaged with the flange (26). A plurality of engaging portions (30) are provided for detachment, and the toner cartridge is attached to the toner cartridge mounting portion (22) by engaging the first claw (31) with the engaging portion (30). When the toner cartridge (22) is rotated to drop the stored toner, the toner cartridge (22) engages with each of the first claws (31) to release the engagement with the engaging portion (30), and A toner cartridge attaching/detaching mechanism characterized in that a plurality of second claws (32) for holding the claws (31) are provided.