JPH04177380A - Toner cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make a toner be hardly scattered at a time when a sealing member is separated from a toner cartridge body by sticking a separation terminal part of the sealing member to the toner cartridge body with sticking force weaker than a sticking part other than that. CONSTITUTION:A separation terminal part 12 of a sealing member 4 among sticking parts to a toner cartridge body 3 of this member 4 is stuck fast to the body 3 with sticking force weaker than the sticking parts other than the separation terminal part. Here the member 4 is separating from the body 3, and when the member 4 is separated up to the separation terminal part 12, sticking force of the part is weak, so that this member 4 is separated with relatively weak tensile force. Accordingly, even in a moment the member 4 is fully separated, a variation in resistance by the sticking force of the member 4 becomes lessened, thus impact force to the toner cartridge and a hopper is also reduced. With this constitution, when the member 4 is separated from the body 3, the toner is hard to be scattered around in this way.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a toner cartridge used in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine.

[Prior Art] An electrophotographic copying machine is provided with a developing device containing toner in order to visualize an electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of a photoreceptor drum.

Since the toner contained in the developing device is consumed each time an electrostatic latent image is visualized, toner must be replenished every time a copying operation is performed a required number of times.

Generally, toner is replenished by replacing a toner cartridge installed at a predetermined position W above the developing device.

A toner cartridge generally includes a toner cartridge main body that has a toner ejection port and stores toner therein, and a band-shaped seal member that is attached to the toner cartridge main body and closes the toner ejection port.

After the toner cartridge is installed in a predetermined toner cartridge installation section within the copying machine, the sealing member is peeled off from the toner cartridge main body.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] In the process of peeling off the seal member from the toner cartridge main body, it is necessary to pull the seal member relatively strongly because there is resistance due to the adhesive force of the seal member. and,
At the moment the sealing member is completely peeled off from the toner cartridge body, the resistance due to the adhesive force of the sealing member disappears rapidly, and the reaction causes a shock to the toner cartridge, body, and hopper, causing the toner to scatter. There is a problem that it pollutes the surrounding area.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a toner cartridge in which toner is less likely to scatter when a sealing member is peeled off from a toner cartridge main body.

[Means for Solving the Problems] A toner cartridge according to the present invention includes a toner cartridge main body that has a toner ejection port and stores toner therein, and a seal member that is fixed to the toner cartridge main body and closes the toner ejection port. In the toner cartridge, the part of the seal member that is fixed to the toner cartridge main body has a weaker adhesion force at the peeled end part of the seal member than the fixed part other than the peeled end part.
It is characterized by being fixed to the main body.

[Operation of the invention] When the seal member is peeled off from the toner cartridge main body, and when the seal member is peeled off until the end of the peeling of the seal member, the adhesion force at that part is weak, so the seal member is peeled off with a relatively weak pulling force. It is being peeled off. Therefore, at the moment when the seal member is completely peeled off from the toner cartridge main body, the change in resistance due to the adhesion force of the seal member is smaller than in the past, and the impact force on the toner cartridge and hopper is also reduced. Therefore, toner is less likely to scatter.

[Example] Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

1 to 4 show the toner cartridge and body.

The toner cartridge 1 includes a cylindrical toner cartridge body 3 having a toner discharge port 2 and storing toner therein.
and a band-shaped seal member 4 that is attached to the toner cartridge main body 3 and closes the toner discharge port 2.

A grip portion 5 is provided on the front end surface of the toner cartridge main body 3.

The sealing member 4 includes a toner discharge port closing portion 11 bonded to the toner cartridge main body 3 so as to close the toner discharge port 2, and is folded back at the rear end of the toner discharge port closing portion 11 and extends to the front end of the toner cartridge 1. It consists of a folded part 12.

A portion 11a (see FIG. 3) surrounding the toner ejection port 2 in the toner ejection port closing portion 11 and a front end portion (peeling end portion) llb (see FIG. 3) of the toner ejection port closing portion 11 are the toner cartridge. The adhesion strength to the main body 3 is different. That is, the adhesive force of the portion 11a surrounding the toner discharge port 2 of the sealing member 4 to the toner cartridge main body 3 is relatively strong, and the toner discharge port closing portion 11
The adhesive force of the front end portion 11b to the toner cartridge main body 3 is relatively weak.

For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the sealing member 4 includes a base film 20, a heat-resistant film layer 21 formed on the upper surface of the base film 20, and a heat seal layer formed on the lower surface of the base film 20. 22, and by applying heat from the heat-resistant film layer 21 side, the heat seal layer 22 is melted and adhered to the toner cartridge main body 3.

As the heat seal layer 22 in the portion 11H of the seal member 4 surrounding the toner discharge port 2, a heat seal material with relatively high adhesive strength is used. Seal member 4
As the heat seal layer 22 at the front end portion 11b,
Heat-sealing materials with relatively low adhesive strength are used.

In the above configuration, when the toner cartridge 1 is installed in a predetermined toner cartridge mounting position in the copying machine, the folded portion 12 of the sealing member 4 is pulled, so that the sealing member 4 is attached to the toner cartridge main body 3. peeled off from. When the seal member 4 is peeled off from the front end 11b of the seal member 4, the adhesive force at that portion is weak, so that the seal member 4 is peeled off with a relatively weak tensile force.

Therefore, even at the moment when the sealing member 4 is completely peeled off from the toner cartridge main body 3, the change in resistance due to the adhesive force of the sealing member 4 is smaller than before, and the impact force on the toner cartridge 1 and the hopper is also smaller. . Therefore, toner is less likely to scatter.

[Effects of the Invention] According to the present invention, when the sealing member is peeled off from the toner cartridge main body, toner is less likely to scatter.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The drawings show an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a toner cartridge, FIG. 2 is a side view of the toner cartridge, and FIG. 3 is a plan view of the toner cartridge.
Figure 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line IV-IV in Figure 1;
The figure is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the sheet member. 1... Toner cartridge, 2... Toner discharge port, 3
... Toner cartridge body, 4. Seal member. that's all

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) In a toner cartridge that includes a toner cartridge main body that has a toner ejection port and stores toner therein, and a seal member that is fixed to the toner cartridge main body and closes the toner ejection port, the seal member is attached to the toner cartridge main body. A toner cartridge characterized in that a peeling end portion of the seal member is fixed to the toner cartridge main body with a weaker fixing force than fixed portions other than the peeling end portion.