JPH0453660Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed explanation of the idea] (Industrial application field) The present invention relates to a toner recovery device for a copying machine.

(Prior Art) Conventionally, in copying machines, laser printers, etc. that use a toner collection method, it is necessary to frequently remove the toner collection container from the connection part of the cleaning device, such as when handling jams. It was configured as shown. That is, 51 is a toner transfer conduit connected to the cleaning device, and a toner flow port 52 is provided at the lower part near the tip of the conduit. Reference numeral 53 denotes a cylindrical body for opening and closing the toner flow port 52, which is fitted onto the outside of the toner transfer conduit 51 and is biased by a spring 54. 55 is a cylindrical body 53
56 is a toner collection container that is held removably inserted into the toner transfer conduit 51, and 57 is a connecting portion thereof.

When the toner collection container 56 is removed from the toner transfer conduit 51, the cylindrical body 53, which is biased by the spring 54, closes the toner flow port 52. On the other hand, when the toner collection container 56 is connected to the toner transfer conduit 51, the connecting portion 57 pushes the ear 55 of the cylindrical body 53, thereby opening the toner flow port 52.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) However, according to the above-mentioned prior art, by reciprocating the cylindrical body 53 along the toner transfer conduit 51, the toner transfer conduit indicated by the symbol A in FIG. Toner adheres to the surface of the machine 51, and furthermore, the toner falls due to the above-mentioned reciprocating movement, and the inside of the machine becomes dirty with the toner.

Further, according to the above technique, when the toner collection container 56 is rotatably supported around a vertical support shaft, when the toner collection container 56 is connected to the toner transfer conduit 51, the force in the pushing direction to the ear 55 is reduced. A slight misalignment may cause so-called twisting, which may prevent a smooth connection.

The present invention was developed in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a toner recovery system that has a simple structure, does not cause any twisting, allows smooth connection and disconnection, and reduces toner scattering. The goal is to provide equipment.

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to achieve the above object, the toner recovery device for a copying machine according to the present invention has a toner discharge port opened downward in a toner transfer conduit connected to a cleaning device, A cylindrical body with a toner flow port is disposed close to the toner transfer conduit in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction, and the cylindrical body is connected to the toner transfer conduit with the discharge port and the toner flow port. It is rotatably provided to switch between a first flow-preventing state in which the toner is prevented from flowing down due to discrepancy in position, and a second toner flow-down state in which both the discharge ports and the flow port are aligned and the toner is allowed to flow down. Further, a holding member for determining the first state is provided on the toner transfer conduit, an engaging member is provided on the cylindrical body, and a toner collection container is provided that can be freely inserted into and removed from the cylindrical body. A cam surface is formed on the front surface of the connecting portion, and when the toner collection container is connected to the cylindrical body, the cam surface contacts and presses the engaging member to rotate the cylindrical body. It is characterized in that the state is switched to the second state.

(Example) Before explaining the example of the present invention, FIGS.
The comparative example shown in the figure will be explained. In FIG. 6, a pinion 6 is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the toner transfer conduit 51.
1, and the pinion 61 is provided at the end of the cylindrical body 53.
A rack 64 is provided on the outer circumferential surface of the toner transfer conduit 51 and has a lug 63 that engages with the connecting portion 57 of the toner collection container 56. By moving the toner flow port 52, the toner flow port 52 is opened and closed. Note that 65 is a long hole formed in the rack 64, 66 is a guide pin installed on the outer peripheral surface of the toner transfer conduit 51, and 67 is a spring. When configured in this way, although the distortion can be resolved to some extent, there is a drawback that the configuration becomes complicated.

Further, in FIG. 7, a rack 68 extending from the cylindrical body 53 is engaged with the pinion 61, and an end of the rack 68 and a spring receiver 69 on the toner transfer conduit 51 are arranged to mesh with each other. spring 70
The toner collection container 56 is connected to the toner transfer conduit 5.
1, the toner flow port 52 is opened and closed.

When configured in this way, there is a drawback that the kinks cannot be completely resolved despite the complexity of the configuration.

Therefore, in the present invention, a toner recovery device is constructed as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 1 shows the interior of the copying machine with the front door removed, and FIG. 2 shows an exploded view of the main parts of the toner recovery device.

Reference numeral 1 denotes a toner transfer conduit connected to the cleaning device 2, and a downward toner discharge port 3 is provided at the end of the conduit.
is formed. 4 is a helical shaft for toner transport.

Reference numeral 5 denotes a bottomed cylindrical body whose inner diameter is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the toner transfer conduit 1, and 6 is a toner flow opening provided on the side surface of the cylindrical body 5. A small hole 8 for pivotally supporting the helical shaft 4 for toner transfer is formed in the center of the bottom portion 7, and a hole 9 is provided with an E for preventing the toner from falling out.
It is a clip, and the cylindrical body 5 is configured to be able to rotate around the toner transport conduit 1.

Reference numeral 10 denotes a coil spring, which is disposed around the outer periphery of the toner transfer conduit 1 and held by a spring locking portion 11 on the outside of the toner transfer conduit 1 and a spring locking portion 12 on the outside of the cylindrical body 5. At the same time, the first toner discharge port 3 is held in contact with a pin 13 as a holding member protruding from the outside of the toner transfer conduit 1, and the toner discharge port 3 is always closed by the peripheral wall of the cylindrical body 5 to prevent the toner from flowing down. It is configured to ensure the state.

Reference numeral 14 denotes a toner collection container, which is not shown in detail, but is configured to be able to rotate around a vertical support shaft 15, and is detachably installed on a mounting frame (not shown) connected to the support shaft 15. It is being Reference numeral 16 denotes a cylindrical connecting portion which is the upper part of the toner collection container 14 and protrudes toward the copying machine main body side, and has an inner diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the cylindrical body 5. It is constructed so that it can be fitted, and a cam surface 17 consisting of a tapered surface is formed on the front surface thereof. When the toner collection container 14 is connected to the cylindrical body 5, the cam surface 17 comes into contact with an engaging member, for example, a pin 18, which is protruded from the outside of the cylindrical body 5, and presses the engagement member, thereby causing the cylindrical body to close. It rotates.

19 is attached to the frame plate 20 of the copying machine main body, and the bottom plate 2
This locking member is attached with a slight gap between the toner collecting container 14 and the cylindrical body 5 to maintain the connection between the toner collecting container 14 and the cylindrical body 5. That is, an inclined surface 22 is formed on the front surface, and an engaging portion 23 is formed on the rear portion of the inclined surface 22. In FIG. When doing so, the lower tip 24 of the toner collection container 14
It comes into contact with the inclined surface 22, pushes it down, and is locked by the engaging portion 23.

Reference numeral 25 is a lever for switching the copy paper transport unit 26 between a transportable state and a transport stopped state, and 27 is a transport unit switching member. The tip end 28 of the lever 25 is connected to the locking member 19.
It is configured so that it can come into contact with the pressing plane part of.
Note that when this lever 25 is moved from the state shown in FIG.
When rotated approximately 90 degrees clockwise, the transport unit switching member 27 rises and the copy paper transport unit 26
The transport is stopped.

Reference numeral 29 denotes a leaf spring member, and when the lever 25 is pressed down to push down the locking member 19 and the toner collection container 14 is released from the engagement portion 23, the toner collection container 14 moves in the direction of the arrow Q in FIG. This makes it easier to rotate in the direction.

Next, the operation of the toner recovery device configured as described above will be explained with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.

First, as shown in FIG.
4 is detached from the cylindrical body 5,
The cylindrical body 5 receives the biasing force of the coil spring 10, and the toner discharge port 3 of the toner transfer conduit 1 is closed by the circumferential wall of the cylindrical body 5, so that the toner flow is prevented from flowing down, that is, the first state is maintained. Moreover, coil spring 1
0 is a holding member 1 provided on the outside of the toner transfer conduit 1
3 and is prevented from further twisting.
This first state will be ensured.

Next, in FIG. 1, the toner collection container 14
is rotated in the direction of arrow P, and the cylindrical body 5 is inserted into the connecting portion 16.
When most of the cam surface 17 is fitted inside, the cam surface 17 comes into contact with the engaging member 18 (see the imaginary line in FIG. 3). When the toner collection container 14 is pushed in this state, force from the cam surface 17 acts on the engagement member 18,
The cylindrical body 5 begins to rotate in the circumferential direction against the biasing force of the coil spring 10, and the toner flow opening 6 of the cylindrical body 5 begins to rotate.
and the toner discharge port 3 of the toner transfer conduit 1 coincide with each other, the toner discharge port 3 becomes open, and the toner in the toner transfer conduit 1 can flow down, that is, the second state (FIG. 3, (See Figure 4). At this time, the lower end 24 of the toner collection container 14 crosses the slope 17 of the locking member 19 and is locked by the engaging portion 23, so the toner collection container 14 is held in a connected state with the cylindrical body 5. Ru.

Note that the amount of toner collected into the toner collection container 14 is proportional to the operating time of the copying machine, and the toner collection container 14 is removed and the collected toner is removed at intervals determined by the container size, operating time, etc. Just drain it into another container.

Note that the method of holding the toner collection container 14 is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and any structure may be used as long as it is detachable from the cylindrical body 5.

(Effects of the Invention) As explained above, according to the toner recovery device for a copying machine according to the present invention, the cam surface formed on the front surface of the connecting portion of the toner recovery container is connected to the cylindrical body provided in the toner transfer conduit. Due to the pressing force when contacting the engaging member and connecting the toner collection container to the cylindrical body,
By rotating the cylindrical body, the cylindrical body is switched from a state in which toner is prevented from flowing down to a state in which toner is allowed to flow down, so that the connection can be made extremely smoothly and the occurrence of twisting is eliminated. be done.

In addition, when the toner collection container is separated from the cylindrical body, a coil spring wound around the outside of the toner transfer conduit urges the cylindrical body with an appropriate biasing force, so that the toner transfer conduit is moved by the cylindrical body. In addition to ensuring that the toner outlet is completely blocked, this state of preventing the toner from flowing down causes the side wall of the cylindrical body to cover and block the downward toner outlet, which prevents toner from flying around in the toner transfer conduit. Even if the toner is scattered, it does not fly or spread outside the toner outlet, and the inside of the device can be kept clean for a long time.

Moreover, according to the present invention, the number of constituent members is small, and the conventional drawbacks mentioned at the beginning have been successfully overcome by simple improvements.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIGS. 1 to 4 show an embodiment of the present invention,
Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the main parts of the copier with the front door removed, Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the toner collection device, and Figure 3 is a cross-section showing the toner collection container joined to the cylindrical body. Figures 4 and 4 are cross-sectional views showing one state during the process of moving from the second state to the first state, Figures 5 A and B are explanatory diagrams showing the conventional example, and Figures 6 and 7 are the present invention. It is an explanatory view showing a comparative example to. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Toner transfer conduit, 2... Cleaning device, 5... Cylindrical body, 6... Toner flow port, 13...
...Holding member, 14... Toner collection container, 16...
Connection portion, 17...cam surface, 18...engaging member.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] A toner discharge port is opened downward in a toner transfer conduit connected to the cleaning device, and a cylindrical body with a toner flow outlet is disposed adjacent to the toner transfer conduit in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction, and , the cylindrical body is connected to the toner transfer conduit in a first flow prevention state in which the positions of the discharge port and the flow port are inconsistent and the flow of toner is prevented, and that both the discharge ports and the flow port are aligned. The second part of the toner flow that allows the toner to flow
The toner transfer conduit is provided with a holding member for fixing the first state, and the cylindrical body is provided with an engaging member, and the toner transfer conduit is provided with a holding member that is rotatable to switch between the two states. When connecting the toner collection container to the cylindrical body by forming a cam surface on the front surface of the connecting portion of the removably provided toner collection container,
A toner recovery device for a copying machine, wherein the cam surface contacts and presses the engagement member to rotate the cylindrical body and thereby switch to the second state.