JPS626285A - Toner supplying device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent a hand from being made dirty with toner even when a container is replaced and to realize compact design by setting the container with its opening part up, rotating the cylinder container by one turn when toner is supplied, and stopping the container with the opening part set upward, when the supplying operation is finished. CONSTITUTION:When the cylindrical toner container 1 is set in a toner supplying device, the cylindrical toner container 1 is held horizontally with the opening part 2 up and inserted into the container holding part of the supplying device. The container holding part consists of a container holding and fixing part 6 and a container holding and rotating part 7. The container holding and rotating part 7 is rotatable while fitted in the container holding and rotating part 6, and the inside is rotated by a driving motor 10 while guided by the container holding and rotating part 6. A groove 11 that the projection 3 of the cylindrical toner container 1 engages is formed in the container holding and rotating part 7 at the upper part and an opening part 12 is also formed at a place opposite to the opening part 2.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a toner replenishing device for supplying toner to a developing section of an electrostatic transfer copying machine.

Conventional technology The developing device of an electrostatic transfer copying machine uses dry colored particles called toner, and each time a copy is made, the toner that adheres to the copy paper and is carried away is constantly replenished into the developing device at a constant rate. There is a need.

Conventionally, as this replenishment means, a device for replenishing a fixed amount of toner called a toner hopper is provided, and toner is transferred from a container such as a bottle into this hopper, and when copying is performed, a fixed amount of toner is transferred from the hopper to a fixed amount of toner. A metering mechanism is used to supply a fixed amount of toner into the developer device.

This method has the disadvantage that when the toner is put into the hopper from a container such as a bottle, fine powdered toner flies up and stains the surrounding area and the operator's hands.

Another method is to use a container such as a bottle as it is as the hopper container, and attach it to the joint of the hopper with the opening of the toner container facing upward.
With the device closed, hold the toner container at a 90° angle.
Alternatively, there is a method in which the toner is rotated to nearly 1800 degrees and falls by gravity, and the toner is fed into a certain amount measuring mechanism to supply the toner into the developing device. This method does not require the operator to transfer the toner into the hopper, so it does not pollute the surrounding area, but it does require the toner container to be rotated from a vertical position to a 90° or 180° position. This rotation required a large space, which was an obstacle in designing a compact copying machine.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention In the conventionally used toner replenishing device as described above,
If toner has contaminated the operator or the area around the toner supply device,
Another drawback was that the toner replenishing device was large and bulky, making it difficult to create a compact copying machine.

An object of the present invention is to provide a toner replenishing device for a copying machine that solves the above-mentioned problems by devising the opening of the toner container and devising the method of attaching the toner container to the copying machine. It is something.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention has an opening at one end of the planar end surface of a cylindrical toner storage container, and sets the container so that the opening is on the upper side. When replenishing, the cylindrical container is rotated once to supply a certain amount of toner from the opening, and when toner supply is completed, the opening is stopped at the upper position.

Effect of the Invention With the above-described structure, the present invention allows the toner container to be set in the copying machine as is, so the operator does not get his hands dirty with toner, and the cylindrical toner container can be set in a horizontal position. Therefore, a large space for rotating the container is not required, and a compact copying machine can be constructed.

Example Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cylindrical toner container used in an embodiment of the present invention. A semicircular opening 2 is formed in a part of the upper surface of the cylindrical toner container 1. is protrusion 3
is provided. Furthermore, a spiral protrusion 4 is provided on the inner surface of the cylindrical surface of the cylindrical toner container 1 . The inside of the cylindrical toner container 1 is filled with toner 6, and when the container 1 is held horizontally and the opening 2 is placed in the upper position as shown in FIG. It is filled to the extent that it will not leak out.

When setting the cylindrical toner container 1 in the toner replenishing device, hold the cylindrical toner container 1 horizontally with the opening 2 facing upward, and insert it into the container holding portion of the replenishing device.

The container holding section is composed of a container holding and fixing section 6 as shown in FIG. 3 and a container holding rotating section 7 shown in FIG. The container holding/rotating part 7 is inserted into the container holding/rotating part 6 and can be rotated. As shown in FIG. 2, the container holding/rotating part 7 is guided by the container holding/fixing part 6 and rotated inside thereof by the drive motor 1o. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, the container holding and rotating portion 7 is provided with a groove 11 on its upper side, into which the protrusion 3 of the cylindrical toner container 1 can engage.
An opening 12 is still formed at a position opposite to opening 2.

When the container holding rotating part 7 is rotated by the drive motor 10, a positioning switch (not shown) is used to ensure that the container holding rotating part 7 rotates once and then stops at a position where the groove 11 and the opening 12 are on the upper side. . When the cylindrical toner container 1 is rotated by the drive motor 1°, the toner inside spills out when the opening 2 of the cylindrical toner container 1 is rotated by the drive motor 1°, and the toner inside spills out into the toner receiver provided on the lower side of the container holding and fixing part 7. It falls to 13. There is a coil 14 inside the toner receiver 13, which is rotated by a drive motor 1o, and the toner coming out from the opening 2 of the cylindrical toner container 1 is transferred to the toner receiver 1.
3 through the coil 14 in the right direction in Figure 2, and the falling port 1
6 into the developing device 16. Therefore, in one rotation of the cylindrical toner container 1, a certain amount of toner coming out of the opening 2 is sent to the developing device 1q. The container holding and fixing part 6 for holding the cylindrical toner container 1 is provided with a notch 1 on the upper side around the opening, and a protrusion 3 of the cylindrical toner container 1 is provided.
The cylindrical toner container cannot be attached or removed unless it is on the upper side. Therefore, when the cylindrical toner container 1 is rotating and the opening 2 is on the lower side, the toner cannot be pulled out from the toner replenishing device and the toner will not spill out.

A spiral protrusion 4 is provided on the inner wall of the cylindrical toner container 1, and as the cylindrical toner container 1 rotates, the toner at the bottom is gradually delivered toward the opening.

Effects of the Invention As detailed above, according to the present invention, an opening is provided on the end face of a cylindrical toner container, and when this opening is on the upper side, toner will not leak out from the cylindrical toner container. Instead, a certain amount of toner comes out when the opening comes to the lower side in one rotation operation, and the cylindrical toner container can be removed from the toner replenishing device only when the opening is at the upper side.

As a result, the operator does not get his hands dirty with toner when replacing the cylindrical toner container.

Since the copying machine is only set horizontally, it does not require a large space to set the container, and the copying machine itself can be designed compactly.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a toner container according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a toner replenishing device of the same embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view of main parts of a container holding and fixing part of the same embodiment. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the container holding and rotating part rotating in the container holding and fixing part of the same embodiment, and FIG. 5 is a perspective view of FIG. 4 viewed from the opposite direction. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Cylindrical toner container, 2... Opening, 3... Protrusion, 6... Container holding and fixing part, 7... Container holding rotating part, 10...
Drive motor, 16...Developer. Name of agent: Patent attorney Toshio Nakao and 1 other person
2 Figure 5-
-DO-CHO-IO--7-DA 3rd Figure 17 i 5 tJ,.

Claims (1)

[Claims] The cylindrical toner container has an opening at one end of the planar end surface, the cylindrical container is held horizontally with the central axis of the cylinder so that the opening faces upward, and one rotation around the central axis of the cylinder: A toner replenishing device characterized in that a certain amount of toner falls from the opening, and the opening stops at an upper position when toner supply is completed.