JP2002287589A - Collection device and collection service system for waste developer in image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [PROBLEMS] To enable strict management of waste developer recovery work. SOLUTION: An apparatus 50 for collecting waste developer into a collection bottle 60, a full tank detection means 52 for detecting that the collection bottle 60 is full, and a cover for opening and closing the storage space of the collection bottle 60. A cover lock mechanism 56 that locks the cover 55 and a signal that unlocks the cover lock mechanism 56 in response to a detection signal of the full tank detection means 52 so as to allow the replacement of the collection bottle 60 with the cover 55 opened. It has a control device 61 for outputting and a replacement instructing means 62 for outputting a signal for instructing replacement of the collection bottle 60 in response to a detection signal of the full tank detecting means 52. If the tank is not full, the bottle 60 cannot be replaced. I did it.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a recovery device and a recovery service system for waste developer (toner and carrier) in an image forming apparatus such as an electrophotographic copying machine or a printer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A waste developer such as a toner and a carrier is generated from an image forming apparatus such as an electrophotographic copying machine or a printer. These waste developers are generally collected in a removable collection container (collection bottle). In the case of a liquid-developing full-color image forming apparatus, the waste liquid, which is a waste developer, contains a carrier, which is a valuable component, in addition to the mixed toner. Apart from the mixed toner, the carrier can be separated and reproduced, and recycling is being promoted.

[0003]

When a system for recovering waste liquid and recycling the carrier components contained therein is systemized, it is necessary to treat the collected waste liquid itself as a valuable resource. If not done strictly, it can cause trouble. For example, even if the collection amount is counted based on the number of the collection bottles, if the contents of the bottles are different or the contents are unreliable, the strictness of the collection is lost.

[0004] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, it is possible to strictly control the work of collecting waste developer,
It is an object of the present invention to provide a waste developer collecting device and a collecting service system in an image forming apparatus, which enable efficient operation without trouble for a manufacturer and a user.

[0005]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for collecting waste developer discharged from an image forming apparatus into a collecting container which is detachable from the image forming apparatus. Full tank detection means for detecting that the collection container is full of waste developer, and replacement instruction means for outputting a signal instructing replacement of the collection container in response to a detection signal of the full tank detection means, And a detachment permission control unit for performing a control for permitting attachment and detachment of the collection container to and from the image forming apparatus in response to a detection signal of the full tank detection unit.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the container can be replaced only when the collection container is filled with the waste developer. In other words, the container cannot be replaced unless it is full. Therefore, it is guaranteed that containers are always kept in a full state, and by counting the number of collection containers, the amount of collection can be easily and accurately determined, and troubles due to the amount of collection can be prevented beforehand. Can be avoided.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the attaching / detaching permission control means locks a cover for opening and closing a space for accommodating a collecting container in the image forming apparatus, and collecting by opening the cover. A control device for outputting a signal for releasing the lock of the cover lock mechanism in response to a detection signal of the full tank detection means so as to enable replacement of the container.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, it is possible to replace the container by opening the cover only when the collection container is filled with the waste developer. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a mistake that the cover is accidentally opened and the container is replaced.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect, an open / close valve controlled to be opened / closed by the control device is provided at a waste developer discharge port on the image forming apparatus side to which the collection container is detachably connected. It is characterized by having been done.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the opening / closing valve is provided at the discharge port of the waste developer, it is possible to prevent the waste developer from leaking when the container is replaced.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect, there is provided a container set detecting means for detecting whether or not a collection container is set in the discharge port, and the control device is configured to detect the full tank. After closing the on-off valve in response to the detection signal from the means, after a lapse of a predetermined time, the replacement instruction means is issued a replacement instruction signal, and the cover lock mechanism is unlocked to permit the attachment / detachment of the collection container. Then, upon detecting that the collection container has been exchanged based on the signal of the container set detection means, when the cover lock mechanism is locked, control is performed to open the on-off valve. I do.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, by providing a margin for the detection of the full tank, it is possible to receive the fall of the waste developer after closing the on-off valve without leakage in the collection container.
After that, by giving a container replacement instruction and a detachment permission, the container replacement operation can be performed while preventing the surrounding developer from being contaminated by the waste developer. Also, if you replace the container with a new one and close the cover, the open / close valve will open automatically,
Waste developer can be collected.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fourth aspects, the image forming apparatus is a full-color image forming apparatus of a liquid developing system.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, a waste liquid consisting of a carrier and a toner is recovered as a waste developer. In particular, it is possible to strictly cope with recycling of a carrier which is a valuable component in the waste liquid. .

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a waste developer recovery service system implemented by using the recovery device according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein a maker of the image forming apparatus provides a user with the waste. Refunds will be made in accordance with the amount of developer collected, and the underlying data will be stored in a remote diagnostic device in the image forming apparatus accessible from the manufacturer's management system, and refunds will be made based on the stored data. Is performed.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, a refund service according to the amount of waste developer collected can be strictly managed. In this case, it is preferable that the user can select a refund form from a plurality of forms including a refund as a fee and a refund as an article.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the sixth aspect, the data as the basis of the refund is stored in a remote diagnostic apparatus after approval by a person in charge on the user side and a collector in the maker side. I do.

According to the invention of claim 7, since the data according to the collection amount is stored in the remote diagnostic device after approval by the person in charge on the user side and the collector on the manufacturer side, the occurrence of troubles is reliably prevented. be able to.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in accordance with the sixth or seventh aspect, the control device of the recovery device is configured to control the waste development based on a signal of at least one of the full tank detection unit, the replacement instruction unit, and the container set detection unit. The number of agents collected is counted, and the counted data is input to the remote diagnostic device as data on which to judge the timing of the collection service, and the remote diagnostic device sends the data to the manufacturer's management system based on the data. The feature is to report the timing of the collection service.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, the manufacturer can know the number of collected waste developers, and at the same time with the management of replenished supplies, performs the waste developer collection service at an appropriate timing. be able to.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the sixth to eighth aspects, an empty container of a replenishment developer is used as the collection container, and a container containing a new developer and a waste developer are collected. And the container is identified by the type of the cap.

According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, since the empty container for the replenishment developer is used as a container for collecting the waste developer, the container can be recycled and can be stored in the same storage box. In that case, since the new container and the collection container are distinguished by the cap, there is no risk of mistaking.

[0023]

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

FIG. 1 is a schematic structural view of an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a liquid developing type full-color image forming apparatus.
First, the basic configuration of the entire apparatus will be described. This apparatus is provided with a plurality of photoconductors PC that form images of different print colors. Further, the intermediate transfer belt 11 is wound around the belt driving roller 12, the opposing roller 13, the tension roller 14, and the plurality of idler rollers 15 in a stretched state, and is in contact with the outer periphery of each photoconductor PC.

The intermediate transfer belt 11 is formed of a rubber layer made of polyurethane or the like and a core that does not easily expand and contract.
Are in pressure contact with the respective photoconductors PC.
A non-contact transfer charger may be used as the primary transfer means.

Around the photosensitive member PC, there is provided an exposure device 17 which is schematically shown by an arrow. The exposure device 17 emits an optical signal corresponding to image information color-separated by a scanner or the like from a semiconductor laser, and scans the laser beam on a photoconductor by a polygon mirror that is rotationally driven. Among them, a lens provided with a lens for converging and correcting a tilt of a polygon mirror, a mirror for deflecting laser light, and the like can be used.

Further, around the photosensitive member PC, a charging charger 18 and a developing unit 19 as developing means are provided.
And a cleaning member 20 are provided. Further, the opposite roller 13 on which the intermediate transfer belt 11 is
The next transfer roller 21 is in pressure contact. Further, a paper feed cassette (not shown) for storing the transfer paper 22 as a transfer material, a paper feed roller (not shown) for intermittently pulling out one sheet at a time therefrom, and the transfer paper 22 guided on a transport path are provided at the lower part of the apparatus. Is provided to the secondary transfer roller 21.

Further, on the upper part of the belt driving roller 12,
A fixing roller and a press roller (not shown) are rotatably provided in contact with each other, and a discharge roller for discharging transfer paper passing through the fixing roller to a discharge tray is provided.

In such a configuration, images having different print colors are formed on the respective photoconductors PC. Here, the image forming process for the photoconductor PC located on the left will be described, but the image forming process for the other photoconductor PC will not be described because of the same principle. First, the photoconductor PC is uniformly charged by the charge from the charging charger 18 during rotation. The exposure device 17 is driven based on the image information color-separated into the first printing color, whereby an electrostatic latent image is formed on the charged portion of the photoconductor PC. This electrostatic latent image is developed by the developing unit 19 to become a toner image. Other printing colors also form toner images sequentially, are superimposed on the intermediate transfer belt 11, and are primarily transferred.

On the other hand, the transfer paper 22 pulled out by the paper feed roller is maintained in a standby state with its leading end abutting on the nip portion of the registration roller 23, and the registration paper 22 is rotated in synchronization with the rotational movement of the photoconductor PC. The toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 11 is transferred to the transfer paper 22 by being conveyed to the secondary transfer position of the secondary transfer roller 21 by the roller 23. The transfer paper 22 on which the image is superimposed and transferred is separated from the intermediate transfer belt 11 and the transferred image is fixed in a process of being conveyed by a fixing roller and a press roller, and is discharged to a discharge tray by a discharge roller. . Also, each time the primary transfer is performed, the photoconductor P
The residual toner adhered on C is removed by the cleaning blade 20.

Here, the developer collected from the cleaning blades 31 and 32 of the secondary transfer roller 21 and the intermediate transfer belt 11 (a waste liquid containing a mixed-color toner and a carrier)
Are collected in a collection bottle (collection container) 60 which is detachably connected to the discharge port 35 of the collection path 34 via the collection path 34. Collection bottle 60 in this case
Is a reusable product of a toner or carrier supply bottle.

In the figure, reference numeral 50 denotes a waste liquid collecting device. The collection device 50 includes a full tank detection unit 52 (or 54) for detecting that the collection bottle 60 is full of waste liquid (waste developer), and an image in response to a detection signal of the full tank detection unit 52. And a detachment permission control unit for performing control for permitting attachment and detachment of the collection bottle 60 to and from the forming apparatus. As the full tank detecting means, a liquid level sensor provided at a position indicated by reference numeral 52 can be used, or a weight sensor provided at a position indicated by reference numeral 54 can be used.

In this case, the attachment / detachment permission control means includes a cover lock mechanism 56 for locking a cover 55 for opening and closing the storage space of the collection bottle 60 in the image forming apparatus;
A control device 6 that outputs a signal for unlocking the cover lock mechanism 56 in response to a detection signal of the full tank detection means 51 so that the collection bottle 60 can be replaced when the collection bottle 60 is opened.
And 1. The control device 61 fetches the detection signal of the full tank detection unit 52 and causes the exchange instruction unit 62 to issue an instruction to exchange the collection bottle 60 (for example, an alarm display) at a predetermined timing.

The waste liquid outlet 35 is provided with a control device 6.
An opening / closing valve 51 controlled to be opened and closed by 1 is provided, and a container set detecting means 53 for detecting whether or not the collection bottle 60 is set in the discharge port 35 is provided at the set position of the collection bottle 60. . Control device 61
After the on-off valve 51 is closed in response to the detection signal from the full tank detection means 52, the exchange instruction means 6
2 outputs a replacement instruction signal, and unlocks the cover lock mechanism 56 to allow the collection bottle 60 to be attached and detached. Further, upon detecting that the collection bottle 60 has been replaced based on the signal of the container set detection means 53, the cover 55 is closed and the opening / closing valve 51 is opened when the cover lock mechanism 56 is locked. Perform control.

The data obtained by the control device 61 is stored in the remote diagnosis device 40 built in the image forming apparatus as needed. Then, the data is appropriately read as the service base data by the management system on the maker side.

By providing the image forming apparatus with the collecting device 50 having such a configuration, the following operation and effect can be obtained. That is, the cover 55 can be opened and the inside bottle 60 can be replaced only after the collection bottle 60 is filled with the waste liquid. In other words, the bottle 60 cannot be replaced unless it is full. Therefore, it is guaranteed that the bottle 60 is always kept full on the user side. In other words, by preventing the product from being taken out freely, it is possible to secure the guarantee of the collection amount and the content. Thus, by counting the number of storage of the recovery bottles 60, it is possible to easily and accurately determine the amount of waste liquid to be collected, and to avoid a trouble caused by a large and small amount of collected liquid.

Further, since the opening / closing valve 51 is provided at the waste liquid discharge port 35, it is possible to prevent the waste liquid from leaking when the bottle 60 is replaced. In particular, by providing a margin for the detection of the full tank, the collection bottle 60 can receive the fall of the waste liquid after closing the on-off valve 51 without leakage. And
Thereafter, by giving an instruction to replace the bottle 60 and permitting the attachment / detachment, the bottle can be replaced while preventing the surroundings from being contaminated by the waste liquid. In addition, new bottle 60
When the cover 55 is closed in place of the above, the on-off valve 51 is automatically opened, and the waste liquid can be collected.

As described above, the system for collecting and managing the waste liquid composed of the carrier and the toner can be strengthened, so that the recycling of the carrier, which is a valuable component in the waste liquid, can be strictly dealt with.

Next, a waste liquid recovery service system implemented by using the recovery device 50 will be described. In this service system, the manufacturer of the image forming apparatus gives a refund to the user in accordance with the amount of waste liquid collected. In this case, the data on which the refund is based is approved by the person in charge on the user side and the collector on the manufacturer side, and the remote diagnostic device 40
And a refund is made based on the stored data.

In this service system, the control device 61 of the collecting device 50 counts the number of collected waste liquids based on signals from the full tank detecting means 52 and the replacement instruction means 62, and collects the counted data. The remote diagnostic device 4 is used as data on which to judge the service execution time.
0, and the remote diagnostic apparatus 40 reports the execution time of the collection service to the management system on the manufacturer side based on the data.

Therefore, the refund service according to the amount of waste liquid collected can be strictly managed. In this case, it is preferable that the user can select a refund form from a plurality of forms including a refund as a fee and a refund as an article. In addition, since the data corresponding to the collection amount is stored in the remote diagnostic device 40 after approval by the person in charge on the user side and the collector on the manufacturer side, occurrence of troubles can be reliably prevented. In addition, the information from the remote diagnostic device allows the manufacturer to know the number of waste liquids collected on the user side, so that in conjunction with the management of supplies, the waste developer collection service is performed at the appropriate timing. be able to.

In addition, since an empty bottle of the replenishing developer is used as the waste liquid collecting bottle 60, the container can be recycled. Therefore, the storage box 70 as shown in FIG.
Can house the bottle 60 together. In this case, by mistakenly distinguishing the bottle containing the new developer and the bottle from which the waste developer has been collected by the type (color and shape) of the cap 78, it is possible to reliably prevent mistaken picking.

[0043]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the container can be replaced only after the recovery container is full with the waste developer, so that it is guaranteed that the container is always kept full. Is done. Therefore, by counting the number of the collection containers, the collection amount can be easily and accurately determined, and a trouble due to a large and small collection amount can be avoided.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the container can be replaced by opening the cover only after the collection container is full of the waste developer. It is possible to prevent mistakes that occur.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the open / close valve is provided at the waste developer outlet, it is possible to prevent the waste developer from leaking when the container is replaced.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, by providing a margin for the detection of the full tank, it is possible to receive the fall of the waste developer after closing the open / close valve in the collection container without leakage.

According to the fifth aspect of the invention, it is possible to strictly deal with the recycling of the carrier component in the waste liquid collected as the waste developer.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the refund service according to the collection amount of the waste developer can be strictly managed without any trouble, and efficient operation for the manufacturer and the user becomes possible.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, since the data in accordance with the amount of collection is stored in the remote diagnostic device after approval by the person in charge on the user side and the collector on the manufacturer side, the occurrence of trouble is reliably prevented. be able to.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, the number of waste developers to be collected can be grasped on the maker side, and the waste developer collection service is performed at an appropriate timing together with the management of replenished supplies. be able to.

According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, the containers can be recycled, and can be stored in the same storage box so as not to be mistaken.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a return box for storing a collection bottle in the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 35 ... Discharge port 40 ... Remote diagnostic device 50 ... Recovery device 51 ... Open / close valve 52 ... Full tank detecting means 53 ... Container set detecting means 55 ... Cover 56 ... Cover lock mechanism 60 ... Recovery bottle (recovery container) 61 ... Control device 62 … Exchange instruction means

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) G03G 21/00 512 G03G 15/00 554 F-term (Reference) 2H027 DA26 DA27 DD03 DE03 ED30 EJ06 EJ08 EJ13 EJ15 GB07 HB02 HB12 ZA05 2H030 AB02 AD03 BB02 BB23 BB27 BB42 BB46 2H071 AA42 BA03 BA13 BA17 BA23 BA37 DA13 EA10 EA18 2H134 GA06 GA20 GB03 HD01 JC02 JC04 KA25 KA26 KB12 KB15 KC02 KF09 KG04 KH07 KH12 KH17

Claims (9)

[Claims] An apparatus for collecting waste developer discharged from an image forming apparatus into a collection container detachably attached to the image forming apparatus, wherein the collection container is filled with the waste developer. Means for detecting that the tank is full, replacement instructing means for outputting a signal for instructing replacement of the collection container in response to the detection signal of the full tank detecting means, and responding to the detection signal of the full tank detecting means. And an attachment / detachment permitting control unit for permitting attachment / detachment of the collection container to / from the image forming apparatus. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the attachment / detachment permission control means locks a cover for opening and closing a storage space of the collection container in the image forming apparatus, and a cover lock mechanism for opening the cover to replace the collection container. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a control unit that outputs a signal for releasing the lock of the cover lock mechanism in response to a detection signal of the full tank detection unit. 3. An opening / closing valve, which is controlled to be opened / closed by said control device, is provided at a discharge outlet of waste developer on the image forming apparatus side to which said collection container is detachably connected. 3. An apparatus for collecting waste developer in the image forming apparatus according to 2. 4. A container setting detecting means for detecting whether or not a collecting container is set in the discharge port, wherein the control device responds to a detection signal from the full tank detecting device to After the on-off valve is closed, after a lapse of a predetermined time, the exchange instruction signal is output to the exchange instruction means, and the lock of the cover lock mechanism is unlocked to permit the attachment / detachment of the collection container. 4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein when the cover lock mechanism is locked after detecting that the collection container has been replaced based on the information, the control unit opens the open / close valve. Collection device for waste developer. 5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is a liquid developing type full color image forming apparatus.
5. A recovery device for waste developer in the image forming apparatus according to any one of 4. 6. A waste developer collection service system implemented by using the collection device according to claim 1, wherein a manufacturer of the image forming apparatus informs a user of the amount of the waste developer collected. Refunds shall be made in accordance with, and the underlying data shall be stored in the remote diagnostic device in the image forming apparatus accessible from the manufacturer's management system,
A service system for collecting waste developer in an image forming apparatus, wherein a refund is made based on the stored data. 7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the data on which the refund is based is approved and stored in a remote diagnostic apparatus by a person in charge on the user side and a collector on the maker side. Waste developer collection service system. 8. A control device of the collecting device counts the number of collected waste developers based on at least one of the signals from the full tank detection unit, the replacement instruction unit, and the container set detection unit, and counts the counted data. Is input to the remote diagnostic device as data on which to determine when to perform the collection service, and the remote diagnosis device reports the time to execute the collection service to the management system on the manufacturer side based on the data. A collection service system for waste developer in the image forming apparatus according to claim 6. 9. An empty container for replenishment developer is used as the collection container, and a container in which new developer is contained and a container in which waste developer has been collected are identified by the type of cap. A collection service system for waste developer in the image forming apparatus according to claim 6.