WO2011140985A1 - Toner supplying cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

A toner supplying cartridge (10) comprises a cartridge main body (1), a toner outlet (13), and a protective cover member (15). The protective cover member (15) can slide between an opening position where the toner outlet (13) is opened and a closing position where the toner outlet (13) is closed. The front part of the protective cover member (15) is provided with a limiting part stopped by a toner outlet opening mechanism (201) to open the toner outlet (13). The back part of the protective cover member (15) is provided with elastic cantilevers (151). The cartridge main body (1) is provided with convex parts (122). The convex parts (122) are positioned behind the protective cover member (15) for pushing the elastic cantilevers (151) outward to make it stopped by a toner outlet closing mechanism (202) to close the toner outlet (13).

Description

 Toner supply box Technical field

The present invention relates to a toner supply cartridge for supplying toner to an image forming apparatus such as a laser printer or a copying machine, and more particularly to an improvement of the powder opening and closing structure of the toner supply container. The present application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 201020190609.7, entitled "A toner supply box", which is incorporated herein by reference.

Background technique

Common laser-based imaging equipment includes copiers, printers, or facsimile machines. For example, a copier, its internal structure usually includes an optical system for scanning the original of the document; an image generation system for forming toner on the paper surface. An image conveying system for transporting paper from a paper storage tray to an image output tray through an image generation system and a fixing unit. All of these components are placed on the copy machine body. A transparent original document for placing the original document is placed on the top surface of the copying machine body, and an original document cover is placed on the original document placement plate for pressing the original document on the original document placement tablet. An optical system is provided under the original document placement plate.

The image generation system is placed under the optical system and has a photosensitive drum. The main charger, the developing unit, the transfer charger, and the cleaning unit are sequentially placed around the photosensitive drum in the direction in which the photosensitive drum rotates. The photosensitive drum is driven to rotate in synchronization with the scanning of the original document by the optical system, and after being uniformly charged by the main charger, is exposed to the illumination of the optical system. Thus, an electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum. The electrostatic latent image is then developed into a toner image by the developing member. The toner image is transferred to the paper fed from the paper feed tray. Then, the transferred toner image is thermally fixed on the paper by the fixing member. The paper on which the toner image is fixed is output to the paper output tray. After the image is transferred, the toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum is recovered by the cleaning member.

In an image forming apparatus such as a laser printer or a copying machine of a high page yield, a photosensitive drum unit, a developing unit, and a toner supply box are usually fabricated as separate components and mounted in an image forming apparatus, thereby performing development printing work. CN03107648.3 The Chinese invention patent specification discloses a toner supply box of a cylindrical structure, wherein the powder opening opening and closing structure of the toner supply box adopts a movable sealing plug structure, and a toner supply box is installed. First, the toner supply box is first loaded into the image forming apparatus, and then the power transmission structure in the image forming apparatus fixes the sealing plug, so that the sealing plug cannot be retracted, and the main body of the toner supply box is pulled backward to make the box main body and the seal The plug is separated to form a powder outlet. The disadvantage of this type of structure is that the large-capacity toner supply box is usually heavy, and the strength of the pulling mechanism is put forward when the main body of the box is pulled by the pulling mechanism.

technical problem

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a toner supply cartridge capable of reducing the strength requirement of a pulling mechanism in an image forming apparatus in view of the deficiencies of the prior art.

Technical solution

In order to solve the above technical problem, the present invention adopts the following technical solution: designing a toner supply cartridge for detachably mounting into an image forming apparatus having an action direction opposite to the loading direction of the toner supply cartridge a powder discharge opening mechanism and a powder outlet closing mechanism in a direction opposite to an extraction direction of the toner supply cartridge; the toner supply cartridge includes: a cartridge main body for accommodating the toner, the cartridge main body having a powder storage bin and a delivery a powder silo, wherein the powder feeding rack is provided with a toner conveying frame; a powder discharging port for discharging the carbon powder is formed at a front portion of the powder feeding chamber; and the opening position and the closing position of the powder discharging opening can be opened Determining a shroud member that slides between closed positions of the powder mouth; wherein a front portion of the shroud member is provided with a limiting portion that can be blocked by the powder opening opening mechanism to open the powder discharging port, a rear portion of the shield member is provided with an elastic cantilever, and the box body is provided at a rear of the shield member for extending the elastic cantilever to the outside to be blocked by the powder outlet closing mechanism to close the The boss of the position of the powder outlet.

Preferably, the resilient cantilever is out of contact with the boss when the shield member is in the closed position; the resilient cantilever is opposite the boss when the shield member is in the open position Cooperate. The bosses are strip-shaped ribs extending in the axial direction and distributed on both sides of the front end portion of the cartridge body of the powder feeding hopper. The elastic cantilever is distributed on two sides of the shroud component, and the elastic cantilever on each side is substantially in line with the same side of the rib.

Preferably, the front portion of the powder feeding chamber is fixed with a powder outlet member, and the powder discharging port is formed on the bottom surface of the powder discharging port member; the front end of the toner conveying frame passes through the powder discharging port And forming a relatively rotatable fit with the powder outlet member. The two sides of the powder outlet member are respectively provided with guiding ribs extending in the axial direction, and the inner wall surfaces of the two sides of the hood member are respectively provided with axially extending sliding grooves through which the shield member passes The chute cooperates with the guiding rib to be slidably disposed on the powder outlet member.

Beneficial effect

When the toner supply box is loaded into the image forming apparatus, the toner supply box moves forward in the longitudinal direction, and when moved to a certain position, the front end limit portion of the shield member is blocked by the powder opening opening mechanism in the image forming apparatus, When the cartridge body continues to move forward, the shield member moves rearward relative to the cartridge body to open the powder outlet; at the same time, the elastic cantilever at the rear of the shield member is compressed by the bosses distributed on the cartridge body, thereby Open to the outside. When the toner supply box is disassembled, the toner supply box moves rearward in the longitudinal direction, because the end of the opened elastic cantilever is blocked by the powder outlet closing mechanism in the image forming apparatus, and at the beginning, the shield member cannot be moved together with the cartridge body After the movement, the bosses distributed on the main body of the box move rearward together with the main body of the box, so that a relative sliding between the strip-shaped ribs and the elastic cantilever is generated. When the boss moves to a position that is out of contact with the end of the elastic cantilever, the open elastic cantilever end returns to an initial state where no elastic deformation occurs, and is no longer blocked by the powder outlet closing mechanism in the image forming apparatus. The cover member also moves to the closed position where the powder outlet is closed, and then moves rearward together with the cartridge body to complete the disassembly process. Since the toner supply box is driven by the operator's manpower during the installation and disassembly process, the cartridge body is driven without using the pulling mechanism in the image forming apparatus, thereby reducing the pulling mechanism in the image forming apparatus. Strength requirements.

DRAWINGS

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a perspective view of a toner supply container of the present invention.

Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the toner supply container of Figure 1.

3 is a schematic view showing the cooperation relationship between the toner supply container shown in FIG. 1 and the cartridge guide seat in the image forming apparatus.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the cartridge guide of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a plan view of the structure shown in Figure 3.

Figure 6 is an end elevational view from the front to the rear of the structure of Figure 3.

Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B of Fig. 7;

Figure 9 is a partial bottom plan view of the toner supply container of Figure 1 with its shield member in the closed position.

Fig. 10 is a schematic view showing the cooperation relationship between the toner supply container and the cartridge guide seat shown in Fig. 9.

Figure 11 is a partial bottom plan view of the toner supply cartridge of Figure 1 with its shield member in an open position.

Figure 12 is a schematic view showing the cooperation relationship between the toner supply container and the cartridge guide seat shown in Figure 11;

Fig. 13 is a view showing the cooperation relationship with the cartridge guide seat when the toner supply container shown in Fig. 11 is to be withdrawn from the image forming apparatus.

Embodiments of the invention

1 shows a toner supply container 10 of the present invention, which is detachably mounted in an image forming apparatus (such as a copying machine) not shown, and toner is discharged through a funnel installed in the image forming apparatus. Supply to the developing unit. The structure and working principle of the imaging device belong to the prior art, and can be specifically referred to the detailed description in the Chinese invention patent specification CN03107648.3. The cartridge guide 20 shown in Fig. 3 is disposed above the top opening of the funnel for guiding the insertion and withdrawal of the toner supply cartridge 10. The box guide seat 20 has an opening limit stop 201 and a closing limit stop 202. The opening limit stop 201 serves as a powder opening opening mechanism for opening the powder outlet 13 and acts in the direction of the toner. The loading cassette 10 is mounted in the opposite direction, and the closing stopper 202 is used as a powder discharging port closing mechanism for closing the powder discharging port 13, and its acting direction is opposite to the drawing direction of the toner supply container 10.

Referring to Fig. 2, the toner supply container 10 includes a cartridge main body 1 for containing toner, and a lid body 2 for closing the cartridge main body 1, the cartridge main body 1 having a powder storage compartment 11 and a powder feeding compartment 12, and a storage compartment of the powder feeding compartment 12. The front end portion 121 protrudes from the front end surface 111 of the powder storage bin 11, and the front portion of the front end portion 121 of the cartridge body is also fixedly connected with a powder outlet member 14, and the bottom portion of the powder outlet port member 14 is provided with a powder for discharging carbon powder. The mouth 13 is connected to the inside and the outside of the cartridge body 1. A gasket 18 is disposed around the powder outlet 13 and is fixed to the outer bottom surface of the powder outlet member 14 and has a through hole corresponding to the powder outlet 13. The outer portion of the powder outlet member 14 is provided with a substantially cylindrical shield member 15 for opening and closing the powder discharge port 13, and the shield member 15 passes through the axially extending chutes on the inner wall surfaces of the both sides thereof. The axially extending guide ribs on both sides of the powder outlet member 14 are engaged to be slidable relative to the powder outlet member 14 between the open position at which the powder discharge opening 13 is opened and the closed position at which the powder discharge opening 13 is closed. The top of the powder outlet member 14 is provided with a front and rear limit projections for limiting the sliding distance of the shield member 15.

The powder storage bin 11 is provided with a stirring frame 3, which is used for preventing the carbon powder from agglomerating and agitating and conveying the carbon powder to the powder feeding bin 12; the powder feeding bin 12 is provided with a toner conveying frame 4, and the function thereof is to make the powder feeding bin The 12 inner toner can smoothly pass to the powder outlet 13 . The toner conveying frame 4 and the powder discharging port member 14 are formed to be relatively rotatable, and the leading end of the toner conveying frame 4 has a driving force receiving head 42 that passes through the powder discharging port member 14 and is exposed to the outside. The rear ends of the agitator 3 and the toner conveying frame 4 are each provided with a transmission gear 31, 41, and the transmission gear 31 and the transmission gear 41 mesh with each other. The toner conveying frame 4 receives the driving force from the image forming apparatus through the driving force receiving head 42 at its front end, and further transmits the driving force to the stirring frame 3 through the meshing of the transmission gear 41 with the transmission gear 31.

Referring to FIGS. 4 to 8, the front portion of the shroud member 15 is provided with a stopper portion (a front end surface of the shroud member 15) that can be blocked by the opening stopper stopper 201 to open the powder outlet port 13, the shroud An elastic cantilever 151 is disposed on each side of the rear portion of the member 15, and both sides of the front end portion of the powder feeding chamber 12 are provided at the rear of the shroud member 15 for extending the elastic cantilever 151 on both sides thereof to the outside. The closing limit stop 202 blocks the strip-shaped ribs 122 that close the position of the powder discharge port 13, and the ribs 122 extend in the axial direction and are distributed on both sides of the front end portion 121 of the powder feed hopper 12, and the shield member 15 The elastic cantilever 151 on each side is substantially in line with the same side rib 122. When the shroud member 15 is in the closed position, the elastic cantilever 151 is out of contact with the strip-shaped rib 122; when the shroud member 15 is in the open position, the elastic cantilever 151 is engaged with the strip-shaped rib 122, specifically The elastic cantilever 151 is placed on the strip-shaped ribs 122 and bent toward the outside by the compression of the strip-shaped ribs 122.

Referring to Figures 9 and 10, when the toner supply container 10 is loaded into the image forming apparatus, the toner supply container 10 is moved forward in the longitudinal direction, and when moved to a certain position, the front end face of the shield member 15 is in the image forming apparatus. The limit stop block 201 is blocked. Referring to Figures 11 and 12, when the cartridge body 1 continues to move forward, the shield member 15 moves rearward relative to the cartridge body 1, thereby opening the powder outlet 13; at the same time, the elastic cantilever at the rear of the shield member 15 The strip-shaped ribs 122, which are distributed on the cartridge main body 1, are pressed to open outward. When the toner supply container 10 is detached, the toner supply container 10 is moved rearward in the longitudinal direction, since the end of the opened elastic cantilever 151 is blocked by the closing limit stopper 202 in the image forming apparatus, and at the beginning, the shield member 15 cannot The strip-shaped ribs 122 distributed on the cartridge main body 1 are moved rearward together with the cartridge main body 1, and thus the strip-like ribs 122 and the elastic cantilever 151 are relatively slid. Referring to Fig. 13, when the strip-shaped rib 122 is moved to a position disengaged from the end of the elastic cantilever 151, the end of the flared elastic cantilever 151 returns to an initial state where no elastic deformation occurs, and is no longer closed by the imaging device. The block block 202 is blocked, and at this time, the shield member 15 is also moved to the closed position where the powder discharge port 13 is closed, and then moved rearward together with the cartridge main body 1 to complete the disassembly process. Since the toner supply cartridge 10 is driven by the operator's labor during the mounting and dismounting process, the cartridge main body 1 is driven without using the pulling mechanism in the image forming apparatus, thereby reducing the inside of the image forming apparatus. Pull the strength requirements of the mechanism.

The above is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and it should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the inventive concept. The scope of protection.

Industrial applicability

The present invention provides a toner supply cartridge for supplying toner to an image forming apparatus such as a laser printer, a copying machine, etc., which is driven by the operator's manpower in the process of mounting and dismounting, and It is not necessary to drive the cartridge body by the pulling mechanism in the image forming apparatus, thereby reducing the strength requirement of the pulling mechanism in the image forming apparatus.

Claims (6)

A toner supply cartridge for detachably mounting into an image forming apparatus, the image forming apparatus having a powder opening opening mechanism and an acting direction opposite to a loading direction of the toner supply container and the toner supply a powder outlet closing mechanism of the opposite direction of the cartridge; the toner supply cartridge includes:  a box main body for accommodating toner, the box main body has a powder storage bin and a powder feeding bin, and the powder feeding bin is provided with a toner conveying frame;  a powder outlet for discharging carbon powder formed at a front portion of the powder feed bin;  a shroud member slidable between an open position in which the powder outlet is opened and a closed position in which the powder outlet is closed;  It is characterized by: a front portion of the shroud member is provided with a limiting portion that can be blocked by the powder opening opening mechanism to open the powder discharging opening, and a rear portion of the shielding member is provided with an elastic cantilever A boss for extending the elastic cantilever to the outside to a position that can be blocked by the powder outlet closing mechanism to close the powder outlet is provided at the rear of the shield member. A toner supply cartridge according to claim 1, wherein said elastic cantilever is disengaged from said boss when said shield member is in said closed position; and when said shield member is In the open position, the elastic cantilever cooperates with the boss. The toner supply container according to claim 2, wherein the boss is a strip-shaped rib, and the ribs extend in the axial direction and are distributed in two at the front end portion of the powder body of the powder feed hopper. side. The toner supply container according to claim 3, wherein the elastic cantilever is distributed on both sides of the shield member, and the elastic cantilever on each side is substantially in line with the same side rib. The toner supply container according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a front portion of the powder feeding chamber is fixed with a powder outlet member, and the powder discharging port is formed on a bottom surface of the powder discharging port member. The front end of the toner conveying frame passes through the powder discharging port member and forms a relatively rotatable engagement with the powder discharging port member. The toner supply box according to claim 5, wherein the two sides of the powder outlet member are respectively provided with guiding ribs extending in the axial direction, and the inner wall surfaces of the two sides of the hood member are respectively provided There is a sliding groove extending in the axial direction, and the shroud member is slidably disposed on the powder outlet member by a sliding groove thereof and the guiding rib.

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