Special receptacle or package – Shock protection type – With article aperture in retainer
Reexamination Certificate
2000-04-28
2002-08-13
Bui, Luan K. (Department: 3728)
Special receptacle or package
Shock protection type
With article aperture in retainer
C206S485000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06431362
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an apparatus and method for packaging a unit having a toner storage, which unit has the possibility of being transported in repetition for the purpose of supplementation and recycling of toner, for use in toner-using image forming apparatuses.
2. Description of the Related Art
In an image forming apparatus, such as a copier, a printer, or a facsimile transfer unit, an electrostatic latent image formed in an electrophotographic manner has heretofore been turned into a clear image by using a powdered developer called toner. A toner image is transferred onto a recording medium, such as paper, and fixed thereto by melting toner by heating the same, whereby the forming of a final image is done. The toner used for the formation of an image is stored in a hopper type container, and used little by little every time an image is formed. After such a number of times of printing processes that is determined on the basis of an amount of toner for one usage and a storage amount thereof have finished, the toner does not substantially remain.
Almost all of image forming apparatuses are provided with a toner hopper capable of re-supplementing a toner cartridge with toner when the toner runs out. However, since the toner is a powdered material, carrying out a toner re-supplementing process is difficult, and, when the toner is spilt over the surrounding area, the latter is soiled by the former. Therefore, an operation for re-supplementing a hopper type container, in which the toner has run out due to the repeated execution of printing processes, with toner has to be carried out by a special technician. This causes the maintenance cost for the image forming apparatus to increase.
In order to solve such problems concerning the toner re-supplementation operation, it is conceived that a unit and all including a toner hopper, a seal assembly, a fixing member, a magnetic roller assembly, a photoconductive drum assembly and a corona assembly be replaced. The designing of such a unit costs comparatively much, and the lifetimes of the magnetic roller assembly, photoconductive drum assembly and corona assembly are considerably long as compared with a consumption rate of the toner. Therefore, forming the unit as a whole of a throwaway type unit which is used only once is wasteful of the materials therefor and a space for the disposal of refuse, and irrational, and the cost of such a unit falls on a consumer, so that the throwaway type unit is not desirable from the viewpoint of the protection of resources and environment currently advocated. In the above-described background, reproducing a toner cartridge, in which the toner has been consumed completely, by replacing only such parts thereof that are worn greatly, for the purpose of reusing or recycling the cartridge; or re-supplementing a toner hopper with toner is attracting technicians′ attention as a method having a high efficiency in respect of the expense and a high effectiveness in respect of the protection of environment as compared with throwing away a unit which has become empty and newly purchasing a completely new unit.
On the assumption that a toner cartridge is reused or recycled, the opportunity to necessarily transport not an image forming apparatus as a whole but a toner cartridge or a unit independently increases. Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication JP-A 10-95494 (1998) discloses related techniques for preparing in advance a return package for packaging a toner cartridge and returning the same to a recycling product trader so as to easily carry out such a packaging operation. According to this method of related art, an address is printed in advance on the return package. The resultant return package is folded and stored in a predetermined portion of the inside of a toner cartridge. When it is necessary to return the toner cartridge, the return package stored therein is removed therefrom and unfolded. The toner cartridge is placed in this return package, and then packaged. The resultant return package is sent as it is to the address shown in advance on an outer surface thereof, whereby an operation for returning a toner cartridge is facilitated.
FIG. 8
schematically shows the construction of a packaging apparatus for inserting a developing cartridge
1
, in which toner is stored, in a packaging box
2
of a corrugated fiberboard, and supported fixedly at two opposite widthwise end sides thereof on buffer members
3
,
4
. The buffer members
3
,
4
are provided therein with recesses
3
a
,
4
a
in which two opposite widthwise end sides of the developing cartridge
1
are fitted, and the whole of the developing cartridge
1
with the buffer members
3
,
4
is placed in the packaging box
2
. The developing cartridge
1
is supported at both of the widthwise side portions thereof on the buffer members
3
,
4
, and accommodated in a hollow of the packaging box
2
with a space left between the developing cartridge
1
and surrounding inner surfaces of the packaging box
2
. Therefore, even when an impact is exerted on the packaging box
2
from the outside thereof during the transportation thereof, the impact is weakened by the time the impact reaches the developing cartridge
1
, and the occurrence of breakage of the cartridge during the transportation thereof is prevented.
FIG. 9
shows another method of packaging a developing cartridge
1
. The parts corresponding to those shown in
FIG. 8
are designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicated descriptions thereof are omitted. In order to place the developing cartridge
1
in a packaging box
5
, buffer members
6
,
7
are arranged on the upper and lower sides of the developing cartridge
1
. The buffer members
6
,
7
are provided respectively with recesses
6
a
,
7
a
the cross-sectional shapes of which are in conformity with those of upper and lower surfaces of the developing cartridge
1
. The whole of a combination of the developing cartridge
1
and buffer members
6
,
7
is accommodated in the packaging box
5
with the buffer members
6
,
7
fitted around the upper and lower portions of the developing cartridge
1
.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication JP-A 7-334066 (1995) discloses the techniques of related art for preventing toner in a toner cartridge from being coagulated while the toner cartridge is transported for recycling the same and for other purposes, by rotatably supporting shafts at both of widthwise ends of the toner cartridge so as to enable the toner cartridge to be rotationally moved around the axis thereof by the vibration thereof occurring during the transportation of the same, whereby the coagulation of the toner in the toner cartridge is prevented.
When the packaging apparatuses shown in
FIGS. 8 and 9
are used, a developing cartridge
1
can be transported safely and reliably. Such packaging apparatuses are generally used when a product is shipped. When the developing cartridge
1
is once transported to a consumer, the packaging boxes
2
,
5
and buffer members
3
,
4
;
6
,
7
are thrown away. However, in order to supplement the developing cartridge
1
with toner for reusing the cartridge
1
, and have a cartridge reproducing and re-supplementing trader specialized in the recycling of toner cartridges carry out the reproduction and re-supplementation of the toner cartridge, it is necessary that the developing cartridge
1
be sent to the cartridge reproducing and re-supplementing trader through certain transportation facilities. A cartridge reproducing and re-supplementing trader supplements a used cartridge with new toner after unnecessary toner is removed therefrom, and replaces other worn constituent parts with new parts. Therefore, it is desired that even a used developing cartridge
1
be returned safely with the condition thereof maintained as sound as possible to a cartridge reproducing and re-supplementing trader.
A point in time at which a developing cartridge
1
is returned is a certain period of time after a point in time at which the
Araki Hiroshige
Kido Eiichi
Ohgoshi Toshihide
Otsuka Yoshinori
Wakada Shigeyuki
Bui Luan K.
Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
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