Electrophotography – Image formation – Development
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-21
2002-01-08
Beatty, Robert (Department: 2852)
Electrophotography
Image formation
Development
C399S262000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06337965
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a toner supply device which is for use in a copying machine, a printer, and a facsimile machine utilizing electrophotographic system therein.
A conventional toner supply device has a structure in which a toner bottle is randomly removable regardless of presence of toner in the toner bottle. This causes a problem that toner in the toner bottle is scattered, when a user removes the toner bottle by mistake in spite of toner remaining in the toner bottle.
Accordingly, some toner supply devices have been proposed to solve the above-mentioned problem. For example, one toner supply device has an added function to disable an inadvertent removal of a toner bottle, or another toner supply device has a lid automatically covering a toner delivery outlet of the toner bottle when the toner bottle is removed.
However, such a conventional toner supply device becomes complicated in mechanical structures. Further another conventional toner supply device requires complicated mechanism to be added on a side of the toner bottle, although the toner bottle is consumable. Consequently, none of the conventional toner supply devices is free from problems that running costs get uneconomical.
For example, a toner supply device described in unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei 6-274028, namely 274028/1994 is equipped with a function to disable an inadvertent removal of a toner bottle as well as a function to close a lid a toner delivery outlet of the toner bottle when the toner bottle is removed. However the toner supply device described in the above-mentioned paper inevitably becomes very complicated in structure.
At first, a mechanism to disable the inadvertent removal of the toner bottle is composed of not only a protrusion provided on an outer surface of a cap of the toner bottle but also a generally L shaped groove provided on an inner surface of the bottle holder secured on a body side of the toner supply device.
However, in this structure, it is required to hold a protrusion of the above-mentioned cap in a draw protective position in the above-mentioned groove while the toner remains. Further, it is also required to shift the protrusion to a draw permissible position in the above-mentioned groove by rotating the above-mentioned cap at the same time.
Consequently, it is required that a rotary drive mechanism of a toner bottle is supplied with a reverse rotation preventing mechanism (worm and wheel) to hold a protrusion of the above-mentioned cap in a draw protective position in the above-mentioned groove but also a backlash mechanism (two pairs of gear equipped with pins of special shape) to develop play positively in the rotary drive mechanism. In addition, there is caused a problem in control that the above-mentioned rotary drive mechanism must reverse its operation whenever a toner bottle is removed. This is because the above-mentioned cap may not be rotated unless the above-mentioned play is transposed into a reversal direction.
Further, the device has a composition in which the cap of the toner bottle is integrally fixed in the bottle holder secured on a body side of the device, although the device has a structure to feed toner utilizing a conveyance function of a helical protrusion caused by rotation of the bottle. As a result, in order to rotate the toner bottle, a structure between a toner bottle and a cap must be rotatable. Accordingly, the toner bottle inevitably becomes complicated in composition.
In addition, the body of the toner bottle cannot be rotated without providing a module (a tooth of a gear) for rotating the body of the toner bottle integrally therewith. Besides, a toner delivery outlet outlet is provided in the cap of the toner bottle at a lateral side of an end surface thereof. A lid, which is automatically closed when the toner bottle is removed, is provided in the portion. However, the lid cannot be reusable, since the lid is mounted on the cap of the toner bottle integrally.
Thus, the toner bottle is composed of at least a body portion having a helical protrusion and a module, a cap rotatably mounted with respect to the body portion, and a reclosable lid mounted on the cap. Therefore, each of these components must be replaced with the new one in the event of running out of toner. Problems are caused to occur in aspects of running costs, and so forth.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a toner supply device which can solve the defects of the above-mentioned prior art, which has a toner bottle and a body both having a simple structure, and which can surely prevent an inadvertent removal of a toner bottle or scattering of toner.
Other objects of the present invention will become clear as the description proceeds.
The present invention is of a toner supply device providing a cylindrical toner bottle which provides a toner delivery outlet on a lateral of an end portion and a helical protrusion for movement of fine particle toward the toner delivery outlet inside, a bottle holder which holds the toner bottle removably and rotates integrally with the bottle holder, a latch mechanism connecting the bottle holder and the above-mentioned toner bottle, a toner transfer mechanism disposed below the bottle holder to feed toner delivered from the toner bottle to a toner cartridge for development, driving means for rotating or stop driving the bottle holder, and a control portion to control driving means in predetermined timing,
consisting of the above-mentioned latch mechanism comprising a protruding portion protruding from a lateral of the toner bottle and an incised groove which is formed in the bottle holder along an inserting direction of the toner bottle engaging to the above-mentioned protruding portion,
and having a composition characterized in disposing a ring member to hold the toner bottle rotatably and to prevent the toner bottle from coming off the bottle holder on the toner bottle inserting side of the above-mentioned bottle holder, in providing an incised portion permitting a passage of a protruding portion of the toner bottle in a portion of the ring member, and in placing the incised portion at a position slightly rotated from the position of the above-mentioned incised groove specified in the event that the above-mentioned toner delivery outlet outlet faces upward.
Because of the composition wherein the helical protrusion in the toner bottle exert to feed toner by a rotation of the bottle holder holding the toner bottle, it is not necessary to rotate the toner bottle providing a module in the toner bottle itself, to compose the toner bottle by dividing it into a body portion and a cap, nor to make it rotatable between the body portion and the cap. Therefore, a structure of a toner bottle which is consumable is simplified and reduction of running costs may be possible.
And an inadvertent performance of removing the toner bottle is prevented, as removing the toner bottle out of the bottle holder is limited only when the position of the incised groove formed in the bottle holder meets the position of the incised portion of the ring member.
And in the state that the performance of removing the toner bottle is permitted, that is, the position of the incised groove meets the position of the incised portion, the toner delivery outlet outlet always faces generally upward (a position slightly rotated from a position facing straight up) and a performance of removing the toner bottle is prevented from inadvertent scattering of toner.
Therefore, providing the cap to prevent scattering of toner in the toner bottle is not necessarily required and simplifying the structure of the toner bottle which is consumable is possible.
It is also possible to form the ring member annularly, independently.
And inside of the annular member may be able to hold the toner bottle from outside of it.
Besides, supply of toner may be automatically controlled by equipping the above-mentioned toner cartridge for development with a toner detecting sensor which detects the presence of to
Beatty Robert
NEC Corporation
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