G03G15/0877

TONER CARTRIDGE, TONER SUPPLYING MECHANISM AND SHUTTER
20230221677 · 2023-07-13 ·

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a toner cartridge detachably mountable to a receiving device, the toner cartridge comprising a container including a accommodating portion for accommodating the toner and a discharge opening for discharging the toner from the accommodating portion into the receiving device; and an open/close member including a closing portion for closing the discharge opening and an engaging portion movable relative to the closing portion, the open/close member being rotatable relative to the container between (a) an opening position for causing the closing portion to open the discharge opening and (b) a closing position for causing the closing portion to close the discharge opening, wherein the engaging portion is movable relative to the closing portion between (c) a engaging position for engagement with the receiving device to receive a force for moving the open/close member from the opening position to the closing position when the toner cartridge is dismounted from the receiving device and (d) a retracted position retracted from the engaging position, and wherein the engaging portion is movable from the retracted position to the engaging position with rotation of the open/close member from the closing position to the opening position.

Image forming apparatus having toner replenishment

An apparatus includes a developer container to and from which a replenishment container is attachable and detachable and which includes an accommodating portion and a replenishment port, a transfer portion configured to transfer a developer image on an image bearing member onto a recording material, a supporting tray including a supporting surface configured to support the recording material thereon, and a discharge portion configured to discharge the recording material, onto which the developer image has been transferred, on the supporting surface, wherein the supporting surface has an opening portion opening such that the replenishment port is exposed through the supporting surface, and wherein an opening/closing member configured to be movable between a closed position where the opening/closing member covers the replenishment port and serves as a part of the supporting surface and an open position where the replenishment port is exposed is provided.

Developing unit having guide that stably supports toner cartridge

A developing device includes a developer cartridge and a developing unit. The developer cartridge, in some instances, may include a shutter. This shutter may have a wall for closing a developer supply hole, and be movable, with respect to a developer cartridge casing, between an open position where the supply hole is opened by the wall and a closed position where the supply hole is closed by the wall. The shutter may further include a protrusion that is movable with respect to the wall of the shutter between a first position and a second position in an axial direction. The protrusion, in the first position, is engageable with a developing unit and, in the second position, would be disengaged from the developing unit.

Image forming apparatus facilitating detachment of toner cartridge from process cartridge attached to housing of image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus includes a housing, a top cover having an opening, a process cartridge attachable to the housing, a toner cartridge attachable to the process cartridge, and an interlocking mechanism. The top cover is pivotally movable between a first position closing the opening and a second position opening the opening. In a state where the toner cartridge is attached to the process cartridge, the toner cartridge is pivotally movable between an attachment/detachment position where the toner cartridge is attachable to and detachable from the process cartridge; and a fixed position where the toner cartridge is fixed to the process cartridge. The interlocking mechanism is configured to pivotally move the toner cartridge to the attachment/detachment position when the top cover is moved to the second position, and to pivotally move the toner cartridge to the fixed position when the top cover is moved to the first position.

Development cartridge

A cartridge mountable in an apparatus main body of an image forming apparatus, the cartridge includes a development roller, a frame member including a development chamber, a developer containing chamber, and a first opening portion, the developer containing chamber including an inner wall and a second opening portion, a stirring member including a stirring shaft and a sheet, and a conveyance member driven in such a manner that the developer is replenished into the developer containing chamber through the second opening portion, wherein the sheet is rotated in contact with the inner wall in such a manner that, after the sheet is elastically deformed by contact with a portion of the inner wall, at least a part of the elastic deformation is restored, and wherein the conveyance member is being driven at a timing when the sheet passes through the front side.

DRUM UNIT ATTACHABLE TO IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS AND INCLUDING TONER CARTRIDGE HAVING TONER MEMORY INCLUDING THREE TERMINALS

A drum unit detachably attachable to an image forming apparatus includes: a frame; a photosensitive drum; a toner cartridge including a toner casing and a toner memory; a connector electrically connected to the image forming apparatus; and a relay board electrically relaying the toner memory and the connector. The toner memory performs communication according to a standard that sets a value of data on a basis of a voltage for data communication at a timing when a prescribed period of time has elapsed since the voltage has made a prescribed change. The toner memory consists of three terminals as electrical contacts. The three terminals are a power supply terminal for supplying a supply voltage to the toner memory, a ground terminal, and a data terminal for communication of data to be written into the toner memory and data to be read from the toner memory.

IMAGE FORMING DEVICE AND PROCESS CARTRIDGE THEREFOR
20230004118 · 2023-01-05 ·

An image forming device is provided with a housing formed with an opening, a cover configured to move between a closing position and an opening position, and a plurality of process cartridges including a first process cartridge and a second process cartridge. The first and second process cartridges respectively include first and second photosensitive drums configured to rotate about first and second drum axes both extending in a first direction. The first and second developing devices are configured to supply toner to the first and second photosensitive drums, respectively. The first and second supplying devices are formed with first and second supply ports through which the toner to be supplied to the first and second developing devices are provided, respectively. Both the first and second supplying ports are opened to outside the housing.

IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS AND PROCESS CARTRIDGE
20230004119 · 2023-01-05 ·

A printing apparatus, having a main housing, a first photosensitive drum, a second photosensitive drum, a first developing device to supply toner to the first photosensitive drum, a second developing device to supply toner to the second photosensitive drum, a first reloading device to reload the first developing device with the toner, and a second reloading device to reload the second developing device with the toner, is provided. The first reloading device has a first reloading port, which accepts the toner for reloading the first developing device. The first reloading port is openable to an outside of the main housing. The second reloading device has a second reloading port, which accepts the toner for reloading the second developing device. The second reloading port is openable to the outside of the main housing.

Powder container including an opening and a shutter with a front end including a surface with lower friction

A nozzle insertion member is in a powder container that includes a nozzle insertion opening into which a conveying nozzle is inserted. The nozzle insertion member includes an opening/closing structure to move to an opening position to open the nozzle insertion opening by being pressed by the inserted conveying nozzle, and to a closing position to close the nozzle insertion opening when the conveying nozzle is separated from the nozzle insertion member, and a seal arranged at the nozzle insertion opening and including a through hole into which the conveying nozzle is insertable. The opening/closing structure includes a front cylindrical portion to contact with an inner surface of the through hole, and a slide area formed on another side relative to the front cylindrical portion. W1<W4 is satisfied, where W1 is an inner diameter of the through hole, and W4 is an outer diameter of the slide area.

TONER CONTAINER AND IMAGE FORMING SYSTEM

A toner container includes a toner accommodating body, a nozzle in fluid communication with the toner accommodating body, and a shutter configured to open and close the opening of the nozzle. A projection is positioned at an end portion of the toner container in a direction of the rotational axis, the projection having an inner peripheral surface facing towards the rotational axis. When the toner container is oriented such that the toner accommodating body is above the nozzle, the nozzle is above the projection, and the projection is at a bottommost side of the toner container, (i) the opening of the nozzle is positioned such that toner may be discharged from a lateral side of the toner container that is above the bottommost side, (ii) the projection includes (ii-i) a first surface facing downward, (ii-ii) a second surface facing downward, and (ii-iii) a third surface facing upward, with the first surface, the second surface, and the third surface being positioned outside the inner peripheral surface of the projection and inside the opening of the nozzle in the direction perpendicular to the rotational axis, (iii) the first surface extends such that a distance in the direction of the rotational axis from the first surface to the toner accommodating body decreases along the first surface in the first rotational direction, (iv) the second surface extends such that a distance in the direction of the rotational axis from the second surface to the toner accommodating body decreases along the second surface in the first rotational direction, (v) a distance, measured along a line that is perpendicular to the rotational axis, from the rotational axis to at least a part of the first surface is less than a distance, measured along a line that is perpendicular to the rotational axis, from the rotational axis to a part of the second surface that is closest from the rotational axis, and (vi) at least a part of the third surface is above an uppermost part of the second surface.