Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Hironori Minagawa

Fumio Tazawa

Katsuya Murakami

Yutaka Ban

Yusuke Yamada

Toshiaki Nagashima

Ayatomo Okino

Manabu Jimba

Nobuo Nakajima

Tatsuya Goto

Kazuyoshi Sasae

Tetsuo Isomura

Kyota Miyazaki

Ayumu Murakami

Takashi Kusanagi

Hiroaki Ohashi

Kazuhiko Omata

Hideaki Kosasa

Akihito Kanamori

Masami Maetani

Yukihiro Fujiwara

Michiaki Endoh

A developer supply container includes a developer accommodating body that is rotatable about a rotational axis relative to a developer discharging body. A shutter is movable relative to the developer discharging body between an open position wherein a discharge opening is open and a closed position wherein the discharge opening is closed by the shutter. The developer accommodating body is provided with a gear portion provided about the rotational axis. The developer discharging body is provided with a shutter support movably supporting the shutter. As viewed in a direction towards the bottommost side of the container, the shutter support extends at least from the discharge opening toward the developer accommodating body but does not to overlap the gear.

Developer supply container and developer supplying system

A toner cartridge includes a chamber containing toner, a feeding portion configured to feed the toner toward an opening in the toner cartridge, and a pump configured to discharge the toner through the opening to outside of the toner cartridge, the pump being configured to move the toner by changing pressure inside of the toner cartridge relative to pressure outside of the toner cartridge. A rotatable coupling is configured to receive a rotational force from outside of the toner cartridge, the coupling being operatively connected to the feeding portion and the pump so as to transmit the rotational force to the feeding portion and the pump to thereby rotate the feeding portion and drive the pump.

A developer supply includes a developer accommodating body and a developer discharging body. A track is positioned at a side of the developer discharging body, with the track including a surface that extends from a first position to a second position. When the developer supply container is oriented with the track and the shutter positioned below a horizontal plane that includes the rotational axis and a discharge passageway through which developer is discharged to outside of the developer supply container is formed at the bottommost side of the developer supply container, the track is positioned between the horizontal plane and a shutter in a direction perpendicular to the horizontal plane, the second position is closer to the horizontal plane than the first position is to the horizontal plane, the surface faces upward, and the track extends such that a plane perpendicular to the rotational axis and passing through the track passes through the end of the discharge passageway.

A developer supply container includes a developer accommodating body and a developer discharging body in fluid communication with the developer accommodating body. A track is positioned at a side of the developer discharging body, with the track including a surface that extends from a first position to a second position. When the developer supply container is oriented with the track positioned below a horizontal plane that includes a rotational axis of the developer accommodating body and a discharge passageway through which developer is discharged to outside of the developer supply container is formed at the bottommost side of the developer supply container, the second position is closer to the horizontal plane than the first position is to the horizontal plane, the surface faces upward, and the track extends such that a plane perpendicular to the rotational axis and passing through the track passes through an end of the discharge passageway.

A developing device includes a detachably mounted developer supply container configured to supply a developer with compressed air. A developer storage container includes a first opening portion through which the developer is supplied from the developer supply container to the developer storage container with the compressed air, a filter provided on a wall constituting the developer storage container to permit passage of air and restrict passage of the developer, and a stirring member to stir the developer. The developer storage container further includes a second opening portion through which the developer is supplied to a developing portion provided with a developing member. The filter is disposed between the first opening portion and the second opening portion in a rotational axis direction of the stirring member and disposed closer to the second opening portion.

Developer supply container using compressed air, developer supplying system and image forming apparatus

A developer supply container includes a developer accommodating body configured to contain developer and a developer discharging body in fluid communication with the developer accommodating body. The developer discharging body has a discharge opening configured to form at least a part of a discharge passageway through which developer may be discharged to outside of the developer supply container. A track is positioned at a side of the developer discharging body. A cover is attached to the developer discharging body, with the cover being configured to cover the developer discharging body and the track, with the cover including a front wall that crosses a rotational axis of the developer accommodating body, and with the front wall being provided with a slit.

A toner cartridge includes a first chamber configured to accommodate toner and a second chamber provided with an opening that is configured to discharge the toner. A feeding portion is configured to feed the toner from the first chamber toward the second chamber. An air flow generating portion is configured to generate an air flow and blow the air flow into the second chamber to thereby discharge the toner to outside of the cartridge through the opening. A rotatable coupling including a projection is configured to receive a rotational force from outside of the cartridge, the rotatable coupling being operatively connected to the feeding portion and the air flow generating portion so as to drive the feeding portion and the air flow generating portion with rotation of the rotatable coupling.

A toner cartridge includes a container accommodating toner and including a discharge opening. A pump is configured to alternately generate (i) a first air flow from outside to inside of the toner cartridge and (ii) a second air flow from inside to outside of the toner cartridge, with the pump being configured to supply the toner from the discharge opening to outside of the toner cartridge with the second air flow. The cartridge also includes a rotational force receiving portion configured to receive a rotational force from outside of the toner cartridge, with the rotational force receiving portion being configured to drive the pump with rotation of the rotational force receiving portion.

A toner cartridge includes a container containing toner and including an opening configured to discharge the toner. The toner cartridge also includes a feeding portion configured to feed the toner toward the opening and a pump that is configured to move the toner from the opening of the container to outside of the cartridge by generating an air flow. The toner cartridge further includes a rotatable coupling including a projection configured to receive a rotational force from outside of the cartridge, with the coupling being operatively connected to the feeding portion and the pump so as to drive the feeding portion and the pump with rotation of the coupling.

A developer supply container supplies a developer through a developer receiving opening displacably provided in a developer receiving apparatus to which the developer supply container is detachably mountable. The developer supply container includes a developer accommodating portion to accommodate a developer, and a discharge opening to permit discharge of the developer in the developer accommodating portion toward the developer receiving opening. An engaging portion, engageable with the developer receiving apparatus, displaces the developer receiving opening toward a position of the discharge opening at the time when the developer supply container is mounted to the developer receiving apparatus, with a mounting operation of the developer supply container.

Conventionally, when a developer is supplied into a developer receiving apparatus from a developer supply container using the air, a filter is provided in the developer receiving apparatus side, but the pressure feeding type wherein a mixture of the air and the developer is continuously fed from the developer supply container into the developer receiving apparatus side involves a problem of filter clogging. The developer supply container side is provided with a pump portion which effects a suction operation for moving the air from inside of the developer receiving portion to the developer accommodating portion side and a discharging operation for moving the air from the inside of the developer accommodating portion to the developer receiving portion side. By this, a back washing effect of dusting the developer from the filter is applied to the filter portion during the suction operation, so that the clogging of the filter is suppressed.

Developer supply container, developer supplying system and image forming apparatus

Conventionally, the developer in the developer supply container is discharged by an air-supply pump and a suction pump which are provided in the main assembly side of the image forming apparatus, and therefore, the developer is compacted by the increase of the internal pressure of the developer supply container resulting from the air-supply. Therefore, the proper suction of the developer from the developer supply container becomes difficult with the result of shortage of the developer amount to be supplied. A bellow-like pump is provided on the side of the developer supply container, and the pump alternately repeats the suction operation and the discharging operation through the discharge opening by a driving force inputted from the image forming apparatus side. By this, the developer can be sufficiently loosened, thus properly discharging the developer.

Developer supply container

A developer supply includes a developer container body configured to accommodate developer, a gear portion configured and positioned to receive a force for rotating the developer container body, and a pump portion configured and positioned to act upon the developer container body to discharge the developer out of the developer supply container, with the pump portion having a volume that changes with reciprocation of the pump portion. A weight is configured and positioned to reciprocate the pump portion with a rotation of the developer container body by the force received by the gear.

A developer supply container includes a developer accommodating body configured to contain developer. A developer discharging body is provided in fluid communication with the developer accommodating body, with the developer discharging body having a discharge opening configured to discharge the developer from the developer discharging body, and with the developer accommodating body being rotatable relative to the developer discharging body. A track is provided at each of opposite sides of the developer discharging body.

Growing community of inventors

Kashiwa, Japan

Fumio Tazawa