Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Manabu Jimba

Ayatomo Okino

Katsuya Murakami

Toshiaki Nagashima

Akihito Kamura

Fumio Tazawa

Nobuyuki Yomoda

Yusuke Oizumi

Yusuke Yamada

Takashi Enokuchi

Hiromasa Katayama

Yutaka Ban

Yohei Gamo

Tetsuo Isomura

Masato Yamaoka

Koji Katayama

Tsukasa Mine

Masashi Koseki

Kei Jomen

Shinya Suzuki

Takao Nakajima

Katsuhide Koga

Hiroaki Ohashi

Keisuke Isobe

Takashi Nakanishi

Kenta Koyama

Takahiro Oonuma

Kuniyoshi Sugawara

An engaging portionis provided which is engageable with a portion-to-be-engageda displaceable integrally with a developer receiving portionwith a mounting operation of a developer supply containerto displacein an upward direction U to bring a receiving opening into communication with a discharge opening. An engaging portionincludes a first engagement surfaceextending in the upward direction U as going toward a developer accommodating portion of the developer supply container, and a second engagement surfaceprovided at a position closer to the developer accommodating portion than the first engagement surface. When the receiving opening in communication with a shutter opening, a height of an end of the first engagement surfaceclose to the developer accommodating portion is higher than the second engagement surface

Developer supply container and developer supplying system

An information processing apparatus for communicating to and from a database having stored therein information on errors which have occurred in an image forming apparatus, the information processing apparatus includes at least one processor configured to acquire, from the database, information on a certain error and information on a related error which has occurred in past before the certain error, acquire first information related to a cumulative number of printed sheets of the image forming apparatus at a time of occurrence of the certain error, and second information related to a cumulative number of printed sheets of the image forming apparatus at a time of occurrence of the related error, and determine a causal part of a cause of the certain error based on the first information and the second information, and an output unit configured to output the causal part of the cause of the certain error.

Information processing apparatus for determining causal part of cause of error which has occurred in image forming apparatus, and notification method of giving notification of causal part of cause of error which has occurred in image forming apparatus

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.

There is provided an information processing apparatus for communicating with a database storing information on errors which have occurred in an image forming apparatus. The information processing apparatus includes a controller configured to acquire, from the database, information on an error to be analyzed and information on a related error which occurred before an occurrence of the error to be analyzed, and determine a causal part being a cause of the error to be analyzed, based on error timing information related to a timing of occurrence of the error to be analyzed and error timing information related to a timing of occurrence of the related error.

Image forming apparatus, information processing apparatus, and method of giving notification of causal part

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 developer supply container includes a developer accommodating portion accommodating developer, and a developer discharging portion in fluid communication with the developer accommodating portion. The developer accommodating portion is rotatable about a rotational axis and relative to the developer discharging portion, with the developer discharging portion being provided with a developer discharge opening at a bottommost side of the developer discharging portion and configured to permit discharging the developer to outside of the developer supply container. A lifter is linearly liftable relative to the developer discharging portion in a direction perpendicular to a horizontal plane that includes the rotational axis when the developer supply container is oriented with the developer discharge opening positioned at a bottom side of the developer discharging portion.

Provided is a developer replenishing container including: a developer containing part capable of containing a developer; a discharge port through which the developer contained in the developer containing part is discharged; a conveyance part conveying the developer in the developer containing part by rotating; and a displacement part displaceable in conjunction with rotation of the conveyance part in the developer in a vicinity of the discharge port, and including a moving member capable of reciprocating in conjunction with the rotation of the conveyance part and a biasing member which biases the moving member and which is expandable according to movement of the moving member.

Developer replenishing container and image forming apparatus

A developer supply containerdetachably mountable to a developer supplying apparatusincludes a developer accommodating portioncapable of accommodating a developer, a discharge openingfor discharging the developer accommodated in the developer accommodating portiontoward the developer supplying apparatus, a pump portionfor effecting a discharging operation through the discharge opening, a communicating portionprovided at a position contacting the discharge openingand capable of storing a constant amount of the developer, and a regulating portioncapable of taking a developer flow regulating state in which the flow of the developer into the communicating portionand a developer flow non-regulating state in which the entering of the developer is not regulated, the regulating portiontaking the developer flow regulating state in a discharging operation of the pump portion, wherein the regulating portionis provided with an air flow pathfor communicating between the communicating portionand the pump portion

Developer supply container

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.

With a mounting operation of a supply container, a supported portionof a developer receiving portionis supported by a receipt supporting portionof a lifting portion. With further mounting operation, a shutter sliding portionof the lifting portionslides on a shutter inclined portionof a shutter. The developer receiving portionis displaced so as to bring a receiving opening into communication with a discharge opening by operating, using the shutter, the lifting portionsupporting the supported portionof the developer receiving portion. By this, a load required for movement of the developer receiving portionis reduced to achieve smooth mounting of the supply container.

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Toride, Japan

Manabu Jimba