Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Toshiaki Nagashima

Katsuya Murakami

Ayatomo Okino

Fumio Tazawa

Yusuke Yamada

Manabu Jimba

Nobuo Nakajima

Yutaka Ban

Masato Yamaoka

Kazuo Chadani

Kunihiko Kitayama

Norio Hikake

Hiroumi Morinaga

Masami Ikeda

Seiichiro Karita

Akio Saito

Hiroshi Sugitani

Kazuaki Masuda

Tadayuki Tsuda

Tsuyoshi Orikasa

Yoshifumi Hattori

Asao Saito

Hideo Saikawa

Masataka Isomoto

Kazunori Kobayashi

Kazuhiko Omata

Kiyoshi Oyama

Tetsuo Isomura

Ei Yamamoto

Kazuyoshi Sasae

Toru Koizumi

Isao Ikemoto

Teruhiko Sasaki

Hiroomi Matsuzaki

Shinichi Sasaki

Kyota Miyazaki

Hisakazu Shimizu

Nobuyuki Agata

Junichiro Shimamura

Yasuo Fujiwara

Masatoshi Kato

Isamu Karube

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 container includes a rotatable developer accommodating portion accommodating developer and a developer discharging portion in fluid communication with the developer accommodating portion, the developer discharging portion being provided with a discharge opening for discharging the developer from the developer accommodating portion. A seesaw member is provided at each of opposite lateral sides of the developer supply container, each seesaw member being positioned to not cover the discharge opening when the developer supply container is oriented with the developer discharge opening positioned at a bottom side of the developer discharging portion, with both of the seesaw members being rotatable about a second rotational axis that extends in a direction that crosses a direction of the first rotational axis.

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.

There are provided a rotatable developer accommodating portion accommodating a developer, a discharge end portion provided at a bottom side with a discharge opening for discharging the developer accommodated in the developer accommodating portion, an engaging portionengageable with a portion-to-be-engagedwith a mounting operation of the developer supply containerto displace the portion-to-be-engagedin an upward direction U to bring the receiving opening into fluid communication with the discharge opening, and a swing shaftrotatably supporting engaging portionprovided at such a position that opposite end portions of the engaging portiona rotatable.

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 detachably mountable to a developer receiving apparatus and settable in a developer receiving apparatus by a setting operation including at least a rotation toward a setting position, includes a containing portion for containing the developer; a rotatable discharging member for discharging the developer out of said containing portion; drive transmitting means, engageable with a driving gear provided in said developer receiving apparatus and rotatable in a direction opposite the setting direction, for transmitting a rotating force from said driving gear to said discharging member.

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.

If a user is not familiar with the operation for the developer supply container, the rotating operation for the developer supply container may be insufficient, so that developer supply container does not reach a predetermined operating position, with the result of abnormal developer supply. by increasing a rotation load of a second gearwhich is in an operable connection with a drive gear memberof the developer receiving apparatusby a function of a locking member, the developer supply containermounted to the developer receiving apparatusis rotated toward the supply position. After the developer supply containerrotates to the supply position, the locking by the locking memberis released, by which the rotation load applied to the second gearis reduced, so that drive transmission, thereafter, to the feeding memberfor developer supply is smooth.

Growing community of inventors

Moriya, Japan

Toshiaki Nagashima