Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha

Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba

Other

Toshiba America Business Solutions, Inc.

Yoshiharu Taniyama

Shinichi Itoh

Noriyuki Umezawa

Takayuki Nishi

Tokihiko Ise

Shinichi Ito

Tomoyuki Asada

Ryoji Saruwatari

A method and apparatus for discriminating bottle types, for stirring the toner, and for detecting the amount of toner remaining in the toner bottle. A toner bottle is adapted to fit the apparatus for discriminating toner bottle types, and a toner bottle is adapted for the apparatus for stirring toner. The genuineness of the toner bottle product is checked by sensing a rib assumed to be formed with a predetermined length on the outer surface of the toner bottle. Toner is stirred by continuously rotating the toner bottle in forward and reverse directions. The toner bottle can be easily rotated in the forward and reverse directions by sensing the rib of the toner bottle by using the sensor. Since the load of rotation of the toner bottle changes in accordance with the amount of remaining toner, the rotational speed of the toner bottle is sensed by using the sensor to check whether toner is close to empty.

Toner bottle having rib

Toner bottle having rib away from discharge port

TONER BOTTLE HAVING RIB BEING SENSED FOR BEING DISCRIMINATED, METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DISCRIMINATING TONER BOTTLE TYPES ACCORDING TO A SENSED OBJECT ON THE TONER BOTTLE, STIRRING TONER, AND DETECTING THE AMOUNT OF REMAINING TONER

A developer cartridge which is rotatably mounted in the developing unit of an image forming apparatus, and supplies a developer to the developing unit while rotating includes a cylindrical cartridge main body having a developer outlet hole in the outer surface near one end, and a ring-like cartridge-side shutter which is fitted on the outer surface near one end of the cylindrical cartridge main body to be movable along the rotating shaft of the cylindrical cartridge main body between a position where the developer outlet hole is opened and a position where the developer outlet hole is closed. The developing unit has a guide for inserting the developer cartridge and a driving unit for rotating the developer cartridge, and the guide has a main body-side shutter with a hole. When the developer cartridge is mounted, the cartridge-side shutter moves from the position where the developer outlet hole is closed to the position where the developer outlet hole is opened, and the developer outlet hole aligns itself with the hole of the main body-side shutter. The cylindrical cartridge main body and the main body-side shutter integrally rotate to align the developer outlet hole and the hole of the main body-side shutter with a developer replenishment port formed below the main body-side shutter. Every time this happens, the developer in the developer cartridge is supplied from the developer replenishment port to the developing unit via the developer outlet hole and the hole of the main body-side shutter.A toner bottle for use in an image forming apparatus includes an elongated cylindrical body portion having an outer surface. The toner bottle also includes a first end portion at a first end of the cylindrical body portion, the first end portion including an end face, a toner outlet port positioned at the first end portion. The toner bottle further includes a cartridge shutter positioned at the first end portion and configured to be axially movable. The toner bottle still further includes at least one disconnection prevention projection formed at the first end portion to limit axial movement of the cartridge shutter in a direction toward the end face, thereby preventing the cartridge shutter from disconnection from the toner bottle, when the cartridge shutter is located at the closed position.

Toner bottle and developer cartridge for use in an image forming apparatus

The sheet paper conveying device comprises: paper supply rollers at least part of which rotate to convey the sheet paper in a prescribed direction; separation rollers that rotate in the direction reverse to the sheet paper conveying direction or rotates jointly with the paper supply roller; auxiliary rollers that clamp the sheet paper jointly with the paper supply rollers and freely rotate; a first pressurizing member to press the separation rollers against the paper supply roller side; and a second pressurizing member to press the auxiliary roller against the paper supply roller side.

Sheet conveying device, image forming apparatus and method for conveying sheet

TONER BOTTLE CAPABLE OF BEING DISCRIMINATED, METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DISCRIMINATING TONER BOTTLE TYPES ACCORDING TO A SENSED OBJECT ON THE TONER BOTTLE STIRRING TONER, AND DETECTING THE AMOUNT OF REMAINING TONER

A developer cartridge which is rotatably mounted in the developing unit of an image forming apparatus, and supplies a developer to the developing unit while rotating includes a cylindrical cartridge main body having a developer outlet hole in the outer surface near one end, and a ring-like cartridge-side shutter which is fitted on the outer surface near one end of the cylindrical cartridge main body to be movable along the rotating shaft of the cylindrical cartridge main body between a position where the developer outlet hole is opened and a position where the developer outlet hole is closed. The developing unit has a guide for inserting the developer cartridge and a driving unit for rotating the developer cartridge, and the guide has a main body-side shutter with a hole. When the developer cartridge is mounted, the cartridge-side shutter moves from the position where the developer outlet hole is closed to the position where the developer outlet hole is opened, and the developer outlet hole aligns itself with the hole of the main body-side shutter. The cylindrical cartridge main body and the main body-side shutter integrally rotate in align the developer outlet hole and the hole of the main body-side shutter with a developer replenishment port formed below the main body-side shutter. Every time this happens, the developer in the developer cartridge is supplied from the developer replenishment port to the developing unit via the developer outlet hole and the hole of the main body-side shutter.

The developer supply device includes a loading unit for loading a supply container for storing a developer for supply, a detection mechanism for detecting whether there is a projection for displaying that the developer is a regular product on the outer peripheral surface of the supply container loaded in the loading unit or not, and a driving mechanism for rotating the loaded supply container and supplying the developer to the device to be supplied on the basis of detection of the projection by the detector. The detection mechanism includes a detecting element for detecting the existence of the projection by making contact with the projection of the rotating developer supply container, a contactor for making contact with the outer peripheral surface of the supply container, a mounting member for mounting the contactor and detecting element, and a pressing member for elastically pressing the mounting member, thereby allowing the contactor to make elastically contact with the outer peripheral surface of the developer supply container, and forming a fixed interval between the outer peripheral surface of the developer supply container and the detecting element.

Developer supply device

An image forming system has: a developing device for causing a toner to adhere to a latent image, which is formed on a photosensitive material drum, to form a visible image; a toner supply device for supplying a toner, which is housed in a toner container, to the developing device; a toner removing device for removing a remaining toner after the visible image on the photosensitive material drum is transferred to a transfer paper; a waste toner container for accumulating therein a waste toner removed by the toner removing device; and an oscillating mechanism for oscillating the waste toner container. Thus, the waste toner in the waste toner container can be efficiently accumulated, so that the system can be miniaturized.

Image forming system including oscillating type waste toner container

An image forming system has a developing device for causing a toner to adhere to a latent image, which is formed on a photosensitive material drum, to form a visible image; a toner supply device for supplying a toner, which is housed in a toner receiving container, to the developing device; a toner removing device for removing a remaining toner after the visible image on the photosensitive material drum is transferred to a transfer paper; and a waste toner container for accumulating therein a waste toner removed by the toner removing device, and the waste toner container has a restraint member for enabling attaching and detaching said toner container when said toner container and said waste toner container are in their special positional relation.

Image forming system with waste toner container and restraint member

A sheet stacking and conveying unit that have a first end and a second end includes: a sheet stacker to stack sheets conveyed in the first direction in order; a conveyor to convey a lowest stacked sheet in the second direction that is opposite to the first direction by contacting the lower surface of the sheet; a sheet pressing member to apply a specified pressing force to a conveyor via a sheet by contacting the top of a sheet stacked in a stacker and a receiving portion provided to a sheet pressing member and to receive the first end of a sheet that is next stacked in a stacker. Further, this unit includes a driving mechanism that drives a sheet pressing member, drops a sheet received by a receiving portion on the top of a conveyor, clamps it between a conveyor and a sheet pressing member and receives a sheet that is next conveyed to a stacker by a receiving portion.

Sheet stacking/conveying unit and image forming apparatus using sheet stacking/conveying unit

Toner storage container for a copying machine

A toner supply device includes: a toner cartridge having a cylindrical container with a spiral protruding portion therein, and a cap having a toner discharging hole; and a drive unit for supplying a toner from the toner discharging hole while gripping and rotating the cap of the toner cartridge. A positioning portion is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the base end side of the cylindrical container, and a recessed portion engaging the positioning portion is formed in an inlet holder. The drive unit includes: a holder and a holder cover, which are disassembled vertically; a cup-shaped holder guide, rotatably provided in the holder and holder cover, for gripping the cap at a position, at which the holder guide is communicated with the toner discharging hole; a motor for applying torque to the holder guide; and a drive gear for transmitting torque of the motor to the holder guide. When the toner cartridge is attached on or detached from the drive unit, the toner discharging hole is forced to be open and closed. The toner cartridge is formed with a destination unit for allowing the use of only the same destination in the relationship to a product.

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Kawasaki, Japan

Yoshiharu Taniyama