Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Yusuke Atsu

Tomofumi Kawamura

Masato Tanabe

Toshiaki Takeuchi

Shuichi Gofuku

Takatoshi Hamada

Hideki Kakuta

Joji Goto

Yu Akiba

Naoya Asanuma

A toner cartridge includes a toner accommodation chamber containing toner, a toner discharging chamber having a discharge opening for discharging the toner, and a passage for fluid communication between the toner accommodation chamber and the toner discharging chamber. The toner cartridge also includes a screw, with at least a part of the screw being positioned in the passage. In a first cross-sectional plane perpendicular to a toner feeding direction of the screw, a minimum cross-sectional area of the passage is Asmin, and in a second cross-sectional plane perpendicular to the toner feeding direction, the toner accommodation chamber has a cross-sectional area Cs that is larger than Asmin.

Toner cartridge having feeding member and pump for discharging toner

A toner cartridge includes a casing, a feeding member, and a pump. The casing includes a toner accommodation chamber accommodating toner, a toner discharging chamber having a discharge opening for discharging the toner, and a communication passage for fluid communication between the toner accommodation chamber and the toner discharging chamber such that the toner can move from the toner accommodation chamber to the toner discharging chamber. A part of the feeding member is positioned inside the communication passage. In a first cross-sectional plane perpendicular to a toner feeding direction of the feeding member, a minimum cross-sectional area of the communication passage is Asmin, in a second cross-sectional plane perpendicular to the toner feeding direction, the toner discharging chamber has a cross-sectional area Bs that is larger than Asmin, and in a third cross-sectional plane perpendicular to the toner feeding direction, the toner accommodation chamber has a cross-sectional area Cs that is larger than Asmin.

Toner cartridge having feeding member and pump for discharging pump

A cartridge includes a first unit including a photosensitive member, and a second unit including a developer bearing member and a force receiving portion, the second unit being configured to be rotatable about a first axis to move with respect to the first unit between a first position and a second position. In a state where the first unit is in a same posture as when an image forming operation is performed, the second unit is disposed at the second position by its own weight. The developer bearing member is configured to be rotatable about a second axis. When seen in the direction of the first axis, a first distance between the force receiving portion and the second axis is smaller than a second distance between the first axis and the second axis and a third distance between the first axis and the force receiving portion.

Cartridge and image forming apparatus

A toner transport apparatus includes a toner, a transport container having a transport path for transporting the toner toward the developing apparatus, and a pipe through which the toner is transported from the toner container to the transport container, with the pipe having an outlet hole from which the toner is discharged into the transport container. An air pump transports the toner from the toner container to the transport container, and an optical sensor includes a light-emitting element to emit a light and a light-receiving element to receive the light so that an optical path from the light-emitting element to the light-receiving element intersects with a passage area of the toner through which the toner passes after being discharged from the outlet hole of the pipe and before landing at a landing point of the transport container.

Growing community of inventors

Shizuoka, Japan

Yusuke Atsu