초록 ▼

A toner supply container detachably mountable to a main assembly of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus includes (a) a toner accommodating portion for accommodating toner; (b) a toner supply opening or port for discharging toner accommodated in the toner accommodating portion; (c) a toner

A toner supply container detachably mountable to a main assembly of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus includes (a) a toner accommodating portion for accommodating toner; (b) a toner supply opening or port for discharging toner accommodated in the toner accommodating portion; (c) a toner feeding member for feeding the toner accommodated in the toner accommodating portion toward the toner supply opening by rotation thereof, wherein a center of rotation of the toner feeding member is in an opening region of the toner supply port as seen in the longitudinal direction of the toner feeding member. A seal member seals the toner supply port and is configured to be rotatable with the toner feeding member and receives a drive force from a main assembly of the image forming apparatus.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A toner supply container detachably mountable to a main assembly of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, said container comprising:a toner accommodating chamber configured to accommodate toner and to be non-rotatably supported by the main assembly of the electrophotographic image formi

1. A toner supply container detachably mountable to a main assembly of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, said container comprising:a toner accommodating chamber configured to accommodate toner and to be non-rotatably supported by the main assembly of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus;a stirring member provided in said toner accommodating chamber and configured to stir the toner;a toner feeding chamber which is open to inside of said toner accommodating chamber and extends in a longitudinal direction of said toner accommodating chamber, and is positioned at the lower portion of said toner accommodating chamber and provided with a toner supply extension extending from said toner feeding chamber in the longitudinal direction of said toner accommodating chamber beyond a longitudinal end portion of said toner accommodating chamber, said toner supply extension having a toner supply opening spaced from said toner feeding chamber and at a longitudinal end of said toner supply extension, said toner feeding chamber being smaller than said toner accommodating chamber;a toner feeding member provided in said toner feeding chamber and configured to feed the toner toward said toner supply extension; anda sealing member including a seal portion configured to seal the toner supply opening, said sealing member being rotatable integrally with said toner feeding member and having a driving force receiving portion configured and positioned to receive a driving force from the main assembly of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus when said toner supply container is in an operable position in the main assembly of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus. 2. A container according to claim 1, wherein said toner feeding chamber is formed only at a central portion of said toner accommodating chamber, with respect to a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of said toner accommodating chamber. 3. A container according to claim 2, wherein said toner accommodating chamber has a generally U-shaped cross-section, and said toner feeding chamber has a generally U-shaped cross-section which is smaller than the U-shaped cross-section of said toner accommodating chamber. 4. A container according to claim 1, wherein said toner supply extension has a cylindrical shape. 5. A container according to claim 1, wherein said sealing member is co-axial with and integral with said toner feeding member. 6. A container according to claim 1, wherein said sealing member and said toner feeding member are slidable relative to each other in the longitudinal direction while a coaxial relation therebetween is maintained. 7. A container according to claim 6, wherein said toner feeding member has a rotational shaft which extends out through the toner supply opening and which is slidably engaged with said sealing member. 8. A container according to claim 1, wherein said sealing member is capable of resealing the toner supply opening after unsealing of the toner supply opening. 9. A container according to claim 1, wherein said toner feeding member and said stirring member have respective centers of rotation that are vertically aligned. 10. A toner supply container detachably mountable to a main assembly of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, said container comprising:a toner accommodating chamber configured to accommodate toner and to be non-rotatably supported by the main assembly of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus;a stirring member, provided in said toner accommodating chamber and configured to stir the toner;a toner feeding chamber which is open to inside of said toner accommodating chamber and extends in a longitudinal direction of said toner accommodating chamber at the lower portion of said toner accommodating chamber, and is provided with a toner supply extension extending from said toner feeding chamber in the longitudinal direction of said toner accommodating chamber beyond a longitudinal e nd portion of said toner accommodating chamber, said toner supply extension having a toner supply opening at a longitudinal end of said toner supply extension and spaced from said toner feeding chamber, said toner feeding chamber being smaller than said toner accommodating chamber;a toner feeding member, provided in said toner feeding chamber and configured to feed the toner toward said toner supply extension; anda sealing member including a seal portion configured to seal the toner supply opening, said sealing member being rotatable integrally with said toner feeding member and having a driving force receiving portion configured and positioned to receive a driving force from the main assembly of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus when said toner supply container is in an operable position in the main assembly of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus,wherein said sealing member further includes a groove configured to engage a preventing member of the main assembly of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus configured to prevent movement of said sealing member in the longitudinal direction. 11. A container according to claim 10, wherein said groove is provided along a full circumferential periphery of said sealing member, and said driving force receiving portion includes a plurality of projections provided at discrete positions. 12. A container according to claim 11, wherein said groove is disposed downstream of said driving force receiving portion with respect to a mounting direction of said container relative to the main assembly of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus. 13. A toner supply container detachably mountable to a main assembly of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, said container comprising:a toner accommodating chamber configured to accommodate toner and to be non-rotatably supported by the main assembly of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus;a stirring member, provided in said toner accommodating chamber and configured to stir the toner;a toner feeding chamber which is open to inside of said toner accommodating chamber and extends in a longitudinal direction of said toner accommodating chamber at the lower portion of said toner accommodating chamber, and is provided with a toner supply extension extending from said toner feeding chamber in the longitudinal direction of said toner accommodating chamber beyond a longitudinal end portion of said toner accommodating chamber, said toner supply extension having a toner supply opening at a longitudinal end of said toner supply extension and spaced from said toner feeding chamber, said toner feeding chamber being smaller than said toner accommodating chamber;a toner feeding member, provided in said toner feeding chamber and configured to feed the toner toward said toner supply extension;a sealing member including a seal portion configured to seal the toner supply opening, said sealing member being rotatable integrally with said toner feeding member and having a driving force receiving portion configured and positioned to receive a driving force from the main assembly of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus when said toner supply container is in an operable position in the main assembly of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus,wherein said sealing member further includes a groove configured to engage a preventing member of the main assembly of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus to prevent movement of said sealing member in the longitudinal direction; anda moving force receiving portion configured and positioned to receive a moving force for moving said toner feeding chamber from the electrophotographic image forming apparatus to unseal the toner supply opening while said sealing member is prevented from moving by the engagement between said groove and the main assembly of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus. 14. A container according to claim 13, wherein said mo ving force receiving portion projects outwardly from a bottom of said toner feeding chamber. 15. A toner supply container detachably mountable to a main assembly of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, said container comprising:a toner accommodating chamber configured to accommodate toner and to be non-rotatably supported by the main assembly of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus;a stirring member, provided in said toner accommodating chamber and configured to stir the toner;a toner feeding chamber which is open to inside of said toner accommodating chamber and extends in a longitudinal direction of said toner accommodating chamber at the lower portion of said toner accommodating chamber, and provided with a toner supply extension extending from said toner feeding chamber in the longitudinal direction of said toner accommodating chamber beyond a longitudinal end portion of said toner accommodating chamber, said toner supply extension having a toner supply opening at a longitudinal end of said toner supply extension and spaced from said toner feeding chamber, said toner feeding chamber being smaller than said toner accommodating chamber;a toner feeding member, provided in said toner feeding chamber and configured to feed the toner toward said toner supply extension; anda sealing member including a seal portion configured to seal the toner supply opening, said sealing member being rotatable integrally with said toner feeding member and having a driving force receiving portion configured and positioned to receive a driving force from the main assembly of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus when said toner supply container is in an operable position in the main assembly of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus,wherein said toner accommodating chamber has, adjacent a longitudinal end thereof, a driving force input portion configured and positioned to receive a driving force for driving said toner stirring member from the main assembly of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus. 16. A container according to claim 15, wherein said driving force input portion has a diameter that is larger than that of said driving force receiving portion. 17. A toner supply container detachably mountable into a toner supply container receiving space in a main assembly of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, wherein the toner supply container receiving space has, at a front side of the main assembly, an entrance opening through which said toner supply container is insertable into the toner supply container receiving space and a rear end portion which is away from the entrance opening toward a rear side of the main assembly, wherein a toner receiving opening is provided adjacent the rear end portion, said container comprising:a toner accommodating chamber configured to accommodate toner and to be non-rotatably supported by the main assembly of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus;a stirring member, provided in said toner accommodating chamber and configured to stir the toner;a toner feeding chamber which is open to inside of said toner accomodating chamber and extends in a longitudinal direction of said toner accommodating chamber at the lower portion of said toner accommodating chamber, and is provided with a toner supply extension extending from said toner feeding chamber in the longitudinal direction of said toner accommodating chamber beyond a longitudinal end portion of said toner accommodating chamber, said toner supply extension having a toner supply opening at a longitudinal end of said toner supply extension and spaced from said toner feeding chamber, said toner feeding chamber being smaller than said toner accommodating chamber;a toner feeding member, provided in said toner feeding chamber and configured to feed the toner toward said toner supply extension; anda sealing member, positionable adjacent the rear end portion of the toner supply container receiving space and including a seal portion configured to seal the toner supply opening, said sealing member being rotatable integrally with said toner feeding member and having a driving force receiving portion configured and positioned to receive a driving force from the main assembly of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus to supply the toner from said toner supply container through the toner supply opening into the toner receiving opening when said toner supply container is in an operable position in the main assembly of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus. 18. A container according to claim 17, wherein said toner feeding chamber is formed only at a central portion of said toner accommodating chamber, with respect to a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of said toner accommodating chamber. 19. A container according to claim 18, wherein said toner accommodating chamber has a generally U-shaped cross-section, and said toner feeding chamber has a generally U-shaped cross-section which is smaller than the U-shaped cross-section of said toner accommodating chamber. 20. A container according to claim 17, wherein said toner supply extension has a cylindrical shape. 21. A container according to claim 17, wherein said sealing member is co-axial with and integral with said toner feeding member. 22. A container according to claim 17, wherein said sealing member and said toner feeding member are slidable relative to each other in the longitudinal direction while a coaxial relation therebetween is maintained. 23. A container according to claim 22, wherein said toner feeding member has a rotational shaft which extends out through the toner supply opening and which is slidably engaged with said sealing member. 24. A container according to claim 17, wherein said sealing member is capable of resealing the toner supply opening after unsealing of the toner supply opening. 25. A container according to claim 17, wherein said toner feeding member and said stirring member have respective centers of rotation which are vertically aligned.