IPC분류정보
국가/구분 |
United States(US) Patent
등록
|
국제특허분류(IPC7판) |
|
출원번호 |
US-0667301
(2003-09-23)
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등록번호 |
US-7398038
(2008-07-08)
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발명자
/ 주소 |
- Tsuda,Kiyonori
- Hosokawa,Hiroshi
- Kawasumi,Masanori
- Narumi,Satoshi
- Takeichi,Ryuta
- Umemura,Kazuhiko
- Arai,Yuji
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출원인 / 주소 |
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대리인 / 주소 |
Oblon, Spivak, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt, P.C.
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인용정보 |
피인용 횟수 :
24 인용 특허 :
57 |
초록
▼
An image forming apparatus of the present invention includes a process cartridge including a developing device that includes a developer carrier and a toner storing portion storing toner for replenishment. The developer carrier conveys a developer deposited thereon to a developing zone where the dev
An image forming apparatus of the present invention includes a process cartridge including a developing device that includes a developer carrier and a toner storing portion storing toner for replenishment. The developer carrier conveys a developer deposited thereon to a developing zone where the developer carrier faces and image carrier. The developing device feeds the toner from the toner storing portion to the developer carrier or the developer deposited on the developer carrier. A toner container stores toner to be replenished to said the storing section. The process cartridge and toner container each are removably mounted to the apparatus independently of each other. A toner conveying device configured to convey the toner from toner container to toner storing portion by using the weight of the toner is mounted on the image forming apparatus.
대표청구항
▼
What is claimed is: 1. An image forming apparatus, comprising: a process cartridge including a developing device, the developing device including: a developer carrier configured to convey a developer deposited thereon to a developing zone where said developer carrier faces an image carriers, and a
What is claimed is: 1. An image forming apparatus, comprising: a process cartridge including a developing device, the developing device including: a developer carrier configured to convey a developer deposited thereon to a developing zone where said developer carrier faces an image carriers, and a toner storing portion configured to store toner, said developing device configured to feed said toner from said toner storing portion to said developer carrier; a toner container storing fresh toner to be replenished to said toner storing portion, said toner container including a toner storing body and a cap rotatably affixed to the toner storing body, the cap including an opening; a toner container holder configured to hold the toner container, the toner container holder fixedly holding the cap while allowing the container body to rotate in order to dispense the fresh toner from the container body through the opening of the cap; and a toner conveying device configured to convey the fresh toner received from the opening of the cap of said toner container to said toner storing portion, wherein said process cartridge and said toner container each are removably mounted to said image forming apparatus independently of each other. 2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said process cartridge is positioned at a lower level than the opening of the cap. 3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said toner container holder is configured such that said toner container is mounted to or dismounted from a body of said image forming apparatus from above said body. 4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising: a shutter mechanism attached to said cap and movable in a circumferential direction of said cap, and when said cap is turned to a preselected angle, said cap is locked to said toner container holder while said shutter mechanism opens said opening of the cap in an interlocked relation to a movement of said cap. 5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein: said shutter mechanism closes said opening of the cap when said cap is turned in a direction opposite to a locking direction to thereby unlock said cap from said toner container holder. 6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein: when said cap is turned relative to said toner storing body after removal of said toner container from said body of said apparatus, said shutter mechanism does not open said opening of said cap. 7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein: said toner storing body of the toner container is configured to convey the fresh toner stored therein in a preselected direction when rotated relative to said cap, and said toner conveying device operates in synchronism with a rotation of said toner storing body. 8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 7, further comprising: a shutter mechanism attached to said cap and movable in a circumferential direction of said cap, and when said cap is turned to a preselected angle, said cap is locked to said toner container holder while said shutter mechanism opens said opening of the cap in an interlocked relation to a movement of said cap. 9. The apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein: said shutter mechanism closes said opening of the cap when said cap is turned in a direction opposite to a locking direction to thereby unlock said cap from said toner container holder. 10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein: when said cap is turned relative to said toner storing body after removal of said toner container from said body of said apparatus, said shutter mechanism does not open said opening of said cap. 11. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said toner conveying device comprises: a pipe forming a toner conveying path and a coil disposed in said pipe and movable to exert a conveying force on the toner toward a downstream side in a direction of toner conveyance. 12. The apparatus as claimed in claim 11, further comprising: a shutter mechanism attached to said cap and movable in a circumferential direction of said cap, and when said cap is turned to a preselected angle, said cap is locked to said toner container holder while said shutter mechanism opens said opening of the cap in an interlocked relation to a movement of said cap. 13. The apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein: said shutter mechanism closes said opening of the cap when said cap is turned in a direction opposite to a locking direction to thereby unlock said cap from said toner container holder. 14. The apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein: when said cap is turned relative to said toner storing body after removal of said toner container from said body of said apparatus, said shutter mechanism does not open said opening of said cap. 15. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising: toner content sensing means for sensing a toner content of the developer present in said developing device, and control means for controlling replenishment of the toner to said developing device in accordance with an output of said toner content sensing means. 16. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising: counting means for counting a number of pixels of an image formed, and control means for controlling replenishment of the toner to said developing device in accordance with an output of said counting means. 17. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein: said process cartridge and said toner container respectively comprise at least two process cartridges and at least two toner containers, an intermediate image transferring unit is positioned between at least two process cartridges and said at least two toner containers, and outlets of said at least two toner cartridges, said toner conveying means and outlets of toner storing bodies are positioned at one side of said intermediate image transferring unit. 18. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein: after mounting of said toner container to a body of said apparatus, a toner replenish mode for replenishing the toner to a toner conveying path is effected before development to thereby prepare said toner conveying path for development, and an operation of said toner conveying means is varied during said toner replenish model, wherein said toner conveying device comprises: a pipe forming a toner conveying path and a coil disposed in said pipe and movable to exert a conveying force on the toner toward a downstream side in a direction of toner conveyance. 19. The apparatus as claimed in claim 18, wherein at least part of said pipe is provided with a higher flow passage limiting ability than another part of said pipe. 20. The apparatus as claimed in claim 18, further comprising: sensing means for sensing an amount of the toner remaining in the toner conveying path, wherein the toner replenish mode is ended when said means for sensing senses a predetermined amount of the toner remaining in said toner conveying path. 21. The apparatus as claimed in claim 18, further comprising: time counting means for counting a duration of the toner replenish mode, wherein the toner replenish mode is ended when said counting means counts a predetermined period of time. 22. The apparatus as claimed in claim 18, wherein: said toner container further comprises a memory for outputting data relating to said toner container, and a data processor is mounted on the body of said apparatus for reading said data. 23. The apparatus as claimed in claim 22, further comprising: means for varying an operation of said toner conveying means during the toner replenish mode in accordance with the data in said memory.
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