Toner case and image forming apparatus

• US 10,642,188 B2
• Filed: 03/19/2019
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions, Inc. (Kyocera Corporation)
• Original Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions, Inc. (Kyocera Corporation)
• Inventors: Ishida, Hideki
• Primary Examiner(s): Curran, Gregory H
• Application Number:
  US16/358,284
• Publication Number:
  US 20190302649A1
• Time in Patent Office: 413 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/0875 cartridges having a box like shape
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/0886 by mechanical means, e.g. shutter, plug
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/0891 for conveying or circulating developer, e.g. augers
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 21/1647 Mechanical connection means
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/0665 Generally horizontally mounting of said toner cartridge parallel to its longitudinal rotational axis
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/0827 Augers

Abstract

A toner case includes a case main body, a conveying member and a transmitting member. The case main body is configured to store a toner and has a discharge port for the toner. The conveying member is configured to rotate around a rotation axis extending along a rotation axis direction and to convey the toner in the case main body to the discharge port. The transmitting member is configured to transmit rotation to the conveying member. The conveying member is movable along the rotation axis direction with respect to the transmitting member between a coupling position where the conveying member is coupled to the transmitting member and a release position where a coupling of the conveying member to the transmitting member is released.

Claims

1. A toner case comprising:

a case main body configured to store a toner and having a discharge port for the toner;

a conveying member configured to rotate around a rotation axis extending along a rotation axis direction and to convey the toner in the case main body to the discharge port; and

a transmitting member configured to transmit rotation to the conveying member,

wherein the conveying member is movable along the rotation axis direction with respect to the transmitting member between a coupling position where the conveying member is coupled to the transmitting member and a release position where a coupling of the conveying member to the transmitting member is released, and

wherein the conveying member opens the discharge port in a state where the conveying member is in the coupling position, and

the conveying member closes the discharge port in a state where the conveying member is in the release position.

2. The toner case according to claim 1, further comprising a stopper mechanism configured to restrict movement of the conveying member from the release position to the coupling position.

3. The toner case according to claim 2,

wherein the stopper mechanism includes:

one end wall in the rotation axis direction of the case main body; and

a hook provided in the conveying member,

when the conveying member moves from the coupling position to the release position, the hook passes through a through hole provided in the one end wall to restrict the movement of the conveying member from the release position to the coupling position.

4. The toner case according to claim 3,

wherein a box-shaped housing part is protruded from the one end wall so as to cover the through hole from an outside in the rotation axis direction, and

when the conveying member moves from the coupling position to the release position, the hook is stored in the housing part.

5. The toner case according to claim 3,

wherein the conveying member includes:

a conveying shaft configured to extend along the rotation axis direction; and

a spiral conveying blade provided around an outer circumference of the conveying shaft,

wherein the hook is provided at one end portion in the rotation axis direction of the conveying shaft.

6. The toner case according to claim 1, usable as a waste toner box storing a waste toner after the toner case is used as a toner container storing a fresh toner.

7. An image forming apparatus comprising:

the toner case according to claim 1; and

an attachment part to which the toner case is detachably attached.

8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising:

a development device to which the toner is replenished from the toner case;

a position detecting part configured to detect a position of the conveying member; and

a notification part configured to notify a user that a toner replenishment operation from the toner case to the development device is restricted when the position detecting part detects that the conveying member is in the release position.

9. A toner case comprising:

a case main body configured to store a toner and having a discharge port for the toner;

a conveying member configured to rotate around a rotation axis extending along a rotation axis direction and to convey the toner in the case main body to the discharge port;

a transmitting member configured to transmit rotation to the conveying member; and

a manipulation member, at least a part of the manipulation member being provided outside the case main body,

wherein the conveying member is movable along the rotation axis direction with respect to the transmitting member between a coupling position where the conveying member is coupled to the transmitting member and a release position where a coupling of the conveying member to the transmitting member is released, and

wherein as the manipulation member is manipulated, the conveying member moves from the coupling position to the release position.

10. A toner case comprising:

a case main body configured to store a toner and having a discharge port for the toner;

a conveying member configured to rotate around a rotation axis extending along a rotation axis direction and to convey the toner in the case main body to the discharge port;

a transmitting member configured to transmit rotation to the conveying member; and

a shutter configured to open and close the discharge port,

wherein the conveying member is movable along the rotation axis direction with respect to the transmitting member between a coupling position where the conveying member is coupled to the transmitting member and a release position where a coupling of the conveying member to the transmitting member is released, and

wherein as the shutter closes the discharge port, the conveying member moves from the coupling position to the release position.

11. The toner case according to claim 10,

wherein the shutter is displaceable among

a first position where the shutter closes the discharge port and positions the conveying member to the coupling position,

a second position where the shutter opens the discharge port and positions the conveying member to the coupling position, and

a third position where the shutter closes the discharge port and positions the conveying member to the release position.

12. An image forming apparatus comprising:

a toner case including;

a case main body configured to store a toner and having a discharge port for the toner;

a conveying member configured to rotate around a rotation axis extending along a rotation axis direction and to convey the toner in the case main body to the discharge port; and

a transmitting member configured to transmit rotation to the conveying member, an attachment part to which the toner case is detachably attached;

a controller configured to determine whether the case main body is in a toner empty state or not; and

an operation member configured to move the conveying member from the coupling position to the release position when the controller determines that the case main body is in the toner empty state,

wherein the conveying member is movable along the rotation axis direction with respect to the transmitting member between a coupling position where the conveying member is coupled to the transmitting member and a release position where a coupling of the conveying member to the transmitting member is released; and

the operation member is provided at the attachment part.