Developer Cartridge, Print Process Cartridge, And Image Forming Apparatus

• US 20070031164A1
• Filed: 07/20/2006
• Published: 02/08/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: OKI Electric Industry Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Oki Data Corporation (OKI Electric Industry Company Limited)
• Inventors: OTA, Atsushi
• Granted Patent: US 7,426,356 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 399/120
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 21/10 Collecting or recycling waste developer
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 21/12 Toner waste containers

Abstract

A developer cartridge holds developer that is supplied into a print process cartridge of an image forming apparatus. The he developer cartridge includes a fresh developer chamber and a waste developer chamber. The fresh developer chamber holds fresh developer in it. The waste developer chamber holds waste developer in it. An inlet is formed in the waste developer chamber. The waste developer is received through the inlet into the waste developer chamber. A first opening-and-closing member opens and closes the inlet. A mechanism drives the first opening-and-closing member to open the inlet when an operating member is positioned to a first position after the developer cartridge is attached to the print process cartridge. The mechanism driving the first opening-and-closing member to close the inlet when the operating member is positioned to a second position before the developer cartridge is detached from the print process cartridge.

Claims

1. A developer cartridge that holds developer, the developer cartridge comprising:

a fresh developer chamber that holds fresh developer;

a waste developer chamber that holds waste developer;

an inlet formed in said waste developer chamber, the waste developer being received through said inlet into said waste developer chamber;

a first opening-and-closing member that opens and closes said inlet; and

a mechanism that drives said first opening-and-closing member to open and close said inlet.

2. The developer cartridge according to claim 1 further comprising:

an opening formed in the fresh developer chamber through which the fresh developer is discharged from the fresh developer chamber; and

a second opening-and-closing member that opens and closes said opening.

3. The developer cartridge according to claim 2, wherein said mechanism causes said second opening-and-closing member and said first opening-and-closing member to open and close in an interlocked relation.

4. The developer cartridge according to claim 1 further comprising an operating member operated by a user;

wherein said mechanism operates in such a way that said first and second opening-and-closing members close said inlet and said opening, respectively, when said operating member is at a first position, and that said first and second opening-and-closing members open said inlet and said opening, respectively, when said operating member is at a second position.

5. The developer cartridge according to claim 1, wherein said mechanism causes said first opening-and-closing member to rotate through an angle about an axis when said mechanism drives said first opening-and-closing member.

6. The developer cartridge according to claim 5, wherein said first opening-and-closing member includes a shaft, a gear attached to one end of the shaft, and a cap attached to another end of the shaft, wherein said mechanism transmits a drive force to the gear to drive said first opening-and-closing member in rotation about the shaft.

7. A print process cartridge that forms an electrostatic latent image on an image bearing body and then develops the electrostatic latent image into a developer image, the print process cartridge comprising:

a developer cartridge including a fresh developer chamber that holds fresh developer and a waste developer chamber that holds waste developer;

a transporting mechanism that transports waste developer removed from the image bearing body;

a waste developer discharging port through which the waste developer is supplied from said transporting mechanism into the waste developer chamber;

wherein said developer cartridge comprises;

an inlet formed in the waste developer chamber, the waste developer being received into the waste developer chamber through said inlet;

an opening-and-closing member that opens and closes said inlet;

a mechanism that drives said opening-and-closing member to open and closes said inlet.

8. An image forming apparatus that incorporating the print process cartridge according to claim 7.