Developer recovering device and image forming apparatus having the same

• US 20080075483A1
• Filed: 09/25/2007
• Published: 03/27/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Nagahama, Hitoshi, Bito, Takahiro
• Granted Patent: US 8,126,340 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 399/35
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 21/105 Arrangements for conveying toner waste
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 21/12 Toner waste containers
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2221/0026 Cleaning of foreign matter, e.g. paper powder, from imaging member

Abstract

The toner transporting section is provided with a plurality of toner discharge portions, selectively discharges a waste toner from any one of the plurality of toner discharge portions, and stores the waste toner in a waste toner container to which the waste toner discharged from the selected toner discharge portion is to be stored. Accordingly, it is possible to exchange the waste toner container corresponding to the toner discharge portion not used for discharging the waste toner. Therefore, it is possible to exchange the waste toner containers without stopping an image forming operation in an image forming apparatus provided with a cleaning device.

Claims

1. A developer recovering device for transporting to waste developer containers a waste developer which has been recovered by a cleaning device for removing a residual developer on an image bearing member after a developer image has been transferred onto a recording material, comprising:

a developer transporting section having a plurality of developer discharge portions, for transporting the waste developer from the cleaning device so as to be selectively discharged from any one of the developer discharge portions;

a developer detecting section individually corresponding to the plurality of developer discharge portions, for detecting a storing state of the waste developer in the waste developer containers to which the waste developer discharged from the developer discharge portion is to be stored; and

a control section for controlling the developer transporting section so as to discharge the waste developer from the developer discharge portion corresponding to a waste developer container of the waste developer containers, which is available for storing the waste developer, based on a detection result of the developer detecting section.

2. The developer recovering device of claim 1, wherein, in a case in which the plurality of developer containers capable of storing the waste developer are provided, when the control section allows a discharge of the waste developer from the developer discharge portion corresponding to one of the waste developer containers which is available for storing the waste developer, and determines that the waste developer containers have been filled to capacity, based on a detection result of the developer detecting section, the developer transporting section is controlled so as to discharge the waste developer from the developer discharge portion corresponding to the remaining one of the plurality of waste developer containers.

3. The developer recovering device of claim 1, further comprising a display section,

wherein the control section allows the display section to display predetermined alarm information, when it is determined that the at least one waste developer container has been filled to capacity, based on a detection result of the developer detecting section.

4. The developer recovering device of claim 1, further comprising a container detecting section for detecting presence or absence of the available waste developer container in which the waste developer discharged from the respective developer discharge portions is to be stored,

wherein the control section controls the developer transporting section so as to discharge the developer only from the developer discharge portion which is available for discharging the waste developer to the waste developer container, based on a detection result of the container detecting section.

5. The developer recovering device of claim 1, wherein the developer transporting section includes:

a transporting path forming body which forms a transporting path, and is provided with openings individually communicating with the plurality of developer discharge portions;

a shutter member in which the openings are provided in the transporting path forming body in an openable and closable manner; and

an open-close driving section for moving the shutter member to open or close the openings.

6. The developer recovering device of claim 1, wherein the developer transporting section includes an agitating portion for agitating the waste developer.

7. The developer recovering device of claim 6, wherein the agitating portion includes:

an agitating tank; and

an agitating member for agitating the waste developer which is stored in the agitating tank, and rotates in contact with an internal wall of the agitating tank to be transported to the agitating tank, and

wherein in the agitating portion a portion in contact with the internal wall is formed using a member having flexibility and elasticity.

8. An image forming apparatus comprising:

an image forming section including an image bearing member for bearing a developer image and a cleaning section for removing a residual developer on the image bearing member, for allowing the image bearing section to bear the developer image based on image information, transferring the developer image onto a recording material, and fixing the transferred developer image onto the recording material; and

the developer recovering apparatus of claim 1 for recovering the developer which has been removed by the cleaning member.

10. The image forming apparatus of claim 8, wherein the developer detecting section detects an amount of the developer which is stored in the waste developer containers, based on the image information.

11. The image forming apparatus of claim 8, further comprising a locking section capable of individually engaging and locking the waste developer containers at a position capable of storing the waste developer discharged from the respective developer discharge portions,

wherein the locking section locks the available waste developer container to which the waste developer is to be transported by the developer transporting section during an image forming operation by the image forming section, and unlocks the lock of the waste developer container to which the waste developer is not transported.

9. The image forming apparatus of claim 9, wherein when the control section determines that all of the waste developer containers which are available for having the developer transported by the developer transporting section have been filled to capacity, based on a detection result of the developer detecting section, the control section allows the image forming section to stop an image forming operation.