STORAGE CONTAINER AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS

• US 20090238608A1
• Filed: 09/11/2008
• Published: 09/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Business Innovation Corp. (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Murase, Hirokazu, Tsumita, Toshikazu
• Granted Patent: US 7,920,811 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 399/262
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/0868 Toner cartridges fulfilling a continuous function within the electrographic apparatus during the use of the supplied developer material, e.g. toner discharge on demand, storing residual toner, acting as an active closure for the developer replenishing opening
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/0872 the developer cartridges being generally horizontally mounted parallel to its longitudinal rotational axis
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/0886 by mechanical means, e.g. shutter, plug
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/067 Toner discharging opening covered by arcuate shutter
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/0675 Generally cylindrical container shape having two ends

Abstract

A storage container includes: a storage container main body; a flow-out opening; a shutter; a seal member; a restricting portion; and an open-close movement restricting portion.

Claims

1. A storage container comprising:

a storage container main body that stores an image forming material therein;

a flow-out opening that flows out the image forming material stored in the storage container main body;

a shutter that is supported to be movable between an opening position, which opens the flow-out opening and a closing position, which closes the flow-out opening;

a seal member that, in a case where the shutter is disposed at the closing position, is interposed between the flow-out opening and the shutter and is elastically deformed by the shutter in a thickness direction thereof along the flow-out direction of the image forming material so as to seal the flow-out opening;

a restricting portion that is supported on the shutter; and

an open-close movement restricting portion that, in a state where the shutter is moved to the closing position, is disposed at a position opposed to the restricting portion, and that, in a case where the shutter moved to the closing position is pressed from outside and the seal member is thereby elastically deformed further in the thickness direction, is disposed at a position overlapping with the leading end position of the restricting portion along a moving direction of the shutter and, in a case where no external force is applied to the shutter, is disposed at a position not overlapping with the leading end position of the restricting portion along the moving direction of the shutter.

4. The storage container as claimed in claim 1,

wherein,

in a case where the seal member is disposed at the closing position, the restricting portion is disposed with respect to the flow-out opening on the side of the opening position along the moving direction of the shutter, and the open-close movement restricting portion is disposed on a side of the opening position along the moving direction of the shutter with respect to the flow-out opening.

5. The storage container as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

an open-close member contact portion that extends, with respect to the flow-out opening, in a direction of one of first and second sides perpendicular to the moving direction of the shutter, the open-close member contact portion, in a case where the seal member is elastically deformed further in the thickness direction, being contactable with the shutter,

wherein

the restricting portion is disposed such that a first distance between the restricting portion and a first side is shorter than a second distance between the restricting portion and a second side where the open-close member contact portion is disposed.

6. An image forming apparatus comprising:

an image holder;

a developing device that develops a latent image formed on the surface of the image holder to a visible image; and

a storage container according to claim 1 in which an image forming material to be supplied to the developing device is stored.

2. A storage container comprising:

a storage container main body that stores an image forming material therein;

a flow-out opening for flowing out the image forming material stored in the storage container main body;

a shutter that is supported to be movable between an opening position, which opening the flow-out opening and a closing position, which closing the flow-out opening;

a seal member that, in a case where the shutter is disposed at the closing position, is interposed between the flow-out opening and the shutter and is elastically deformed by the shutter in a thickness direction thereof along the flow-out direction of the image forming material so as to seal the flow-out opening;

a restricting portion that is supported on the shutter; and

an open-close movement restricting portion that is disposed at a position opposed to the restricting portion in a state where the shutter is moved to the closing position,

wherein,

in a case where the shutter moved to the closing position is pressed from outside and the seal member is thereby elastically deformed further in the thickness direction, a leading end position of the open-close movement restricting portion is disposed at a position overlapping with the restricting portion along a moving direction of the shutter and, in a case where no external force is applied to the shutter, the leading end position of the open-close movement restricting portion is disposed at a position not overlapping with the restricting portion along the moving direction of the shutter.

3. A storage container comprising:

a storage container main body that stores an image forming material therein;

a flow-out opening that flows out the image forming material stored in the storage container main body;

a shutter that is supported to be movable between an opening position, which opens the flow-out opening and a closing position, which closes the flow-out opening;

a seal member that is supported in the vicinity of the flow-out opening and can be elastically deformed in a thickness direction thereof along the flow-out direction of the image forming material by the shutter so as to seal the flow-out opening;

a restricting portion that is supported on the shutter; and

an open-close movement restricting portion that, in a state where the shutter is moved to the closing position, is disposed at a position opposed to the restricting portion, and also which, in a case where the shutter moved to the closing position is pressed from outside and the seal member is thereby elastically deformed further in the thickness direction, is engaged with the restricting portion to thereby restrict the movement of the shutter.