POWDER DELIVERY MEMBER, AND POWDER STORAGE CONTAINER AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS RESPECTIVELY USING SUCH POWDER DELIVERY MEMBER

• US 20110262189A1
• Filed: 11/01/2010
• Published: 10/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Business Innovation Corp. (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: SAITO, Kazuhiro
• Granted Patent: US 8,768,221 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 399/258
• 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 15/0875 cartridges having a box like shape

Abstract

A powder delivery member includes: a rotation shaft portion disposed rotatably within a powder storage container with powder stored therein; a delivery portion for delivering the powder along the axial direction of the rotation shaft portion; and, a powder discharge portion which, is disposed at a position corresponding to the position of the powder discharge port of the powder storage container, and is capable of storing therein the powder delivered thereto from the delivery portion, and also which, when it is rotated along the peripheral direction of the rotation shaft portion with the powder stored therein, can deliver the stored powder to the powder discharge port.

Claims

1. A powder delivery member, comprising:

a rotation shaft portion that is disposed rotatably within a powder storage container with powder stored therein;

a delivery portion that delivers the powder along the axial direction of the rotation shaft portion; and

a powder discharge portion

(i) that is constituted of such end portion of the delivery portion as exists on a downstream side in the delivery direction of the delivery portion,

(ii) is disposed at a position corresponding to a powder discharge port of the powder storage container,

(iii) is capable of storing therein the powder delivered thereto from the delivery portion and

(iv) when being rotated along the peripheral direction of the rotation shaft portion with the powder stored therein, delivers the stored powder to the powder discharge port.

2. The powder delivery member according to claim 1, wherein:

an downstream side end portion of the delivery portion along the delivery direction is connected to an upstream side end portion of an opening of the powder discharge portion along the rotation direction thereof.

3. The powder delivery member according to claim 1, wherein:

the powder discharge portion is capable of closing the powder discharge port of the powder storage container.

4. The powder delivery member according to claim 1, further comprising:

a confirming unit that allows to confirm from outside the position of the powder discharge portion along the peripheral direction thereof.

5. The powder delivery member according to claim 1, wherein:

the powder discharge port of the powder storage container is formed of an elastic member which can be elastically deformed when it is pressed by the powder discharge portion.

6. The powder delivery member according to claim 1, further comprising:

a flat-plate-shaped stirring portion that extends along a radial direction of the rotation shaft portion in an upstream side end portion of the delivery portion along the delivery direction thereof, and that stirs the powder stored within the powder storage container.

7. A powder storage container, comprising:

a powder storage portion that stores therein the powder and;

the powder delivery member according to claim 1, that is disposed rotatably within the powder storage portion for delivering the powder stored within the powder storage portion to the discharge port while stirring the powder.

8. An image forming apparatus, comprising:

an image holding member that forms thereon an electrostatic latent image corresponding to image information;

a developing device main body that develops the electrostatic latent image formed on the image holding member, an developer holding member holding the powder on the surface thereof being rotatably disposed on the developing device main body; and

the powder storage container according to claim 7, that stores therein the powder to be supplied to the powder device main body.