POWDER MATERIAL CONTAINER AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS PROVIDED THEREWITH, AND POWDER MATERIAL REPLENISHING METHOD

• US 20140064795A1
• Filed: 03/23/2012
• Published: 03/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Terazawa, Seiji, Hayakawa, Tadashi
• Granted Patent: US 9,207,574 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 399/262
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/0867 cylindrical developer cartridges, e.g. toner bottles 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 2215/0668 Toner discharging opening at one axial end
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/0692 using a slidable sealing member, e.g. shutter

Abstract

A powder material container is disclosed, including an elongated tubular container body; and a cap which has formed a temporary containing space which is communicably connected in the longitudinal direction of the container body to an opening of the container body to temporarily contain a powder material conveyed from the opening and which has formed on a side face in the longitudinal direction of the container body a discharging hole which discharges the powder material within the temporary containing space. The powder material container includes a blocking member which can switch between a blocking state in which the powder material within the temporary containing space is blocked from passing through an inlet face of the discharging hole facing the temporary containing space and a non-blocking state in which the powder material within the temporary containing space is not blocked from passing through the inlet face of the discharging hole.

Claims

1-17. -17. (canceled)

18. A powder container, comprising:

an elongated tubular container body including an opening on one side in a longitudinal direction, the elongated tubular container body being arranged such that a powder contained inside is conveyed toward the opening;

a cap including a containing space, which can contain the powder conveyed from the opening and is communicatively connected in the longitudinal direction of the container body to the opening of the container body, the cap further including a discharging hole on a lateral face of the cap in the longitudinal direction of the container body and discharging the powder outside from the containing space via the discharging hole; and

a blocking member which can switch between a blocking state and a non-blocking state,

wherein the powder in the containing space is blocked from passing through an inlet of the discharging hole facing the containing space in the blocking state, and the powder in the containing space is not blocked from passing through the inlet in the non-blocking state.

19. The powder container as claimed in claim 18, further comprising:

a shutter member movably disposed between an open position and a closed position, the shutter member opening an outlet of the discharging hole on an outer wall face of the cap in the open position and closing the outlet of the discharging hole in the closed position,

wherein the blocking member is in the non-blocking state when the shutter member is in the open position, whereas the blocking member is in the blocking state when the shutter member is in the closed position.

20. The powder container as claimed in claim 19, wherein the blocking member changes from the non-blocking state to the blocking state in cooperation with a movement of the shutter member from the open position to the closed position, and the blocking member changes from the blocking state to the non-blocking state in cooperation with a movement of the shutter member from the closed position to the open position.

21. The powder container as claimed in claim 19, wherein the blocking member includes a rising portion extending from an inner face of the shutter member to the inlet of the discharging hole and the blocking member further includes a blocking portion arranged on a tip of the rising portion, so that the blocking portion can block the inlet of the discharging hole.

22. The powder container as claimed in claim 18, further comprising:

an agitating member which agitates the powder in the containing space of the cap.

23. The powder container as claimed in claim 22, further comprising:

a rotational drive unit which rotates the agitating member to agitate the powder in the containing space.

24. An image forming apparatus, comprising:

a powder container as claimed in claim 18 detachably mounted therein.

25. A powder replenishment method for replenishing a powder from the powder container as claimed in claim 18 to a powder using unit of an image forming apparatus body in which the powder container can be detachably mounted, comprising:

mounting the powder container in the image forming apparatus body, wherein the blocking member is in the blocking state; and

switching the blocking state to the non-blocking state.

26. The powder container as claimed in claim 18, further comprising:

a seal member being used as the blocking member and sealing the inlet of the discharging hole or an area that is more inside of the containing space than the inlet, wherein

the seal member is in the blocking state when sealing the inlet or the area, and is in the non-blocking state when removed from the inlet or the area.

27. The powder container as claimed in claim 26, wherein

the seal member is an elongated sheet member and, when the seal member is in the blocking state, the seal member is turned midway in a longitudinal direction, wherein an end of the elongated sheet member is fixed to the inlet or the area, an other end configured to be pulled off from the inlet or the area.

28. The powder container as claimed in claim 27, wherein the cap includes a cap body and a discharging hole member formed separately from the cap body, the discharging hole member including the discharging hole, wherein the discharging hole member is fixed to the cap body after the other end of the elongated sheet member is stuck on an inner side of the discharging hole member which faces the containing space of the cap.

29. The powder container as claimed in claim 26, wherein the seal member includes a grip that protrudes outside from the cap and is gripped by an operator when the seal member is removed from the inlet or the area.

30. The powder container as claimed in claim 26, wherein the seal member includes a grip that extends from the cap to an end of the container body which is opposite to the opening of the container body, wherein the grip is gripped by an operator when the seal member is removed from the inlet or the area.

31. The powder container as claimed in claim 26, further comprising:

a shutter member movably disposed between an open position and a closed position, wherein the shutter member opens an outlet of the discharging hole on an outer wall face of the cap in the open position and closes the outlet of the discharging hole in the closed position.

32. The powder container as claimed in claim 26, further comprising:

an agitating member which agitates the powder material in the containing space of the cap.

33. The powder container as claimed in claim 32, further comprising:

a rotational drive unit which rotates the agitating member to agitate the powder in the containing space.

34. An image forming apparatus, comprising:

a powder container as claimed in claim 26 detachably mounted therein.