DEVELOPER SUPPLY CONTAINER AND DEVELOPER SUPPLYING SYSTEM

• US 20140153974A1
• Filed: 11/25/2013
• Published: 06/05/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Jimba, Manabu, Okino, Ayatomo, Murakami, Katsuya, Nagashima, Toshiaki, Tazawa, Fumio
• Granted Patent: US 11,137,714 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 399/262
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/0872 the developer cartridges being generally horizontally mounted parallel to its longitudinal rotational axis
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/0879 for dispensing developer from a developer cartridge not directly attached to the development unit
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/0886 by mechanical means, e.g. shutter, plug
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 21/1676 for the developer unit

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a developer supply container capable of simplifying a mechanism for displacing a developer receiving portion to connect it with a developer supply container.

A developer supply container 1 for supplying a developer through a developer receiving portion 11 displaceably provided in a developer receiving apparatus 8 to which said developer supply container 1 is detachably mountable, said developer supply container 1 includes a developer accommodating portion 2c for accommodating a developer; and an engaging portions 3b2, 3b4, engageable with said developer receiving portion 11, for displacing said developer receiving portion 11 toward said developer supply container 1 with a mounting operation of said developer supply container 1 to establish a connected state between said developer supply container 1 and said developer receiving portion 11.

Claims

1. A developer supply container for supplying a developer through a developer receiving portion displaceably provided in a developer receiving apparatus to which said developer supply container is detachably mountable, said developer supply container comprising:

a developer accommodating portion for accommodating a developer; and

an engaging portion, engageable with said developer receiving portion, for displacing said developer receiving portion toward said developer supply container with a mounting operation of said developer supply container to establish a connected state between said developer supply container and said developer receiving portion.

2. A developer supply container according to claim 1, wherein said engaging portion displaces said developer receiving portion with the mounting operation of said developer supply container so as to unseal said developer receiving portion.

3. A developer supply container according to claim 1, wherein said engaging portion displaces said developer receiving portion in a direction crossing with a mounting direction of said developer supply container.

4. A developer supply container according to claim 1, further comprising an opening formed in said developer accommodating portion, a communicatable with said opening, a shutter for opening and closing said opening with a mounting and demounting operations of said developer supply container,

wherein said engaging portion includes,

a first engaging portion for displacing said developer receiving portion toward said developer supply container with the mounting operation of said developer supply container so as to establish the connected state between said communication port and a receiving port formed in said developer receiving portion, and

a second engaging portion for maintaining the connected state between said communication port and said receiving port so as to communicate said opening with said communication port when said developer accommodating portion moves relative to said shutter with the mounting operation of said developer supply container.

5. A developer supply container according to claim 4, wherein said first engaging portion extends in the direction crossing with the mounting direction of said developer supply container.

6. A developer supply container according to claim 5, wherein said shutter includes a holding portion held by said developer receiving apparatus with the mounting operation of said developer supply container so as to permit the movement of said developer accommodating portion relative to said shutter.

7. A developer supply container according to claim 6, wherein said shutter includes a supporting portion for displaceably supporting said holding portion, and said developer supply container includes,

a regulating portion for maintaining held state of said holding portion by said developer receiving apparatus, by regulating an elastic deformation of said supporting portion with mounting operation of said developer supply container, and by permitting the elastic deformation of said supporting portion after completion of a spacing operation of said developer receiving portion by said engaging portion.

8. A developer supply container according to claim 4, further comprising a shielding portion for shielding said communication port when said shutter is in a resealing position.

9. A developer supply container according to claim 1, further comprising a removal engaging portion for displacing said developer receiving portion in a direction of spacing from said developer supply container with a dismounting operation of said developer supply container.

10. A developer supply container according to claim 9, wherein said removal engaging portion displaces said developer receiving portion with the dismounting operation of said developer supply container to effect a resealing operation of said developer receiving portion.

11. A developer supply container according to claim 9, wherein said removal engaging portion displaces said developer receiving portion in a direction crossing with the dismounting direction of said developer supply container.

12. A developer supply container according to claim 1, further comprising a drive inputting portion for receiving a driving force from said developer receiving apparatus and a pump portion so that an internal pressure of said developer accommodating portion alternately and repetitively changes between a pressure lower than an ambient pressure and a pressure higher than the ambient pressure,

wherein said developer accommodating portion includes a rotatable developer feeding chamber for feeding the developer, and a developer discharging chamber provided with an opening for permitting discharging of the developer and held by said developer receiving apparatus so as to be non-rotatable relative to said developer receiving apparatus, and

wherein said engaging portion is integral with said developer discharging chamber.

13. A developer supplying system comprising a developer supply container according to claim 1, and a developer receiving apparatus to which said developer supply container is detachably mounted,

said system further comprising a developer receiving portion for receiving the developer from said developer supply container,

wherein said developer receiving portion is displaceable toward said developer supply container with the mounting operation of said developer supply container to establish a connected state with said developer supply container.

17. A developer supply container according to claim 1, further comprising an opening formed in said developer accommodating portion, a communicatable with said opening, a shutter for opening and closing said opening with a mounting and demounting operations of said developer supply container,

an expanded portion for maintaining the connected state between a communication port of said developer receiving portion and said receiving port so as to communicate said opening with said communication port when said developer accommodating portion moves relative to said shutter with the mounting operation of said developer supply container, wherein said inclined portion and said expanded portion are connected with each other.

18. A developer supply container according to claim 17, wherein said shutter includes a holding portion held by said developer receiving apparatus with the mounting operation of said developer supply container so as to permit the movement of said developer accommodating portion relative to said shutter.

19. A developer supply container according to claim 18, wherein said shutter includes a supporting portion for displaceably supporting said holding portion, and said developer supply container includes,

a regulating portion for maintaining a held state of said holding portion by said developer receiving apparatus by regulating an elastic deformation of said supporting portion with mounting operation of said developer supply container, and by permitting the elastic deformation of said supporting portion after completion of a spacing operation of said developer receiving portion by said engaging portion.

20. A developer supply container according to claim 17, further comprising a shielding portion for shielding said communication port when said shutter is in a resealing position.

14. A developer supply container for supplying a developer through a developer receiving portion displaceably provided in a developer receiving apparatus to which said developer supply container is detachably mountable, said developer supply container comprising:

a developer accommodating portion for accommodating a developer; and

an inclined portion, inclined relative to an inserting direction of said developer supply container, for engaging with said developer receiving portion with a mounting operation of said developer supply container to displace said developer receiving portion toward said developer supply container.

15. A developer supply container according to claim 14, wherein said inclined portion displaces said developer receiving portion with the mounting operation of said developer supply container so as to effect an unsealing operation of said developer receiving portion.

16. A developer supply container according to claim 14, wherein said inclined portion displaces said developer receiving portion in a direction crossing with a mounting direction of said developer supply container.

21. A developer supply container according to claim 14, further comprising a removal engaging portion for displacing said developer receiving portion in a direction of spacing from said developer supply container with a dismounting operation of said developer supply container.

22. A developer supply container according to claim 21, wherein said removal engaging portion displaces said developer receiving portion with the dismounting operation of said developer supply container to effect a resealing operation of said developer receiving portion.

23. A developer supply container according to claim 21, wherein said removal engaging portion displaces said developer receiving portion in a direction crossing with the dismounting direction of said developer supply container.

24. A developer supply container according to claim 14, further comprising a drive inputting portion to which a driving force is inputted from said developer receiving apparatus and a pump portion so that an internal pressure of said developer accommodating portion alternately and repetitively changes between a pressure lower than an ambient pressure and a pressure higher than the ambient pressure,

wherein said developer accommodating portion includes a rotatable developer feeding chamber for feeding the developer, and a developer discharging chamber provided with an opening for permitting discharging of the developer and held by said developer receiving apparatus so as to be non-rotatable relative to said developer receiving apparatus,

wherein said engaging portion is integral with said developer discharging chamber.

25. A developer supplying system comprising a developer supply container according to claim 14, and a developer receiving apparatus to which said developer supply container is detachably mounted,

said system further comprising a developer receiving portion for receiving the developer from said developer supply container,

wherein said developer receiving portion is displaceable toward said developer supply container with the mounting operation of said developer supply container to establish a connected state with said developer supply container.