DEVELOPER SUPPLY CONTAINER

• US 20160004187A1
• Filed: 09/14/2015
• Published: 01/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Okino, Ayatomo, Jimba, Manabu, Kamura, Akihito, Yomoda, Nobuyuki, Enokuchi, Takashi
• Granted Patent: US 9,811,024 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/08 using a solid developer, e.g. powder developer
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/0872 the developer cartridges being generally horizontally mounted parallel to its longitudinal rotational axis
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/0877 Arrangements for metering and dispensing developer from a developer cartridge into the development unit

Abstract

A developer supply container 1 detachably mountable to a developer supplying apparatus 201 includes a developer accommodating portion 2 capable of accommodating a developer, a discharge opening 4a for discharging the developer accommodated in the developer accommodating portion 2 toward the developer supplying apparatus 201, a pump portion 3a for effecting a discharging operation through the discharge opening 4a, a communicating portion 4d provided at a position contacting the discharge opening 4a and capable of storing a constant amount of the developer, and a regulating portion 7 capable of taking a developer flow regulating state in which the flow of the developer into the communicating portion 4d and a developer flow non-regulating state in which the entering of the developer is not regulated, the regulating portion 7 taking the developer flow regulating state in a discharging operation of the pump portion 3a, wherein the regulating portion 7 is provided with an air flow path 7g for communicating between the communicating portion 4d and the pump portion 3a.

Claims

1. A developer supply container detachably mountable to a developer supplying apparatus, said developer supply container comprising:

a developer accommodating portion capable of accommodating a developer;

a discharge opening for discharging the developer accommodated in said developer accommodating portion, from said developer supply container;

a fluid communication path extending from a inside of said developer supply container to said discharge opening;

a pump portion having a volume changing with reciprocation and actable at least on said discharge opening;

a regulating portion for regulating flow of the developer into an entrance region of said fluid communication path formed in an inner surface of said developer supply container;

a movable portion for effecting movement of said regulating portion to said entrance region and for effecting retraction of said regulating portion from the entrance region; and

an air flow path, provided inside said regulating portion, for fluid communication between said discharge opening and at least said pump portion.

2. An developer supply container according to claim 1, wherein the developer in said developer supply container has a fluidity energy of not less than 4.3×

10<sup>−

4</sup> kg·

m²/s² and not more than 4.14×

10<sup>−

3</sup> kg·

m²/s², and wherein said discharge opening has an area not more than 12.6 mm².

3. A developer supply container according to claim 1, further comprising a feeding portion for feeding the developer in said developer accommodating portion with rotation, a developer discharging chamber for receiving the developer fed by said feeding portion, said developer discharging chamber being provided with said discharge opening, a drive receiving portion for receiving a rotational force for rotating said feeding portion, from said developer supplying apparatus, and a drive converting portion for converting the rotational force received by said drive receiving portion to an operation force for said pump portion.

4. A developer supply container according to claim 3, wherein said regulating portion is operated by rotation of said movable portion with the rotation of said feeding portion.

5. A developer supply container according to claim 1, wherein said air flow path is provided with a communicating portion opening in fluid communication with said communicating portion, and an accommodating portion opening in fluid communication with said developer accommodating portion, said accommodating portion opening being at least above said communicating portion opening with respect to a vertical direction in a state that said regulating portion regulates the flow of the developer.

6. A developer supply container according to claim 1, wherein one opening of said air flow path is disposed at a portion of said regulating portion opposed to said penetration fluid communication path when said regulating portion is in a position for regulating the flow of the developer.

7. A developer supply container according to claim 6, wherein another opening of said air flow path is disposed at a side of said regulating portion opposed to said pump portion when said regulating portion is in a position for regulating the flow of the developer.

8. A developer supply container according to claim 7, wherein said air flow path communicates between said discharge opening and said developer accommodating portion.