POWDER CONTAINER AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS INCORPORATING SAME
First Claim
1. A powder container comprising:
- a container body having a substantially cylindrical shape, the container body to contain powder and rotate around an axis in a horizontal posture;
a mouth having a cylindrical shape and smaller in inner diameter than the container body, the mouth disposed at a first end of the container body in an axial direction of the container body, the mouth into which a conveying tube having a powder inlet is inserted;
a conveyor disposed inside the container body to convey the powder toward the mouth as the container body rotates;
a scooping portion disposed deeper in the container body than the mouth in the axial direction and raised toward the axis of the container body to reduce an inner diameter of the container body; and
a radially inner face continuous with an inner end of the scooping portion in a radial direction of the container body, the radially inner face extending in a direction crossing the scooping portion and disposed inward in the radial direction than an outermost face of the container body,wherein the scooping portion is configured to lift the powder inside the container body, to a position above the powder inlet of the conveying tube, and drop the powder to the powder inlet as the container body rotates,wherein the radially inner face extends from the mouth toward a second end of the container body opposite the first end in the axial direction, andwherein the radially inner face is not inner in the radial direction than a virtual cylinder extending from an inner rim of the mouth, parallel to the axial direction.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An object of this disclosure is to reduce differences in the drawn amount of the parison around the mouth of the toner container, thereby reducing the amount of resin for the toner container and the weight thereof. A powder container includes a cylindrical container body to rotate in a horizontal posture, a cylindrical mouth at a first end of the container body, smaller in diameter than the container body, a conveyor to convey the powder inside the container body toward the mouth, a scooping portion deeper in the container body than the mouth, to lift the powder above a powder inlet of a conveying tube inserted from the mouth and drop the powder to the powder inlet, and a radially inner face continuous with an inner end of the scooping portion, extending in a direction crossing the scooping portion and disposed inward in the radial direction than an outermost face of the container body. The radially inner face extends from the mouth toward a second end of the container body and is not inner in the radial direction than an inner rim of the mouth.
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Citations
7 Claims
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1. A powder container comprising:
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a container body having a substantially cylindrical shape, the container body to contain powder and rotate around an axis in a horizontal posture; a mouth having a cylindrical shape and smaller in inner diameter than the container body, the mouth disposed at a first end of the container body in an axial direction of the container body, the mouth into which a conveying tube having a powder inlet is inserted; a conveyor disposed inside the container body to convey the powder toward the mouth as the container body rotates; a scooping portion disposed deeper in the container body than the mouth in the axial direction and raised toward the axis of the container body to reduce an inner diameter of the container body; and a radially inner face continuous with an inner end of the scooping portion in a radial direction of the container body, the radially inner face extending in a direction crossing the scooping portion and disposed inward in the radial direction than an outermost face of the container body, wherein the scooping portion is configured to lift the powder inside the container body, to a position above the powder inlet of the conveying tube, and drop the powder to the powder inlet as the container body rotates, wherein the radially inner face extends from the mouth toward a second end of the container body opposite the first end in the axial direction, and wherein the radially inner face is not inner in the radial direction than a virtual cylinder extending from an inner rim of the mouth, parallel to the axial direction. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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Specification