Toner cartridge and image forming apparatus incorporating same

• US 9,400,450 B2
• Filed: 07/17/2015
• Issued: 07/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Kikuchi, Teppei, Kosugi, Hideki, Kubo, Tatsuya, Fujimori, Akira, Nodera, Kentaro, Koshizuka, Shinnosuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Laballe, Clayton E
• Assistant Examiner(s): BUTLER, KEVIN C
• Application Number:
  US14/802,747
• Publication Number:
  US 20150323884A1
• Time in Patent Office: 375 Days
• Field of Search: 399/260, 399262-263
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/0865 Arrangements for supplying new developer
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/0889 for agitation or stirring
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/0665 Generally horizontally mounting of said toner cartridge parallel to its longitudinal rotational axis
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/0819 two or more agitators
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/085 Stirring member in developer container

Abstract

A toner cartridge includes a toner container to store toner and two rotary agitation members to rotate to agitate toner in the toner container. The toner container has two arc-shaped portions adjacent to each other at an inner bottom wall of the toner container. The two rotary agitation members has edges to rotate along the two arc-shaped portions with rotation phases thereof shifted from each other. The two rotary agitation members are placed with rotation trajectories thereof partially overlapping each other.

Claims

1. A holder for mounting to a toner cartridge that includes two claws to receive an external driving force, the holder comprising:

a first claw holder to hold a first claw of the two claws of the toner cartridge, the first claw holder including at least one wall to engage with one of the two claws of the toner cartridge to prevent said one claw from rotating;

a second claw holder to hold a second claw of the two claws of the toner cartridge;

a connector which connects the first claw holder and the second claw holder.

2. The holder according to claim 1, wherein:

the at least one wall comprises two walls, the two walls to engage with said one of the two claws.

3. The holder according to claim 2, wherein:

the two walls are disposed to fit within a circular opening of the toner cartridge, and

the two walls include ribs which extend in a direction which is radially outward from a space between the two walls.

4. The holder according to claim 3, wherein:

a surface of the ribs which faces in the direction which is radially outward is to engage with an inner circumference of the circular opening of the toner cartridge to join the toner cartridge and the holder.

5. The holder according to claim 2, wherein each of the two walls comprises:

a curved portion to receive a shaft of the toner cartridge to which said one of the two claws is mounted.

6. The holder according to claim 5, wherein:

the curved portion of each of the two walls includes a concave surface, and

the concave surfaces of the curved portions of the two walls face each other.

7. The holder according to claim 2, further comprising:

a space between the two walls to receive said one of the two claws.

8. The holder according to claim 7, wherein:

the two walls each comprise an end,

said space is disposed between the two walls, and

each of the ends comprises a surface to interact with and restrict movement of said one of the two claws.

9. The holder according to claim 2, further comprising:

a space between the two walls to receive said one of the two claws,

wherein each of the two walls comprises a curved portion to receive a shaft of the toner cartridge to which said one of the two claws is mounted.

10. The holder according to claim 9, further comprising:

a second space between the two walls to receive said one of the two claws,

wherein said space and said second space are on opposite sides of the curved portion of each of the two walls.

11. The holder according to claim 9, wherein:

the two walls each comprise an end,

said space is disposed between the two walls, and

each of the ends comprises a surface to interact with and restrict movement of said one of the two claws.

12. The holder according to claim 7, wherein:

the curved portion of each of the two walls includes a concave surface, and

the concave surfaces of the curved portions of the two walls face each other.

13. The holder according to claim 10, wherein:

the two walls each comprise two ends,

said space is disposed between two of the ends of the two walls,

said second space is disposed between another two of the ends of the two walls, and

each of the ends comprises a surface to interact with and restrict movement of said one of the two claws.

14. The holder according to claim 2, wherein:

the connector comprises a tabular surface.

15. The holder according to claim 14, wherein:

said at least one wall extends in a direction, and

the tabular surface faces in a direction which is opposite to the direction that said at least one wall extends.

16. A toner cartridge, comprising:

a space to hold toner;

two circular openings; and

the holder of claim 2, mounted to the circular openings.

17. The toner cartridge according to claim 16, further comprising:

toner, disposed within the space to hold toner.

18. A toner cartridge, comprising:

a space to hold toner;

two circular openings; and

the holder of claim 1, mounted to the circular openings.

19. The toner cartridge according to claim 18, further comprising:

toner, disposed within the space to hold toner.

20. A holder according to claim 1, wherein:

the connector connects the first claw holder to be fixed in position relative to a position of the second claw holder.