Developer container, developer replenisher, and image forming apparatus

• US 9,471,009 B2
• Filed: 03/09/2015
• Issued: 10/18/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Kikuchi, Teppei, Kosugi, Hideki, Kubo, Tatsuya, Koshizuka, Shinnosuke, Suzuki, Kazunori, Nakamoto, Atsushi
• Primary Examiner(s): MAHONEY, CHRISTOPHER E
• Application Number:
  US14/642,003
• Publication Number:
  US 20150261134A1
• Time in Patent Office: 589 Days
• Field of Search: 399262-263
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/0865 Arrangements for supplying new developer
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/087 Developer cartridges having a longitudinal rotational axis, around which at least one part is rotated when mounting or using the cartridge
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/0889 for agitation or stirring
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/085 Stirring member in developer container

Abstract

A developer container includes a container body, a rotary shaft, a rotary stirrer, and a flexible blade. The container body contains developer and has a discharge port. The rotary stirrer includes a rotary support and rotates about the rotary shaft to stir and transport the developer. The rotary support includes a base end rotatable integrally with the rotary shaft, a free end spaced away from an inner wall of the container body, and a holding surface provided at the free end or at a position shifted toward the rotary shaft away from the free end. The holding surface is parallel to or inclined relative to a rotation direction of the rotary support. The flexible blade includes a base end portion held on the holding surface and a distal end to contact the inner wall and transport the developer to the discharge port.

Claims

1. A developer container, comprising:

a container body to contain developer and having a discharge port through which the developer is discharged to an outside of the container body;

a rotary shaft;

a rotary stirrer including a rotary support and to rotate about the rotary shaft to stir and transport the developer within a storage chamber; and

a developer discharger which includes a screw to transport the developer from the storage chamber to the discharge port, a rotational axis of the screw being below the rotary shaft,

the rotary support including

a base end rotatable integrally with the rotary shaft,

a free end spaced away from an inner wall of the container body, and

a holding surface at the free end or at a position shifted toward the rotary shaft away from the free end, the holding surface being parallel to or inclined relative to a rotation direction of the rotary support; and

a flexible blade including

a base end portion held on the holding surface and

a distal end to contact the inner wall of the container body at a region below the rotary shaft which is an arc-shaped surface, the distal end further to transport the developer to the discharge port.

2. The developer container according to claim 1, wherein the rotary support has a lattice shape including multiple openings in a longitudinal direction of the rotary shaft.

3. The developer container according to claim 2, further comprising another lattice-shaped rotary support disposed at a predetermined angle relative to the rotary support, the another lattice-shaped rotary support having a base end rotatable with the rotary shaft and a free end spaced away from the inner wall of the container body, the another lattice-shaped rotary support including multiple openings in a longitudinal direction of the rotary shaft.

4. The developer container according to claim 3, wherein the another lattice-shaped rotary support has a smaller projected area in the rotation direction than the rotary support.

5. The developer container according to claim 3, wherein the predetermined angle is 90°

or smaller.

6. The developer container according to claim 1, wherein the base end portion of the flexible blade is held on the holding surface with the distal end extending downward in the rotation direction, the base end to enter the developer in the container body ahead of the distal end.

7. The developer container according to claim 6, wherein:

the developer discharger is at least partially disposed within a rotation radius of the rotary stirrer,

the developer container further comprising a cover covering a portion of the developer discharger,

the flexible blade being deformable on contacting the cover and rotatable over the developer discharger.

8. The developer container according to claim 1, wherein a gap between the distal end and a bottom of the inner wall is 0.5 mm to 5 mm.

9. The developer container according to claim 1, wherein a shape of a rotational trajectory of the distal end substantially matches a shape of the inner wall within an extent that the distal end does not contact the inner wall.

10. The developer container according to claim 1, wherein a length of the flexible blade from the holding surface to the distal end is a length at which the distal end contacts the inner wall or digs the inner wall in a range greater than zero and not greater than 20 mm.

11. The developer container according to claim 1, wherein a shape of a rotational trajectory of the flexible blade substantially matches a shape of the inner wall.

12. The developer container according to claim 1, wherein the rotary support includes holding surfaces at plural positions, and a distance from one of the holding surfaces to the free end is selectable.

13. The developer container according to claim 12, wherein the flexible blade includes two blade members, and each of the blade members is held on the holding surface disposed at a distance away from a corresponding one of opposed free ends of the rotary support.

14. The developer container according to claim 13, wherein the blade members are different in shape.

15. The developer container according to claim 12, wherein the flexible blade includes three or more blade members held on the holding surface at the free end or the holding surfaces disposed away from the free end.

16. The developer container according to claim 1, wherein the flexible blade includes two blade members, and each of the blade members is held on a corresponding one of opposed free ends of the rotary support.

17. The developer container according to claim 1, wherein the flexible blade is a polyethylene-terephthalate film having a thickness of 50 μ

m to 200 μ

m and a free length protruding beyond the holding surface is 5 mm or greater.

18. The developer container according to claim 1, wherein the flexible blade is a polyurethane film having a thickness of 1 mm or greater and a free length protruding beyond the holding surface is 5 mm or greater.

19. A developer replenisher, comprising:

the developer container according to claim 1 which contains the developer to be supplied to a developing device and includes the rotary stirrer, and

a mount to detachably mount the developer container.

20. An image forming apparatus comprising:

an image bearer to bear a latent image thereon;

the developing device to develop the latent image borne on the image bearer using the developer; and

the developer replenisher according to claim 19 which supplies the developer to the developing device.