Image recording apparatus having a toner supply tank and a toner recovery tank configured into a unitary, disposable magazine
First Claim
1. A xerographic image recording apparatus for recording an image on a sheet, comprising:
- a photosensitive body moved along a circuitous path, said photosensitive body forming thereon an electrostatic latent image upon irradiation of an optical beam;
electric discharging means provided at a part of the circuitous path of the photosensitive body for eliminating electric charges therefrom;
precharging means provided at a downstream side of the circuitous path in a moving direction of the photosensitive body with respect to the electric discharging means, for charging the photosensitive body electrically;
image writing means provided at a downstream side of the circuitous path in the moving direction of the photosensitive body with respect to the precharging means, for writing an image thereon by an optical beam to form an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive body;
image developing means provided at a downstream side of the circuitous path in the moving direction of the photosensitive body with respect to the image writing means, said image developing means having an inlet for receiving a toner and coating the photosensitive body by the toner supplied thereto via the inlet, to form a toner image on the photosensitive body;
recording sheet feeding means for feeding a recording sheet along a sheet path such that a part of the sheet path coincides with the circuitous path of the photosensitive body at a downstream side of the photosensitive body with respect to the image developing means;
image transfer means provided at the part of the circuitous path of the photosensitive body that coincides with the sheet path, for transferring the toner image on the photosensitive body onto .[.a.]. .Iadd.the .Iaddend.recording sheet passing through the sheet path;
cleaning means provided at the downstream side of the circuitous path of the photosensitive body with respect to the image transfer means for removing the toner remaining on the photosensitive body therefrom, after the transfer of image on the recording sheet;
a toner supply tank for accommodating a toner and for supplying the toner to the image developing means, said toner supply tank having a toner outlet for discharging the toner therefrom; and
a toner recovery tank for collecting the toner removed by the cleaning means from the photosensitive body, said toner recovery tank having an inlet for receiving the toner supplied thereto;
said cleaning means, said toner supply tank and said toner recovery tank being assembled into a unitary body to form a detachable magazine .Iadd.excluding said photosensitive body.Iaddend., in said detachable magazine, said cleaning means being connected to said toner recover tank such that the toner removed from the photosensitive body by the cleaning means is received by said toner recovery tank via said inlet .Iadd.of said toner recovery tank.Iaddend., said toner recovery tank and said toner supply tank are assembled to share a compartment wall that separates the toner supply tank and the toner recovery tank from each other, said detachable magazine being mounted detachably on the xerographic image recording apparatus.
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Abstract
A xerographic image recording apparatus includes a photosensitive body moved along a circuitous path, an electric discharging unit for eliminating electric charges from the photosensitive body, a precharging unit for charging the photosensitive body electrically, an image writing unit for writing an image on the photosensitive body, an image developing unit for coating the photosensitive body by the toner to form a toner image on the photosensitive body; a recording sheet feeding unit for feeding a recording sheet along a sheet path, an image transfer unit for transferring the toner image onto a recording sheet, a cleaning unit for removing the toner remaining on the photosensitive body after the transfer of image on the recording sheet is completed, a toner supply tank for supplying the toner to the image developing unit, and a toner recovery tank for collecting the toner removed by the cleaning unit from the photosensitive body, wherein the toner supply tank and the toner recovery tank are assembled into a unitary body to form a detachable magazine.
53 Citations
19 Claims
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1. A xerographic image recording apparatus for recording an image on a sheet, comprising:
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a photosensitive body moved along a circuitous path, said photosensitive body forming thereon an electrostatic latent image upon irradiation of an optical beam; electric discharging means provided at a part of the circuitous path of the photosensitive body for eliminating electric charges therefrom; precharging means provided at a downstream side of the circuitous path in a moving direction of the photosensitive body with respect to the electric discharging means, for charging the photosensitive body electrically; image writing means provided at a downstream side of the circuitous path in the moving direction of the photosensitive body with respect to the precharging means, for writing an image thereon by an optical beam to form an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive body; image developing means provided at a downstream side of the circuitous path in the moving direction of the photosensitive body with respect to the image writing means, said image developing means having an inlet for receiving a toner and coating the photosensitive body by the toner supplied thereto via the inlet, to form a toner image on the photosensitive body; recording sheet feeding means for feeding a recording sheet along a sheet path such that a part of the sheet path coincides with the circuitous path of the photosensitive body at a downstream side of the photosensitive body with respect to the image developing means; image transfer means provided at the part of the circuitous path of the photosensitive body that coincides with the sheet path, for transferring the toner image on the photosensitive body onto .[.a.]. .Iadd.the .Iaddend.recording sheet passing through the sheet path; cleaning means provided at the downstream side of the circuitous path of the photosensitive body with respect to the image transfer means for removing the toner remaining on the photosensitive body therefrom, after the transfer of image on the recording sheet; a toner supply tank for accommodating a toner and for supplying the toner to the image developing means, said toner supply tank having a toner outlet for discharging the toner therefrom; and a toner recovery tank for collecting the toner removed by the cleaning means from the photosensitive body, said toner recovery tank having an inlet for receiving the toner supplied thereto; said cleaning means, said toner supply tank and said toner recovery tank being assembled into a unitary body to form a detachable magazine .Iadd.excluding said photosensitive body.Iaddend., in said detachable magazine, said cleaning means being connected to said toner recover tank such that the toner removed from the photosensitive body by the cleaning means is received by said toner recovery tank via said inlet .Iadd.of said toner recovery tank.Iaddend., said toner recovery tank and said toner supply tank are assembled to share a compartment wall that separates the toner supply tank and the toner recovery tank from each other, said detachable magazine being mounted detachably on the xerographic image recording apparatus. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13)
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12. A xerographic image recording apparatus as claimed in which 4 in which said toner supply tank and said toner recovery tank have respective shutter mechanisms such that the shutter mechanism provided on the toner supply tank closes the toner outlet of the toner supply tank when the detachable magazine is disconnected from the image recording apparatus and such that the shutter mechanism provided on the toner recover tank closes the toner inlet on the toner recovery tank when the detachable magazine is disconnected from the image recording apparatus, wherein said shutter mechanisms of the toner supply tanks and the toner recovery tank are closed in response to .[.the.]. opening of the cover lid member and are opened in response to .[.the.]. closure of the cover lid member.
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14. A toner magazine for use in a xerographic image recording-apparatus for recording an image on a sheet, said recording apparatus including a photosensitive body, said toner magazine comprising a body and being detachably mountable to the xerographic image recording apparatus, said toner magazine further comprising:
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a cleaning device mounted to said magazine body and positioned so as to remove toner from said photosensitive body when said toner magazine is mounted to said xerographic image recording apparatus; a toner supply tank in said magazine body for accommodating a toner, said toner supply tank having a toner outlet for discharging a toner therefrom; and a toner recovery tank in said body for collecting toner removed by said cleaning device from the photosensitive body, said toner recovery tank having an inlet for receiving the toner supplied thereto, wherein said cleaning device is positioned relative to said toner recovery tank such that toner removed from the photosensitive body by said cleaning device is received by said toner recovery tank via said inlet, and wherein said magazine body is unitary such that said toner recovery tank and said toner supply tank share a compartment wall of said magazine body that separates said toner recovery tank and said toner supply tank from each other, the toner magazine excluding the photosensitive body. .Iaddend..Iadd. - View Dependent Claims (15)
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16. xerographic image recording magazine. .Iaddend..Iadd.23. A toner magazine for use in a xerographic image recording apparatus for recording an image on a sheet, said recording apparatus including a photosensitive body, said toner magazine comprising a magazine body and being detachably mountable to the xerographic image recording apparatus, said toner magazine further comprising:
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a cleaning device mounted to said magazine body and positioned so as to remove toner from the photosensitive body when said toner magazine is mounted to said xerographic image recording apparatus; a toner supply tank in said magazine body for accommodating a toner, said toner supply tank having a toner outlet for discharging a toner therefrom; a toner feeding device provided in said toner supply tank for feeding the toner therein to said toner outlet; a toner recovery tank in said magazine body for collecting a toner removed by said cleaning device from said photosensitive body, said toner recovery tank having an inlet for receiving the toner supplied thereto; said toner supply tank and said toner recovery tank being connected with each other to form said magazine body; wherein said cleaning device is positioned relative to said toner recovery tank such that toner removed from the photosensitive body by said cleaning device is received by said toner recovery tank via said inlet, the toner
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17. magazine excluding the photosensitive body. .Iaddend..Iadd.24. A toner magazine as claimed in claim 23, further comprising ledges projecting from said magazine body and cooperative with mating portions on said image recording apparatus for detachably mounting said magazine body to said
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18. image recording apparatus. .Iaddend..Iadd.25. A toner magazine as claimed in claim 23, wherein said magazine body further includes handle means for grabbing upon removal of said toner magazine from said image recording apparatus. .Iaddend..Iadd.26. A toner magazine as claimed in claim 23, wherein each of said outlet and said inlet has a movable shutter. .Iaddend..Iadd.27. A toner magazine as claimed in claim 23, wherein said toner supply tank and said toner recovery tank are connected to each other as a unitary body. .Iaddend..Iadd.28. A toner magazine as claimed in claim 23, wherein said toner supply tank and said toner recovery tank are connected with each other with a mutual separation by a bridging
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19. structure. .Iaddend..Iadd.29. A toner magazine as claimed in claim 28, wherein said bridging structure includes a passage for an optical beam used for writing an image on said photosensitive body of said xerographic image recording apparatus. .Iaddend.
Specification