TONER CARTRIDGE

• US 20120034001A1
• Filed: 10/14/2011
• Published: 02/09/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toshiba America Business Solutions Incorporated (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation), Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Sato, Tsutomu
• Granted Patent: US 8,311,420 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 399/262
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/0863 provided with identifying means or means for storing process- or use parameters, e.g. an electronic memory
• 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 15/0875 cartridges having a box like shape
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/0877 Arrangements for metering and dispensing developer from a developer cartridge into the development unit
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/0889 for agitation or stirring
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 21/1647 Mechanical connection means
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 21/1676 for the developer unit
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/0695 using identification means or means for storing process or use parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2221/163 for the developer unit
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2221/1657 transmitting mechanical drive power

Abstract

A toner cartridge comprises a toner container which contains toner, a driving member which rotationally drives a conveying member, an agitating member which agitates a toner in the toner container while being rotated, a driven member which rotates in association with the driving member which is for rotationally driving the agitating member, and a rotational body which rotates according to rotation of the driven member, has a plurality of slits in rotational circumference for identifying a type of the toner cartridge, and has 1/K or more of the slits when a ratio of a rotational speed R1 (rad/s) of the driving member and a rotational speed R2 (rad/s) of the driven member is K=R2/R1.

Claims

1. A toner cartridge comprising:

a toner container which contains toner;

a lid which is connected to an upper part of the toner container;

a toner supplying opening which supplies the toner;

an agitating member which agitates the toner;

a conveying member which conveys the toner toward the toner supplying opening;

a first gear which is provided on an exterior portion of the toner container and rotates the agitating member;

a second gear which is provided on the exterior portion of the toner container and rotates the conveying member;

a rotational body which has a plurality of slits in rotational circumference to discriminate a type of the toner cartridge and is concentrically connected with the first gear, an outer diameter of the rotational body being smaller than an outer diameter of the first gear;

a first gear cover which is connected with the lid and surrounds a circumference of the first gear except for a part where the lid surrounds the circumference of the first gear; and

a second gear cover which is connected with the first gear cover and surrounds a circumference of the second gear.