Toner cartridge

• US 8,311,420 B2
• Filed: 10/14/2011
• Issued: 11/13/2012
• 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
• Primary Examiner(s): Lindsay, Jr., Walter L
• Assistant Examiner(s): BONNETTE, RODNEY ANDREW
• Application Number:
  US13/273,567
• Publication Number:
  US 20120034001A1
• Time in Patent Office: 396 Days
• Field of Search: 399/12, 399/78, 399/120, 399/167
• US Class Current: 399/12
• 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 configured to contain toner;

a toner supplying opening formed in the toner container;

a conveying member configured to convey the toner toward the toner supplying opening in the toner container;

a driving member configured to rotationally drive the conveying member;

an agitating member configured to agitate the toner in the toner container;

a driven member configured to rotate in association with rotational driving of the driving member to rotate the agitating member, wherein a rotational speed R2 (rad/s) of the driven member is slower than a rotational speed R1 (rad/s) of the driving member; and

a rotational body configured to rotate according to rotation of the driven member, having a plurality of light incidence parts in rotational circumference, wherein the number of the light incidence parts is 1/K or more when a ratio of the rotational speed R1 (rad/s) and the rotational speed R2 (rad/s) is K=R2/R1.

2. The toner cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the rotational body has a cylindrical body, and the light incidence parts are provided on the rotational body with equal intervals in a rotational direction of an outer periphery.

3. The toner cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the rotational body is provided on the same axis as the driven member.

4. The toner cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the conveying member is a screw, and the driving member is provided at one end of the screw and the toner supplying opening is provided at the other end of the screw.

5. An image forming apparatus, which has a toner cartridge inserted therein to supply toner to the image forming apparatus, said apparatus comprising:

a toner container configured to contain toner;

a toner supplying opening formed in the toner container and supplies the toner to the image forming apparatus;

a conveying member configured to convey the toner toward the toner supplying opening in the toner container;

a driving member configured to rotationally drive the conveying member;

an agitating member configured to agitate the toner in the toner container;

a driven member configured to rotate in association with rotational driving of the driving member to rotate the agitating member, wherein a rotational speed R2 (rad/s) of the driven member is slower than a rotational speed R1 (rad/s) of the driving member;

a rotational body configured to rotate according to rotation of the driven member, having a plurality of light incidence parts in rotational circumference, wherein the number of the light incidence parts is 1/K or more when a ratio of the rotational speed R1 (rad/s) and the rotational speed R2 (rad/s) is K=R2/R1;

a detecting unit configured to detect rotation of the plurality of the light incident parts provided on the rotational body; and

a control unit configured to discriminate a type of the toner cartridge according to a detection result of the detecting unit.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the detecting unit has a light emitting element and a light receiving element, which are arranged with a distance interposed therebetween so as to sandwich a peripheral wall of the rotational body.