Patent application number | Description | Published |
20100003058 | DEVELOPING DEVICE, PROCESS CARTRIDGE, AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A developer carrier is provided in a rotatable manner. A layer-thickness control member makes a layer thickness of a developer carried on the developer carrier uniform. An accelerated agglomeration degree of the developer is equal to or less than 40%. The layer-thickness control member is formed with a blade. An angle between a rolling direction of the blade and a rotating direction of the developer carrier is set to 5 degrees to 80 degrees. | 01-07-2010 |
20110222871 | TONER REPLENISHING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS INCLUDING TONER REPLENISHING DEVICE - A toner replenishing device includes a sub hopper (toner container), a toner detection sensor, an agitator, and a paddle. The sub hopper contains toner. The toner detection sensor is located on a wall surface in the sub hopper and detects whether toner remains at a height at which it is located. The agitator rotates in the sub hopper to clean the detection surface of the toner detection sensor. The paddle serves as a toner collecting unit that collects toner to the vicinity of the detection surface of the toner detection sensor in the sub hopper. | 09-15-2011 |
20120033998 | TONER SUPPLY ASSEMBLY AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS INCORPORATING SAME - A toner supply assembly includes a toner container mount and a toner container including a container body, a cap having a toner outlet, and a shutter for the toner outlet, to move horizontally. The cap includes a shutter guide rail, a contact portion, and a pressed rail provided on a lateral side. The shutter includes a shutter body to engage the shutter guide rail and a deformable portion deformable vertically and including a stopper to contact the contact portion of the cap for inhibiting the shutter from opening the toner outlet, and a stopper release projection pressed by a bottom projection on a bottom surface of the toner container mount in conjunction with installation of the toner container. A pressing member provided in a side portion of the toner container mount engages the pressed rail of the cap, inhibiting the cap from moving upward. | 02-09-2012 |
20120163877 | TONER CONTAINER AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS WITH A SECURE SEAL - A toner container which includes a main body for storing toner, an opening for dispensing toner, and a mechanism for sealing the opening. The mechanism for sealing the opening includes a slidable shutter which includes a cover and an extension, connected to the cover part, including a pushing surface and a blocking surface. The mechanism for sealing further includes a restriction which contacts the blocking surface to prevent the slidable shutter from sliding. | 06-28-2012 |
20120195645 | TONER CONTAINER AND IMAGE FORMING DEVICE - A system with a container including a protrusion, and a receiver to receive the container. The receiver includes a slide block that is movable relative to a body of the receiver, the slide block including two surfaces, a first surface, initially contacted by the protrusion of the container during insertion of the container into the receiver, having a first slope to resist movement of the container towards the receiver, and a second surface, subsequently contacted by the protrusion of the container during the insertion of the container into the receiver, having a second slope to interact with the protrusion of the container to assist movement of the container towards the receiver. This construction provides the user with a changing insertion force to indicate proper mounting of the container. | 08-02-2012 |
20120219330 | TONER CONTAINER AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS WITH A MECHANISM TO SECURE THE TONER CONTAINER - A toner container and system for mounting and/or securing the toner container includes a toner container having a toner dispensing hole, a shutter, and a protrusion. The shutter is movable relative to the toner dispensing hole, and is to selectively close the toner dispensing hole. The protrusion is connected to the shutter and movement of the protrusion causes the shutter to move relative to the toner dispensing hole to cover the toner dispensing hole. There is a receiver including a movable catch, the movable catch being in a first position when the toner container is initially inserted into the receiver, and the movable catch moving to a second position upon insertion of the toner container into the receiver. The movable catch interacts with the protrusion of the toner container when the toner container is being removed from the receiver. | 08-30-2012 |
20120321341 | TONER CONTAINER AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A toner container that is detachably attached to a main body of an image forming apparatus such that a longitudinal direction of the toner container is parallel to a horizontal direction includes: a cylindrical container body that has an opening on one end thereof in the longitudinal direction, and is configured to convey toner contained therein toward the opening; a cap portion into which the opening of the container body is inserted, and which includes a toner outlet at a bottom portion thereof for discharging toner discharged from the opening of the container body to the outside of the toner container in a vertically downward direction; and a shutter member that is held on the bottom portion of the cap portion, and moves along an outer periphery of the cap portion to thereby open and close the toner outlet, wherein the cap portion is formed by integral molding. | 12-20-2012 |
20140241757 | NOZZLE INSERTION MEMBER, POWDER CONTAINER, AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A nozzle insertion member arranged in a powder container includes a nozzle insertion opening; an opening/closing member opening/closing the nozzle insertion opening; a supporting member supporting the opening/closing member; and a biasing member provided to the supporting member to bias the opening/closing member toward a closing position. When the powder is supplied to the conveying nozzle along with rotation of a rotary conveyor arranged inside the powder container, the supporting member rotates with the rotation of the conveyor. The opening/closing member is rotated by a drive transmitting mechanism with rotation of the supporting member. The mechanism includes an elongated member arranged on the opening/closing member and penetrating through an opening formed on the supporting member; and a drive transmitted portion formed on the elongated member; and a drive transmitting portion formed on an inner surface of the opening and configured to come into contact with the drive transmitted portion. | 08-28-2014 |
20140270818 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus includes an image bearer, a developing device to develop with developer a latent image formed on the image bearer, a developer container to contain developer, a temporary reservoir to temporarily store developer supplied from the developer container and having an outlet to discharge the temporarily stored developer to the developing device, a first conveyance device to transport developer from the developer container to the temporary reservoir, a second conveyance device to transport developer from the temporary reservoir to the developing device, a first developer amount detector to detect an amount of developer in the temporary reservoir, and a controller to control driving of the first conveyance device based on a detection result generated by the first developer amount detector and data relating to driving of the second conveyance device. | 09-18-2014 |
20140270859 | POWDER CONTAINER AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A powder conveying device includes: a conveying nozzle, provided with a powder receiving opening; an open/close member to open/close the powder receiving opening; a flange provided to the open/close member; a biasing member to bias the open/close member; and a container setting section to which a part of a powder container is to be fit. The powder container includes: a conveyor to convey the powder from a second end of the powder container to a first end; a container opening protruding from the first end; a nozzle receiving opening into which the conveying nozzle is to be inserted; and a butting portion provided in the container opening, to butt against the flange. When the powder container is attached to the powder conveying device, the container opening is fitted to the container setting section, and the flange and the biasing member are housed in an inner space of the container opening. | 09-18-2014 |
20140294435 | TONER CONTAINER AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS WITH A MECHANISM TO SECURE THE TONER CONTAINER - A toner container and system for mounting and/or securing the toner container includes a toner container having a toner dispensing hole, a shutter, a protrusion. The shutter is movable relative to the toner dispensing hole, and is to selectively close the toner dispensing hole. The protrusion is connected to the shutter and movement of the protrusion causes the shutter to move relative to the toner dispensing hole to cover the toner dispensing hole. There is a receiver including a movable catch, the movable catch being in a first position when the toner container is initially inserted into the receiver, and the moveable catch moving to a second position upon insertion of the toner container into the receiver. The moveable catch interacts with the protrusion of the toner container when the toner container is being removed from the receiver such that the moveable catch in the second position restricts movement of the protrusion of the toner container which closes the shutter as the toner container is withdrawn from the receiver. | 10-02-2014 |
20140348545 | TONER HOUSING CONTAINER AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A toner housing container includes: a container body housing a toner; a conveying portion; a pipe receiving port; and an uplifting portion. Flow rate index of the toner measured by powder rheometer and represented by “flow rate index=(total energy at a rotation speed of 10 mm/s)/(total energy at a rotation speed of 100 mm/s)” is in a range of “1.8≦flow rate index≦6.5”. Container body includes protruding portion protruding from container body interior side of container opening portion toward one end of container body. Uplifting portion includes: uplifting wall surface extending from container body internal wall surface toward protruding portion; and curving portion curving to conform to protruding portion. When the toner housing container is mounted on the toner conveying device, the protruding portion is present between the curving portion and the toner receiving port of the conveying pipe being inserted. | 11-27-2014 |
20140348546 | TONER HOUSING CONTAINER AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - Toner housing container includes: container body mountable on toner conveying device and housing toner supplied into toner conveying device; conveying portion provided in container body and conveying toner from longer direction one end of container body to other end at which container opening portion is provided; pipe receiving port provided at container opening portion and receiving conveying pipe fixed to toner conveying device; and uplifting portion to move toner conveyed by conveying portion toward toner receiving port of conveying pipe. Toner has loose apparent density of 0.28 g/cm | 11-27-2014 |
20140348550 | TONER HOUSING CONTAINER AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - Toner housing container includes: container body housing a toner; conveying portion conveying the toner from longer direction one end of container body to its other end at which container opening portion is provided; pipe receiving port receiving a conveying pipe fixed to toner conveying device; and uplifting portion moving the toner toward toner receiving port of conveying pipe. Toner has molecular weight distribution having a peak in a range of 10 | 11-27-2014 |
20140348551 | TONER HOUSING CONTAINER AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A toner housing container includes: container body; conveying portion; pipe receiving port; and uplifting portion. Container body includes; protruding portion protruding from container body interior side of container opening portion to one end of container body; and shutter member moving between closing and opening positions to close and open container opening portion. Uplifting portion includes: uplifting wall surface extending from container body internal wall surface toward protruding portion; and curving portion curving to conform to protruding portion. Shutter member moves from closing to opening position upon push by conveying pipe. When toner housing container is mounted on toner conveying device, protruding portion is present between curving portion and toner receiving port of conveying pipe inserted and extends along shutter member moving region. Toner has bulk density of ≦0.399 g/cm | 11-27-2014 |
20140348552 | REPLENISHING DEVELOPER HOUSING CONTAINER AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A replenishing developer housing container according to the present invention includes: a container body housing a replenishing developer; a conveying portion; a pipe receiving port; and an uplifting portion, wherein the replenishing developer contains a toner and a carrier, wherein the container body includes a protruding portion protruding from a container body interior side of the container opening portion toward one end of the container body and a curving portion curving so as to conform to the protruding portion, wherein the uplifting portion includes an uplifting wall surface extending from an internal wall surface of the container body toward the protruding portion, wherein the protruding portion is provided such that when the replenishing developer housing container is mounted on the replenishing developer conveying device, the protruding portion is present between the curving portion and the replenishing developer receiving port of a conveying pipe being inserted. | 11-27-2014 |
20150043946 | TONER CONTAINER AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A system with a container including a protrusion, and a receiver to receive the container. The receiver includes a slide block that is movable relative to a body of the receiver, the slide block including two surfaces, a first surface, initially contacted by the protrusion of the container during insertion of the container into the receiver, having a first slope to resist movement of the container towards the receiver, and a second surface, subsequently contacted by the protrusion of the container during the insertion of the container into the receiver, having a second slope to interact with the protrusion of the container to assist movement of the container towards the receiver. This construction provides the user with a changing insertion force to indicate proper mounting of the container. | 02-12-2015 |