Image forming apparatus having a toner replenishment operation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12411446-B2
Application number	US-202318388558-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 10, 2023
Priority date	Oct 2, 2019
Publication date	Sep 9, 2025
Grant date	Sep 9, 2025

Abstract

An image forming apparatus to and from which a replenishment container accommodating toner is attachable and detachable includes a replenishment port to allow replenishment of toner from the replenishment container, an opening/closing portion to open the replenishment port in an open position and close the replenishment port in a closed position, a locking member to move between a restricting position in which the locking member restricts movement of the opening/closing portion from the closed position to the open position, and an allowing position in which the movement of the opening/closing portion from the closed position to the open position is allowed. A developer container accepts more toner for replenishment in a case where a second display is in a second state than in a first state, and a first display more accurately displays information related to the toner accommodated in the developer container than the second display.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image forming apparatus to and from which a replenishment container accommodating toner is attachable and detachable and which is configured to form an image on a recording material, the image forming apparatus comprising:
an image bearing member;
a developer container configured to accommodate toner;
a developing roller configured to develop an electrostatic image formed on the image bearing member into a toner image by using the toner accommodated in the developer container;
a replenishment port configured to allow replenishment of toner from the replenishment container, which is arranged outside of the image forming apparatus, to the developer container therethrough in a state where the replenishment container is attached to the replenishment port;
an opening/closing portion configured to open the replenishment port in an open position and close the replenishment port in a closed position, the opening/closing portion moving from the closed position to the open position in a case where the replenishment container attached to the replenishment port is rotated;
a locking member configured to move between a restricting position in which the locking member restricts movement of the opening/closing portion from the closed position to the open position, and an allowing position in which the movement of the opening/closing portion from the closed position to the open position is allowed;
a first display configured to display information related to the toner accommodated in the developer container;
a second display configured to switch between a first state and a second state different from the first state, the developer container being capable of accepting more toner for replenishment in a case where the second display is in the second state than in a case where the second display is in the first state; and
a controller configured to control the locking member, the first display and the second display,
wherein the first display provides more information related to the toner accommodated in the developer container than the second display, and
wherein the controller,
(1) moves the locking member from the restricting position to the allowing position in a case where the second display is in the second state before a replenishment operation, in which toner is supplied from the replenishment container to the replenishment port, is performed, and
(2) in a case where the replenishment operation is performed, performs a display processing of displaying, on the first display, the information related to the toner accommodated in the developer container after the replenishment operation.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a detector whose output value changes on a basis of completion of the replenishment operation,
wherein the controller performs the display processing on a basis of a change of the output value of the detector.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the controller obtains an amount of toner accommodated in the developer container after the replenishment operation, from a sum of an amount of toner accommodated in the developer container before the replenishment operation and an amount of toner accommodated in the replenishment container.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the controller obtains an amount of toner accommodated in the developer container before the replenishment operation, by using an amount of toner consumption calculated from a number of pixels of an image formed on a recording material.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a toner remainder amount detector whose output value changes on a basis of an amount of toner accommodated in the developer container,
wherein the controller obtains the amount of toner accommodated in the developer container before the replenishment operation, on a basis of the output value of the toner remainder amount detector.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a toner remainder amount detector whose output value changes on a basis of an amount of toner accommodated in the developer container,
wherein the controller obtains the amount of toner accommodated in the developer container before the replenishment operation, on a basis of the output value of the toner remainder amount detector and an amount of toner consumption calculated from a number of pixels of an image formed on a recording material.

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein in a case where the replenishment operation is performed when the second display is in the second state, the controller switches the second display from the second state to the first state.

8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the second display comprises a plurality of indicators,
a first number of indicators among the plurality of indicators light up in a state where the second display is in the first state, and
a second number of indicators among the plurality of indicators light up in a state where the second display is in the second state, the second number being smaller than the first number.

9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the second display is a panel member that continuously lights up in the first state and intermittently lights up in the second state.

10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the second display is a panel member that lights up at a first brightness in the first state and lights up at a second brightness lower than the first brightness in the second state.

11. An image forming apparatus to and from which a replenishment container accommodating toner is attachable and detachable and which is communicable with an information processing apparatus comprising a first display and is configured to form a toner image on a recording material, the image forming apparatus comprising:
an image bearing member;
a developer container configured to accommodate toner;
a developing roller configured to develop an electrostatic image formed on the image bearing member into a toner image by using the toner accommodated in the developer container;
a replenishment port configured to allow replenishment of toner from the replenishment container, which is arranged outside of the image forming apparatus, to the developer container therethrough in a state where the replenishment container is attached to the replenishment port;
an opening/closing portion configured to open the replenishment port in an open position and close the replenishment port in a closed position, the opening/closing portion moving from the closed position to the open position in a case where the replenishment container attached to the replenishment port is rotated;
a locking member configured to move between a restricting position in which the locking member restricts movement of the opening/closing portion from the closed position to the open position, and an allowing position in which the movement of the opening/closing portion from the closed position to the open position is allowed;
a second display configured to switch between a first state and a second state different from the first state, the developer container being capable of accepting more toner for replenishment in a case where the second display is in the second state than in a case where the second display is in the first state; and
a controller configured to control the locking member, the first display and the second display,
wherein the first display provides more information related to the toner accommodated in the developer container than the second display, and
wherein the co

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Umeda Kensuke
• Kobayashi Shinsuke
• Funatani Kazuhiro
• Watanabe Takanori
• Suzuki Ai

Classifications

• G03G15/5016

  User-machine interface; Display panels; Control console · CPC title

• G03G15/0856 Primary

  Detection or control means for the developer level · CPC title

• G03G15/0867

  cylindrical developer cartridges, e.g. toner bottles for the developer replenishing opening · CPC title

• G03G15/556 Primary

  for toner consumption, e.g. pixel counting, toner coverage detection or toner density measurement · CPC title

• G03G15/0865 Primary

  Arrangements for supplying new developer · CPC title