Toner container, image forming apparatus to which toner container is attached

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016179033-A1
Application number	US-201514616989-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 9, 2015
Priority date	Dec 19, 2014
Publication date	Jun 23, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A toner container includes a container main body, a cylindrical portion, an opening/closing member, and a conveyance member. Container main body includes a storing chamber. Opening/closing member is provided in a inner space of cylindrical portion and, operates to open and close a toner discharge outlet of cylindrical portion. Conveyance member includes rotation shaft and blades along rotation shaft and when rotated, allows blades to convey the toner that is present inside storing chamber and the inner space toward toner discharge outlet. The plurality of blades include a first blade and a second blade. First blade is disposed in storing chamber at a position near a boundary between storing chamber and the inner space and is larger in outer diameter than the other blades. Second blade is disposed in the inner space and is larger than first blade in inclination angle with respect to rotation shaft of conveyance member.

First claim

1 . A toner container comprising:
a container main body including a storing chamber in which toner is stored; a cylindrical portion which extends outside from a side wall of the container main body and has an inner space that communicates with the storing chamber, and on whose circumferential surface, a toner discharge outlet is formed; an opening/closing member provided in the inner space of the cylindrical portion and configured to, upon receiving a driving force, operate to open and close the toner discharge outlet; and a conveyance member which, rotatably provided in a region extending from the storing chamber to the inner space, includes a rotation shaft and a plurality of blades along the rotation shaft and is configured to, when being rotated, allow the plurality of blades to convey the toner that is present inside the storing chamber and the inner space toward the toner discharge outlet, wherein the plurality of blades include a first blade and a second blade, the first blade being disposed in the storing chamber at a position near a boundary between the storing chamber and the inner space and being larger in outer diameter than the other blades, the second blade being disposed in the inner space and being larger than the first blade in inclination angle with respect to the rotation shaft of the conveyance member.

2 . The toner container according to claim 1 , wherein
the cylindrical portion is provided on a lower part of the side wall of the container main body, and on a bottom of the storing chamber, in a region corresponding to the first blade, a stepped portion is formed so as to expand a space of the storing chamber lower than the rotation shaft such that the first blade can be disposed.

3 . The toner container according to claim 2 , wherein
the stepped portion is formed to continue to the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion.

4 . The toner container according to claim 1 , wherein
a bottom of the storing chamber is formed in a shape of semicircular arc in correspondence with rotary orbit of the blades of the conveyance member.

5 . The toner container according to claim 1 further comprising
an operation portion provided on an upper part of the side wall of the container main body, the operation portion being used to operate the opening/closing member, wherein
the opening/closing member includes an input portion which receives the driving force that is input when the operation portion is operated.

6 . The toner container according to claim 1 , wherein
the opening/closing member is provided in the inner space and has a shape of a cylinder that is concentric with the cylindrical portion, and is configured to rotate around a cylindrical axis of the cylindrical portion so as to slidably contact an inner wall of the cylindrical portion, and upon receiving the driving force, rotate to open and close the toner discharge outlet.

7 . An image forming apparatus comprising the toner container according to claim 1 , and configured to form an image on a recording medium by using toner supplied from the toner container.

Assignees

• Kyocera Document Solutions Inc

Inventors

• Kitagawa Hiroaki
• Morita Takashi

Classifications

• G03G15/0886

  by mechanical means, e.g. shutter, plug · CPC title

• G03G15/0891 Primary

  for conveying or circulating developer, e.g. augers · CPC title