Developer container, developing cartridge, process cartridge and image forming apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9229371-B2
Application number	US-201414286267-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 23, 2014
Priority date	May 31, 2013
Publication date	Jan 5, 2016
Grant date	Jan 5, 2016

Abstract

A developer container includes: a developer accommodating chamber, provided with an opening, for accommodating a developer; a sealing member bonded to the developer accommodating container so as to block the opening; and a rotatable member, having a connecting surface where the sealing member is connected thereto, for peeling off the sealing member from the opening by rotation thereof. The connecting surface has a rectangular shape which has a long side with respect to a rotational axis direction of the rotatable member and which is twisted in a rotational direction of the rotatable member.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A developer container comprising:
a developer accommodating chamber, provided with an opening, for accommodating a developer;
a sealing member bonded to said developer accommodating chamber so as to block the opening; and
a rotatable member, having a connecting surface where said sealing member is connected thereto, for peeling off said sealing member from said developer accommodating chamber by rotation thereof,
wherein said connecting surface has a rectangular shape that has long sides with respect to a rotational axis direction of said rotatable member and the long sides are twisted between ends of the rectangular shape in a rotational direction of said rotatable member.

2. A developer container according to claim 1 , wherein said sealing member is bonded to a rectangular bonding portion having two sides each extending a direction parallel to a rotation shaft of said rotatable member and two sides each extending in a direction perpendicular to said rotation shaft, and
wherein said rotatable member winds up said sealing member so that said sealing member is peeled off gradually in an oblique direction to said rotation shaft from a corner of said rectangular bonding portion toward a diagonal corner thereof.

3. A developer container according to claim 1 , wherein a rotational driving force is applied to an end of said rotatable member with respect to the rotational axis direction.

4. A developer container according to claim 1 , wherein said rotatable member constitutes a feeding member for feeding the developer, accommodated in said developer accommodating chamber, to an outside of said developer accommodating chamber through the opening.

5. A developer container according to claim 1 , wherein said rotatable member constitutes a stirring member for stirring the developer accommodated in said developer accommodating chamber.

6. A developing cartridge detachably mountable to a main assembly of an image forming apparatus, said developing cartridge comprising:
a developer container according to claim 1 ;
a developer carrying member for carrying the developer; and
a developer supply chamber, in which said developer carrying member is provided, communicating with said developer accommodating chamber via the opening.

7. A process cartridge detachably mountable to a main assembly of an image forming apparatus, said process cartridge comprising:
a developer container according to claim 1 ;
a developer carrying member for carrying the developer; and
a developer supply chamber, in which said developer carrying member is provided, communicating with said developer accommodating chamber via the opening.

8. An image forming apparatus for forming an image with a developer on a recording material, said image forming apparatus comprising:
a developer container according to claim 1 ;
a developer carrying member for carrying the developer; and
a developer supply chamber, in which said developer carrying member is provided, communicating with said developer accommodating chamber via the opening.

9. A developer container comprising:
a developer accommodating chamber, provided with an opening, for accommodating a developer;
a sealing member bonded to said developer accommodating chamber so as to block the opening; and
a rotatable member, to which said sealing member is connected, capable of winding up said seal member by peeling off said sealing member from a bonding portion to said developer accommodating chamber by rotation thereof,
wherein said rotatable member is constituted so that in a range from an end side to the other end side of a connecting portion to said sealing member with respect to the rotational axis direction, timing from start of winding up of said sealing member until said sealing member is in a tension state between said rotatable member and said bonding portion is slower with an increasing distance from the end side and so that a speed of an increase in peeling off amount of said sealing member after said sealing member is in the tension state is the same from the end side to the other end side.

10. A developer container according to claim 9 , wherein the peeling off amount of said sealing member until said sealing member is in the tension state is the same from the end side to the other end side.

11. A developer container according to claim 9 , wherein said rotatable member has a shape such that a cylindrical shape is partly cut away to form a connecting surface to said sealing member at a cut away portion, and
wherein said connecting surface is twisted about an axis parallel to said rotation shaft so that the other side is positioned downstream of the end side with respect to the rotational direction of said rotatable member and so that a boundary line of said connecting surface with a peripheral surface of said rotatable member in an upstream side of the rotational direction extends so as to be positioned in a more upstream side with the increasing distance from the end side with respect to the rotational direction.

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Murakami Ryuta
• Makiguchi Daisuke
• Takeuchi Toshiaki
• Batori Yoshiyuki

Classifications

• G03G2215/0875

  Arrangements for shipping or transporting of the developing device to or from the user · CPC title

• G03G2215/0687

  using a peelable sealing film · CPC title

• G03G15/0874

  non-rigid containers, e.g. foldable cartridges, bags · CPC title

• G03G15/0882 Primary

  by a peelable sealing film (resealing used developer units before refilling: G03G15/0894) · CPC title

• G03G2215/0682

  Bag-type non-rigid container · CPC title