Developer accommodating container with toner seal member, unsealing member, and auxiliary unsealing member

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9465318-B2
Application number	US-201314033735-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 23, 2013
Priority date	Sep 27, 2012
Publication date	Oct 11, 2016
Grant date	Oct 11, 2016

Abstract

A developer accommodating container for accommodating a developer includes: a toner seal member for unsealably sealing an opening of the developer accommodating container; an unsealing member, connected to an end portion of the toner seal member, for unsealing the opening by moving at least a part of the toner seal member; and an auxiliary unsealing member for assisting unsealing by changing a pulling direction of the toner seal member by the unsealing member. The auxiliary unsealing member includes a shaft portion or a projected portion. The shaft portion or the projected portion extends in a longitudinal direction of the developer accommodating container.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A developer container for accommodating developer, said developer container comprising:
a seal member for unsealably sealing an opening of said developer container;
an unsealing member, connected to an end portion of said seal member, for unsealing the opening; and
an auxiliary unsealing member for assisting unsealing by changing a pulling direction of said seal member by said unsealing member,
wherein said auxiliary unsealing member includes a shaft portion or a projected portion,
wherein said shaft portion or said projected portion extends in a longitudinal direction of said developer container, and
wherein a feeding sheet is fixed on said unsealing member, and said seal member is fixed between said feeding sheet and said unsealing member.

2. A developer container according to claim 1 , wherein said auxiliary unsealing member is provided in a position closer to the opening than said unsealing member.

3. A developer container according to claim 1 , wherein the opening, said unsealing member, and said auxiliary unsealing member are provided in this order with respect to a line perpendicular to a phantom surface including the opening.

4. A developer container according to claim 1 , wherein said unsealing member is constituted by a rotatable member capable of stirring the developer.

5. A developer container according to claim 1 , wherein said auxiliary unsealing member and said unsealing member are provided inside of a toner chamber of said developer container.

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 ; and
a developer carrying member for supplying developer in said developer container to a surface of an image bearing member on which an electrostatic latent image is to be formed.

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 ;
an image bearing member on which an electrostatic latent image is to be formed; and
a developer carrying member for supplying developer in said developer container to a surface of said image bearing member.

8. An image forming apparatus for forming an image on a sheet, said image forming apparatus comprising:
a developing cartridge according to claim 6 ,
wherein said developing cartridge is detachably mountable to said image forming apparatus.

9. An image forming apparatus for forming an image on a sheet, said image forming apparatus comprising:
a process cartridge according to claim 7 ,
wherein said process cartridge is detachably mountable to said image forming apparatus.

10. A developer container according to claim 1 ,
wherein said seal member is connected to said unsealing member in a side thereof and includes, in another side thereof, a sealing portion for sealing the opening,
wherein said sealing portion includes a first sealing portion provided in parallel to an axial direction of said unsealing member and a second sealing portion provided with respect to a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the unsealing member,
wherein said first sealing portion includes a third sealing portion located in an upstream side of the opening and a fourth sealing portion located in a downstream side of the opening with respect to the rotation of said unsealing member,
wherein, when a tangential line of said seal member which includes said third sealing portion as its end point and which contacts an outer peripheral surface of said unsealing member is a first rectilinear line, a rectilinear line that is on a rectilinear line passing through said third sealing portion and said fourth sealing portion and which extends from said third sealing portion as its end point in a direction opposite from said fourth sealing portion is a second rectilinear line, and a tangential line of said seal member which includes said third sealing portion as its end point and which contacts an outer peripheral surface of said auxiliary unsealing member is a third rectilinear line, a narrower angle of angles formed between the third rectilinear line and the second rectilinear line is larger than a narrower angle of angles formed between the first rectilinear line and the second rectilinear line, and
wherein the first, second, and third lines are defined in a plane crossing an axial direction of said unsealing member.

11. A developer container according to claim 1 , wherein said seal member includes an upper sealing portion located in an upper side of the opening and a lower sealing portion located in a lower side of the opening, and
wherein, if a first line that connects said lower sealing portion and an outer peripheral surface of said unsealing member, a second line that connects said upper sealing portion and said lower sealing portion, and a third line that connects said lower sealing portion and an outer peripheral surface of said auxiliary unsealing member are defined, a narrower angle of angles formed between the third line and the second line is smaller than a narrower angle of angles formed between the first line and the second line.

12. A developer container according to claim 1 , wherein said auxiliary unsealing member is positioned below said unsealing member.

13. A developer container according to claim 1 , wherein said auxiliary unsealing member is positioned below the opening.

14. A developer container according to claim 1 , wherein said auxiliary unsealing member is positioned above a lower end of said unsealing member in a state in which a cartridge including said developer container is mounted in a main assembly of an image forming apparatus.

15. A developer container according to claim 1 , wherein said auxiliary unsealing member includes a projected portion that projects from a bottom member of said developer container,
wherein said projected portion is located below an axis of said unsealing member.

16. A developer container according to claim 1 , wherein said auxiliary unsealing member includes a shaft portion which extends in a longitudinal direction of said developer container and which does not rotate.

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Takeuchi Toshiaki
• Kimura Takashi
• Batori Yoshiyuki
• Murakami Ryuta
• Makiguchi Daisuke
• Yamaguchi Noritomo
• Hayashi Naoki

Classifications

• G03G15/0881 Primary

  Sealing of developer cartridges · CPC title

• G03G15/0882 Primary

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

• G03G15/0898 Primary

  for preventing toner scattering during operation, e.g. seals (sealing the donor member G03G15/0817; sealing the magnetic brush G03G15/0942) · CPC title

• G03G21/18

  using a processing cartridge {, whereby the process cartridge comprises at least two image processing means in a single unit} · CPC title