Sealing member, toner conveying device, and image forming apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9500996-B2
Application number	US-201514707220-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 8, 2015
Priority date	May 15, 2014
Publication date	Nov 22, 2016
Grant date	Nov 22, 2016

Abstract

A sealing member is attached to a second member attached to and detached from a first member having a first opening through which powder passes and having a second opening that communicates with the first opening when the second member is coupled to the first member, and prevents the powder from leaking from a coupling portion between the first opening and the second opening. The sealing member includes: a first elastic member with a first surface arranged on the second member; and a second elastic member arranged on at least a part of a periphery of the first elastic member and having hardness different from that of the first elastic member.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A sealing member that is attachable to a first member and a second member, the sealing member comprising:
a first elastic member with a first surface on the second member;
a second elastic member on at least a part of a periphery of the first elastic member and having hardness different from that of the first elastic member; and
a part of the sheet material protrudes from a periphery of the first elastic member beyond the second elastic member.

2. The sealing member according to claim 1 , wherein
the second elastic member is harder than the first elastic member, and
when the first elastic member and the second elastic member are on a first outer wall surface of the second member, and a protrusion of the sheet material is bent and on a second outer wall surface intersecting with an end edge of the first outer wall surface at a set angle, at least a part of the second elastic member corresponds to a bent portion of the sheet material.

3. The sealing member according to claim 2 , wherein a direction of bend of the sheet material is a non-intersecting direction in which the second member does not interfere with an end edge of the sheet material when the second member is attached to and detached from the first member.

4. The sealing member according to claim 1 , wherein a portion of the second member to which the second elastic member is attached is a corner, a projection, or a portion close to the corner or the projection of the second member.

5. A toner conveying device comprising at least a toner conveying unit including an image bearer, a developing device that supplies toner to an electrostatic latent image formed on the image bearer to make the electrostatic latent image into a visible image, and a cleaning device that removes and collects the toner left on the image bearer, a waste toner container that receives the collected toner discharged from the cleaning device, a toner conveyance relay device detachably attached to the toner conveying unit to discharge the collected toner discharged from the cleaning device into the developing device or the waste toner container, and a new toner container that supplies new toner to the developing device, wherein
the sealing member according to claim 1 is at a coupling portion between at least one of the cleaning device, the developing device, and the waste toner container and the toner conveyance relay device and/or a coupling portion between the new toner container and the developing device.

6. An image forming apparatus comprising:
the toner conveying device according to claim 5 .

7. The sealing member according to claim 1 , wherein the second member is attachable to and detachable from the first member having a first opening through which powder passes and having a second opening that communicates with the first opening when the second member is coupled to the first member, and that prevents the powder from leaking from a coupling portion between the first opening and the second opening.

8. The sealing member according to claim 7 , wherein
a peripheral portion of the second opening of the second member is formed into a discontinuous annular shape having a cut-out at a part of an annular body with a set width, and the cut-out of the second opening is closed with an intersecting wall surface intersecting with a direction of an opening plane of the second opening at a set angle,
the first elastic member is along a circumferential direction of the peripheral portion of the second opening, and
the second elastic member softer than the first elastic member is at both ends of the first elastic member corresponding to both ends of the cut-out of the second opening.

9. The sealing member according to claim 7 including a first sealing member and a second sealing member, wherein
the sheet material is on the second surface of the first elastic member of the first sealing member,
a part of the sheet material protrudes from a periphery of the first elastic member of the first sealing member beyond the second elastic member of the first sealing member,
the second elastic member of the first sealing member is harder than the first elastic member of the first sealing member,
when the first elastic member of the first sealing member and the second elastic member of the first sealing member are on a first outer wall surface of the second member, and a protrusion of the sheet material is bent and on a second outer wall surface intersecting with an end edge of the first outer wall surface at a set angle, at least a part of the second elastic member of the first sealing member corresponds to a bent portion of the sheet material,
a peripheral portion of the second opening of the second member is formed into a discontinuous annular shape having a cut-out at a part of an annular body with a set width, and the cut-out of the second opening is closed with the first outer wall surface intersecting with a direction of an opening plane of the second opening at a set angle,
the first elastic member of the second sealing member is along a circumferential direction of the peripheral portion of the second opening, and
the second elastic member of the second sealing member softer than the first elastic member of the second sealing member is at both ends of the first elastic member of the second sealing member corresponding to both ends of the cut-out of the second opening, and
the second elastic member of the second sealing member is pressed against the first sealing member.

10. The sealing member according to claim 7 , wherein
a peripheral portion of the second opening of the second member is formed into a discontinuous annular shape having a cut-out at a part of an annular body, and the cut-out of the second opening is closed with an intersecting wall surface intersecting with a direction of an opening plane of the second opening at a set angle,
a part of the sheet material protrudes from an outer periphery of the first elastic member,
the second elastic member is harder than the first elastic member,
the first elastic member is over an entire length of the peripheral portion of the second opening in a circumferential direction,
a protrusion of the sheet material is bent and on a second outer wall surface intersecting with an end edge of the peripheral portion of the second opening at a set angle, and
the second elastic member is on the peripheral portion of the second opening, and at least a part of the second elastic member corresponds to a bent portion of the sheet material.

11. The sealing member according to claim 10 , wherein a direction of bend of the sheet material is a non-intersecting direction in which the second member does not interfere with an end edge of the sheet material when the second member is attached to and detached from the first member.

12. The sealing member according to claim 7 , wherein
a peripheral portion of the second opening of the second member is an annular body having a set width,
the first elastic member is over an entire length of the peripheral portion of the second opening in a circumferential direction,
a sheet material with one surface on a second surface of the first elastic member is provided,
a part of the sheet material protrudes from an outer periphery of the first elastic member,
the second elastic member is harder than the first elastic member,
the sheet material is bent and fixed to a second outer wall surface intersecting with an end edge of the peripheral portion of the second opening at a set angle, and
the second elastic member is on the peripheral portion of the second opening, and at least a part of the second elastic member corresponds to a bent porti

Assignees

• Azeyanagi Yuta
• Kojima Takeshi
• Teraji Hajime
• Ninomiya Hiromichi
• Okamoto Michiya
• Karasawa Shinya
• Nodera Kentaroh
• Sawada Daisuke
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Azeyanagi Yuta
• Kojima Takeshi
• Teraji Hajime
• Ninomiya Hiromichi
• Okamoto Michiya
• Karasawa Shinya
• Nodera Kentaroh
• Sawada Daisuke

Classifications

• 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

• G03G15/0877

  Arrangements for metering and dispensing developer from a developer cartridge into the development unit · CPC title

• F16J15/04

  without packing between the surfaces, e.g. with ground surfaces, with cutting edge · CPC title

• G03G21/105

  Arrangements for conveying toner waste · CPC title