Image forming apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9927740-B2
Application number	US-201514955370-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 1, 2015
Priority date	Jun 25, 2013
Publication date	Mar 27, 2018
Grant date	Mar 27, 2018

Abstract

An image forming apparatus includes a rotatable bottle which is detachably attached to an apparatus main body and which stores toner, the rotatable bottle having a discharge port from which the stored toner is discharged, a shutter which is disposed on the bottle, and which opens and closes the discharge port, and an engaging member, which is movably disposed on the apparatus main body, and which is able to engage the shutter. The image forming apparatus further includes a driving portion which transfers a driving force to the rotatable bottle, and an opening mechanism which is configured to open the shutter by the driving force from the driving portion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image forming apparatus comprising:
a developer container, which is detachably mountable to the image forming apparatus, and configured to contain a developer;
a discharge portion, which is provided on the developer container, and configured to discharge the developer in the developer container;
a shutter, which is provided on the developer container, and configured to open and close the discharge portion;
an engaging member which is configured to move and to engage with the shutter; and
a driving force transmitting mechanism configured to transmit a driving force to the engaging member to move the engaging member from a first position to a second position and to block transmission of the driving force to the engaging member after the engaging member is moved to the second position,
wherein in a case in which the engaging member is in the first position, the shutter maintains a closed status of the discharge portion when the developer container is mounted on the image forming apparatus, and
wherein in a case in which the engaging member is in the second position, in which engaging member is retracted from the first position, the engaging member engages with the shutter so as to open the discharge portion by an attaching operation in which the developer container is moved into a discharge position to be capable of discharging the developer from the discharge portion.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein in a case in which the engaging member is in the first position, the engaging member engages with the shutter.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the driving force transmitting mechanism includes:
a driving transmission member configured to move between a transmitting position, in which the driving force for driving the developer container can be transferred, and a blocking position, in which the driving force is blocked,
a driving mechanism, and
a single driving source,
wherein the driving mechanism is configured to drive the driving transmission member and the engaging member, and the single driving source drives the driving mechanism, which is configured such that the driving transmission member moves to the transmitting position from the blocking position after the engaging member moves from the first position to the second position.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3 , further comprising a stopper member which is disposed movably between a restricting position, in which the stopper member and the driving transmission member are engaged to restrict the driving transmission member from moving from the blocking position to the transmitting position, and a permitting position, in which the stopper member and the driving transmission member release their engagement to permit the driving transmission member to move from the blocking position to the transmitting position,
wherein the stopper member is moved from the restricting position to the permitting position after the engaging member moves from a non-operating position to an operating position.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the driving transmission member includes:
a pivot gear which is pivotally disposed,
a drive gear which transfers the driving force to the developer container, and
a pivot arm which is pivotably provided to hold the pivot gear and connect or disconnect the pivot gear to or from the drive gear,
wherein when the stopper member is engaged with the pivot arm, the pivot gear is disconnected from the drive gear, and
wherein when the stopper member is disengaged with the pivot arm, the pivot gear is connected to the drive gear.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a driving source,
wherein the driving source commonly drives the engaging member and the developer container.

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6 ,
wherein the driving source is configured to drive the developer container during movement of the engaging member from the first position to the second position by the driving source.

8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7 , further comprising an operation portion which allows a user to input installation information,
wherein the driving source is driven based on the installation information input from the operation portion by the user.

9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the engaging member is restricted from moving to the second position before an initial setting operation of a main body of the apparatus is finished, and the engaging member is restricted from moving to the first position after the initial setting operation of the main body of the apparatus is finished.

10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the shutter is slidably disposed in a developer container attachment direction, the engaging member is configured to move from the first position to the operating position in the developer container attachment direction, and the engaging member engages with the shutter of the developer container at the discharge position to move the shutter from a closed position, in which the shutter closes the discharge port, to an open position, in which the shutter opens the discharge port, when the engaging member moves from the first position to the second position.

11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the developer container is disposed at the discharge position at shipping, the engaging member is disposed at the first position at shipping, and the engaging member is kept at the second position after the engaging member first moves to the second position.

12. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein in a case in which the developer container is a first new developer container and the first new developer container is attached to a main body of the apparatus, the engaging member is positioned at the first position, and
wherein after the engaging member moves to the second position, the engaging member is kept at the second position, and when a subsequent new developer container is attached to the main body of the apparatus and is in the discharge position, the shutter moves to an open position to open the discharge portion from a closed position to close the discharge portion, according to the attachment operation in which the developer container is moved into the discharge position.

13. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the diving force transmitting mechanism is configured to transmit a driving force to the developer container.

14. An image forming apparatus comprising:
a developer container, which is detachably mountable to the image forming apparatus, and configured to contain a developer;
a discharge portion, which is provided on the developer container, and configured to discharge the developer in the developer container;
a shutter, which is provided on the developer container, and configured to open and close the discharge portion;
an engaging member which is configured to move and to engage with the shutter; and
a driving force transmitting mechanism configured to transmit a driving force to the engaging member to move the engaging member from a first position to a second position,
wherein in a case in which the engaging member is in the first position, the shutter maintains a closed status of the discharge portion when the developer container is mounted on the image forming apparatus, and
wherein in a case in which the engaging member is in the second position, in which engaging member is retracted from the first position, the engagin

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Yamamoto Tatsuyuki
• Nakajima Takao

Classifications

• G03G15/0867

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

• G03G15/08 Primary

  using a solid developer, e.g. powder developer · CPC title

• G03G15/0886 Primary

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

• G03G2215/0678

  Bottle shaped container having a bottle neck for toner discharge · CPC title