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US 10,474,065 B2Granted
Toner case including rotator rotating around rotation axis and cover moving along rotation axis direction of rotator and image forming apparatus including the same
AssigneeKYOCERA Documents Solutions Inc.
InventorDaisuke Mimura
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A toner case includes a case main body, a rotator, a transmitter and a cover. The case main body stores a toner. The rotator is stored in the case main body and rotates around a rotation axis. The transmitter transmits rotation to the rotator. At least apart of the transmitter is arranged outside the case main body. The cover moves along a rotation axis direction of the rotator between a covering position where the cover covers an outer circumference of the transmitter and an exposing position where the cover exposes the transmitter.
Claims11
A toner case comprising:
- a case main body storing a toner;
- a rotator stored in the case main body and rotating around a rotation axis;
- a transmitter transmitting rotation to the rotator, at least a part of the transmitter being arranged outside the case main body;
- a cover moving along a rotation axis direction of the rotator between a covering position where the cover covers an outer circumference of the transmitter and an exposing position where the cover exposes the transmitter;
- a biasing member biasing the cover to the covering position;
- a shutter moving along the rotation axis direction between a closing position where the shutter closes a toner discharge port provided in the case main body and an opening position where the shutter opens the discharge port;
- and
- a link arranged outside the case main body and rotating around a fulcrum,
- wherein the cover and the shutter are connected via the link,
- as the cover moves from the covering position to the exposing position, the link is rotated in one direction to move the shutter from the closing position to the opening position, and
- as the cover moves from the exposing position to the covering position, the link is rotated in an opposite direction to the one direction to move the shutter from the opening position to the closing position.
8 more elements
An image forming apparatus comprising:
- a toner case;
- and
- an attachment part to which the toner case is detachably attached,
- wherein the toner case includes:
- a case main body storing a toner;
- a rotator stored in the case main body and rotating around a rotation axis;
- a transmitter transmitting rotation to the rotator, at least a part of the transmitter being arranged outside the case main body;
- and
- a cover moving along a rotation axis direction of the rotator between a covering position where the cover covers an outer circumference of the transmitter and an exposing position where the cover exposes the transmitter,
- the toner case is attached to the attachment part along an attachment direction parallel to the rotation axis direction,
- the transmitter includes a transmitting coupling,
- the cover covers an outer circumference of the transmitting coupling in a state where the cover is in the covering position and exposes the transmitting coupling in a state where the cover is in the exposing position,
- the attachment part includes:
- a driving coupling rotated by rotation driving force from a driving source;
- and
- a casing storing the driving coupling,
- as the toner case is attached to the attachment part, the cover comes in contact with the casing, moving of the cover to a downstream side in the attachment direction is restricted, the case main body moves to the downstream side in the attachment direction with respect to the cover from a position where the cover is arranged in the covering position to another position where the cover is arranged in the exposing position, and the transmitting coupling is coupled to the driving coupling.
14 more elements
An image forming apparatus comprising:
- a toner case;
- and
- an attachment part to which the toner case is detachably attached,
- wherein the toner case includes:
- a case main body storing a toner;
- a rotator stored in the case main body and rotating around a rotation axis;
- a transmitter transmitting rotation to the rotator, at least a part of the transmitter being arranged outside the case main body;
- a cover moving along a rotation axis direction of the rotator between a covering position where the cover covers an outer circumference of the transmitter and an exposing position where the cover exposes the transmitter;
- and
- a restriction member rotating between a restricting position where the restriction member restricts moving of the cover from the covering position to the exposing position and a restriction releasing position where the restriction member permits the moving of the cover from the covering position to the exposing position,
- as the toner case is attached to the attachment part, a pressing part provided in the attachment part presses the restriction member and the restriction member rotates from the restricting position to the restriction releasing position.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.