Container and image forming apparatus
AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorsSeiji Inada, Chikara Imaizumi
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A container includes a collecting portion in which toner discharged from an apparatus body is accumulated, a conveying member that conveys the toner in the collecting portion in a direction away from an intake portion provided in the collecting portion, and a movable member movable in accordance with an amount of toner in the collecting portion and that causes, when the movable member reaches a first position, a detecting portion to detect an amount of toner in the collecting portion. The movable member includes a guiding portion that guides the toner in a direction away from the first position while the toner is conveyed by the conveying member.
Claims7
A container, used in an image forming apparatus having a detecting portion, in which discharged toner is collected, the container comprising:
- an intake portion for discharged toner to enter the container;
- a collecting portion in which the toner entering via the intake portion accumulates;
- a conveying member configured to convey the toner in the collecting portion in a direction away from the intake portion;
- a support portion which is able to support the toner and which is located at lower side of the conveying member, and
- a movable member movable in accordance with accumulated toner in the collecting portion and configured to cause the detecting portion to detect movement of the movable member, wherein the movable member is movable, in the direction in which the toner is conveyed by the conveying member, to a first position and a second position at a downstream side of the first position,
- wherein the movable member forms an opening between the support portion and the movable member in a state that the movable member is located at the second position, and
- wherein part of the toner supported by the support portion is dropped by the conveying member from the opening in a state that the movable member is located at the second position.
An image forming apparatus comprising:
- a container in which discharged toner is collected;
- and
- a detecting portion configured to detect an amount of the toner in the container,
- the container including,
- (a) an intake portion for discharged toner to enter the container;
- (b) a collecting portion in which the toner entering via the intake portion accumulates;
- (c) a conveying member configured to convey the toner in the collecting portion in a direction away from the intake portion;
- (d) a support portion which is able to support the toner and which is located at a lower side of the conveying member, and
- (e) a movable member movable in accordance with accumulated toner in the collecting portion and configured to cause the detecting portion to detect movement of the movable member, wherein the movable member is movable, in the direction in which the toner is conveyed by the conveying member, to a first position and a second position at downstream side of the first position,
- wherein the movable member forms an opening between the support portion and the movable member in a state that the movable member is located at the second position,
- wherein part of the toner supported by the support portion is dropped by the conveying member from the opening in a state that the movable member is located at the second position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.