Powder container, method of assembling the same and method of reducing the volume of the same
AssigneeRicoh Company, Ltd.
InventorGoro Katsuyama
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A powder container of the present invention is made up of a flexible or deformable bag storing powder therein and a box for accommodating the bag. A seal valve is fitted in an outlet portion formed in the bag while a cap removably closes the outlet portion. When the bag is pressed in the collapsing direction, the powder is prevented from flying about via the seal valve. The powder container is easy to assemble.
Claims57
A powder container comprising:
- a deformable, powder storing body storing powder therein;
- a box more rigid than said bag for accommodating said powder storing body;
- a powder outlet portion included in said powder storing body and partly showing itself at an outside of said box when said powder storing body is accommodated in said box;
- a self-closing valve fitted in said powder outlet portion and opening when an insertion member is inserted or closing when said insertion member is pulled out;
- and
- closing means removably attached to said powder outlet for closing said self-closing valve.
A powder container comprising:
- a deformable, powder storing body storing powder therein;
- a box more rigid than said bag for accommodating said powder storing body;
- and
- an exhausting portion included in said powder storing body for exhausting said powder storing body of air while filtering out the powder.
A powder container comprising:
- a deformable, powder storing body storing powder therein;
- and
- a polyhedral box more rigid than said bag for accommodating said powder storing body;
- wherein walls of said box each has a contiguous side contiguous with an adjoining wall and a separate side and is capable of being developed in a form of a single sheet.
A method of framing a box included in a powder container, which is made up of a deformable powder storing body storing powder therein and said box more rigid than said powder storing body for accommodating said toner storing body, said method comprising the steps of:
- preparing the box developed in a form of a single sheet and having rectangular walls each having a contiguous side contiguous with an adjoining wall and a separate side, wherein one of said walls has four contiguous sides in both of an up-and-down direction and a right-and-left direction;
- positioning the box in a jig such that the walls contiguous with the one wall in the up-and-down direction are folded at an angle that forms a box;
- and
- folding the walls contiguous with the one wall in the right-and-left direction such that said walls meet the walls that are contiguous with the one wall in the up-and-down direction.
A method of reducing a volume of a deformable, powder storing body included in a powder container, which is made up of said powder storing body storing powder therein and a box more rigid than said powder storing body for accommodating said toner storing body, after substantially fully discharging said powder from said powder container, said method comprising the steps of:
- closing a powder outlet portion included in the powder storing body with closing means;
- and
- pressing the powder storing body in a direction in which said powder storing body collapses to thereby exhaust said powder storing body of air.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.