US 2013/0156475 A1Published application

Recovery unit and image forming apparatus

AssigneeKonica Minolta, Inc.

InventorTaisuke MINEMURA

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A reserve portion is an inner tube that reserves waste toner in a reserve space in a main body of the reserve portion, and includes a protrusion row on an outer peripheral surface. A recovery inlet is formed in an upper portion of the reserve portion. A container portion is an outer tube that incorporates the reserve portion. An inlet protruding the container portion is formed in a lower portion of a side wall of the container portion. A driving unit makes the reserve portion rotate with respect to the container portion about a rotational shaft integrally formed with the reserve portion via a docking gear. As the reserve portion rotates with respect to the container portion, the waste toner supplied to a conveyance path is conveyed from the inlet to the recovery inlet to be supplied to the reserve space.

Claims6

Dependent claims

A recovery unit configured to recover a waste developer conveyed from an image forming apparatus, comprising:

a reserve portion having a tubular shape, comprising a spiral protrusion row on an outer peripheral surface, and configured to reserve the waste developer in a reserve space inside the reserve portion;
a container portion having a tubular shape and a first opening on a side wall, and configured to incorporate the reserve portion;
and
a driving transmitter coupled to the reserve portion, and configured to transmit driving force to rotate the reserve portion about a rotational shaft,
wherein an external diameter of the reserve portion including the protrusion row is same as an internal diameter of the container portion, and
wherein, as the reserve portion rotates about the rotational shaft, the waste developer conveyed through the first opening is conveyed upward by the protrusion row in a conveyance path defined by the protrusion row, the outer peripheral surface of the reserve portion, and an inner peripheral surface of the container portion, and is contained in the reserve space through a second opening formed in an upper portion of the reserve portion.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 13/712,599Filed 12 Dec 2012
Priority: JP 2011-27409915 Dec 2011
Published: 20 Jun 2013
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification6 codes

G03G 21/12
Collecting or recycling waste developer: toner waste containers
G03G 21/0011
For removing solid developer or debris from the electrographic recording medium: using a blade; Details of cleaning blades, e.g. blade shape,…
G03G 21/10
Arrangements not provided for by groups G03G13/00 - G03G19/00, e.g. cleaning, elimination of residual charge: collecting or recycling waste developer
G03G 2221/1618
Mechanical means for facilitating the maintenance of the apparatus, e.g. modular arrangements and complete machine concepts: for the cleaning unit

Family

US 9,081,355 B2Related patent
US 2013/0156475 A1This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

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