Developer container and image forming apparatus
AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorNoritomo Yamaguchi
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A developer container includes: a developer accommodating chamber that accommodates developer and is provided with a discharge port for discharging the accommodated developer to outside of the developer container; a filter that allows passage of air and prevents passage of the developer; and an air chamber partitioned from the developer accommodating chamber by the filter and provided with an air receiving port for receiving air, the air chamber being aligned with the developer accommodating chamber in a first direction, wherein the discharge port and the air receiving port are both provided on an end surface of the developer container in a direction from the air chamber toward the developer accommodating chamber in the first direction.
Claims28
A developer container, comprising:
- a developer accommodating chamber that accommodates developer and is provided with a discharge port for discharging the accommodated developer to outside of the developer container;
- a filter that allows passage of air and prevents passage of the developer;
- and
- an air chamber partitioned from the developer accommodating chamber by the filter and provided with an air receiving port for receiving air, the air chamber being aligned with the developer accommodating chamber in a first direction,
- wherein the discharge port and the air receiving port are both provided on an end surface of the developer container in a direction from the air chamber toward the developer accommodating chamber in the first direction.
An image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording material, the image forming apparatus comprising:
- an apparatus main body having a main body accommodating portion that accommodates developer and a mounting portion;
- and
- a developer container mounted, by being moved in an attachment direction, to the mounting portion, the developer container being configured to be detached by being moved in a detachment direction opposite to the attachment direction,
- wherein the developer container comprises:
- a developer accommodating chamber that accommodates developer and is provided with a discharge port for discharging the accommodated developer to outside of the developer container;
- a filter that allows passage of air and prevents passage of the developer;
- and
- an air chamber partitioned from the developer accommodating chamber by the filter and provided with an air receiving port for receiving air, the air chamber being aligned with the developer accommodating chamber in a first direction,
- wherein the apparatus main body comprises:
- a developer conveyance passage configured such that one end portion communicates with inside of the main body accommodating portion and another end portion is provided with a developer receiving port, the developer conveyance passage being configured such that the developer receiving port communicates with the discharge port of the developer container mounted at a predetermined position of the mounting portion;
- an air supply passage provided with an air supply port, the air supply passage being configured to communicate with the air receiving port of the developer container mounted at the predetermined position of the mounting portion;
- and
- an air supply portion that supplies air to the air chamber from the air receiving port of the developer container via the air supply passage, and
- wherein the discharge port and the air receiving port are both provided on an end surface of the developer container in a direction from the air chamber toward the developer accommodating chamber in the first direction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.