Multicolor developing device including expansion/contraction means for permitting a developing mechanism to move relative to its associated toner container

A multicolor developing device comprising a stationary frame member, a movable frame member so mounted on the stationary frame member as to be movable reciprocating in a predetermined direction by a moving means, and a number of developing mechanisms spaced in the predetermined direction and mounted on the movable frame member, each of the developing mechanisms being selectively positioned at a predetermined developing position when the movable frame member has been moved by the moving means, so that each developing mechanism performs developing in a different color,

• wherein
• a number of toner containers which is the same as the number of developing mechanisms are arranged in a fixed manner,
• a toner feeding means for feeding a toner held within a toner container into a developing mechanism is provided between each of the toner containers and each of the developing mechanisms corresponding to the toner containers,
• each of the toner feeding means includes a cylindrical member extending upwardly from a lower end portion of the toner container in the predetermined direction, a toner conveying means which is disposed within the cylindrical member and extends therealong and which is adapted to convey toner that has been supplied to the cylindrical member from the lower end portion of the toner container, to an upper end portion of the cylindrical member, and a toner dropping passage means for connecting the upper end portion of the cylindrical member with the developing mechanism and feeding the toner conveyed to the upper end portion of the cylindrical member into the developing mechanism,
• each toner conveying means is connected with a driving source which is actuated based on a toner feeding signal,
• each toner dropping passage means includes an expansion/contraction means adapted to extend substantially along the moving direction of the developing mechanisms,
• each expansion/contraction means is so constructed as to be expansible and contractible in the moving direction of the developing mechanisms in accordance with the reciprocating movement of the movable frame member, and
• a ventilating means, including a filter, for performing ventilation between the inside of the toner dropping passage means and the atmosphere is provided in the toner dropping passage means.

A multicolor developing device comprising a stationary frame member, a movable frame member so mounted on the stationary frame member as to be movable reciprocatingly in a vertical direction by a moving means, and a number of developing mechanisms spaced in a predetermined direction and mounted on the movable frame member, each of the developing mechanisms being selectively positioned at a predetermined developing position when the movable frame member has been moved by the moving means, so that each developing mechanism performs developing in a different color,

• wherein
• a number of toner containers which is the same as the number of developing mechanisms are arranged in a fixed manner,
• a toner feeding means for feeding a toner held within a toner container into a developing mechanism is provided between each of the toner containers and each of the developing mechanisms corresponding to the toner containers,
• each of the toner feeding means includes a cylindrical member extending upwardly from a lower end portion of the toner container in the vertical direction, a toner conveying means which is disposed within the cylindrical member and extends therealong and which is adapted to convey toner that has been supplied to the cylindrical member from the lower end portion of the toner container, to an upper end portion of the cylindrical member, and a toner dropping passage means for connecting the upper end portion of the cylindrical member to the developing mechanism and feeding the toner conveyed to the upper end portion of the cylindrical member into the developing mechanism,
• each toner conveying means is connected with a driving source which is actuated based on a toner feeding signal,
• each toner dropping passage means includes an expansion/contraction means adapted to extend substantially along the vertical moving direction of the developing mechanisms,
• each expansion/contraction means is so constructed as to be expansible and contractible in the vertical moving direction of the developing mechanisms in accordance with the reciprocating movement of the movable frame member, and
• a rotating blade means for forcing toner held in the toner container into the lower end portion of the cylindrical member is provided in the lower end portion of the toner container.