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US 5,515,143 AGranted
Toner cartridge with seal body capped unit
AssigneeSharp Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorTakashi Shiotani
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A toner cartridge including an engaging protrusion and an engaging concavity on a capped unit formed at one end surface of a container, and on a seal cap capped rotatably on the capped unit, a rotating range limiting opening into which the engaging protrusion fits and a stopping claw disallowing the seal cap to rotate by fitting into the engaging concavity to keep a toner replenishing opening closed. The user can not rotate the seal cap unless he presses down the stopping claw, and thus erroneous toner leakage or scattering can be prevented.
Claims11
A toner cartridge comprising:
- a cylindrical container for withholding toner inside thereof;
- a seal body capped unit of a circular cross-sectional shape formed at one end of said container, said seal body capped unit having a toner replenishing opening;
- a seal body for capping an outer circumference surface of said seal body capped unit, said seal body being rotatable between a closing position where said seal body seals said toner replenishing opening and an opening position where said seal body opens said toner replenishing opening;
- an engaging protrusion formed on the outer circumference surface of said seal body capped unit;
- a moving range limiting unit, formed on said seal body into which said engaging protrusion fits, for limiting a relative moving range of said engaging protrusion from the closing position to the opening position;
- an engaging concavity unit formed on said seal body capped unit;
- a press operating unit formed on said seal body, said press operating unit extending outwards from an outer surface of said seal body;
- and
- a rotation limiting unit, having a communication with said press operating unit, so that said rotation limiting unit releases an engagement with said engaging concavity unit when an external pressure is applied to said press operating unit, for limiting a rotation of said seal body by engaging with said engaging concavity when said seal body is at the closing position.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.