Image forming apparatus and toner container therefor
AssigneeRicoh Company, Ltd.
InventorsTakaaki Yanagisawa, Tomotoshi Nakahara, Masumi Sato, Kazuhisa Sudo, Yoshio Hattori, Kouta Fujimori
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An image forming apparatus of the present invention includes a mount portion in which a toner container is expected to be set from above. When the toner container set in the mount portion runs out of toner, a spring causes the toner container to hop up away from a position where it is set. This promotes easy handling of the toner container in a limited space available in the apparatus.
Claims24
An image forming apparatus, comprising:
- a body;
- a mount portion included in said body and configured to mount a toner container storing toner from above said mount portion;
- releasing means for releasing the toner container from a position where said toner container is set in said mount portion;
- and
- biasing means for constantly biasing the toner container upward, said biasing means supported by said mount portion, the biasing means exerting a force insufficient to change a position of a toner container completely filled with toner.
An image forming apparatus, comprising:
- a mount portion configured to mount a toner container storing toner;
- a biasing means for constantly biasing the toner container upwards, said biasing means supported by said mount portion, the biasing means exerting a force insufficient to change a position of a toner container completely filled with toner;
- a stop engageable with the toner container and configured to lock said toner container set in said mount portion against an action of a biasing means;
- and
- moving means for selectively moving said stop between a locking position for locking the toner container and an unlocking position for unlocking said toner container.
A toner container device storing toner, comprising:
- a toner container configured to removably mount to a mount portion included in an image forming apparatus, said toner container is mounted to said mounted portion from above and released from said mount portion upward;
- and
- biasing means for constantly biasing said toner container upward, the biasing means exerting a force insufficient to change a position of a toner container completely filled with toner.
An image forming apparatus including a mount portion for allowing a toner container, which stores toner, to be removably mounted from above for thereby replenishing said toner to a developing device, said image forming apparatus comprising:
- a nozzle extending upward from the mount portion;
- shutter means included in the toner container and closed by a resilient member that exerts a force outward of said toner container;
- and
- pushing means for pushing the toner container set in the mount portion upward;
- wherein the force of said resilient member is used as a biasing force of said pushing means, the force being insufficient to change a position of a toner container completely filled with toner.
An image forming apparatus, comprising:
- a body;
- a mount portion disposed within said body and configured to mount a toner container storing toner from above said mount portion;
- a release member configured to release the toner container from a position where said toner container is set in said mount portion;
- and
- a biasing member supported by said mount portion and configured to constantly bias the toner container upward, the biasing member exerting a force insufficient to change a position of a toner container completely filled with toner.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.