Toner container and air stream delivering mechanism
AssigneeRicoh Company, Ltd.
InventorsSeiji Terazawa, Tetsuya Kusano, Satoshi Muramatsu, Nobuo Kasahara, Fumio Ogata, Takeshi Tamaru
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
In an image forming apparatus, atoner container removably set on the apparatus and a developing section included in the apparatus are communicated to each other by a delivery passage. Toner can be delivered from the toner container to the developing section via the delivery passage by a stream of air even when the container and developing section are located at remote positions.
Claims50
A toner container for an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, comprising:
- a sack formed of a flexible material;
- a toner outlet implemented by a tubular body for discharging toner;
- and
- a mating portion for allowing said toner outlet to mate with an elongated member and remain in a mating position with said elongated member, said elongated member extending into the toner container, the mating portion forming a sealing enclosure around the elongated member;
- said sack being deformable in accordance with an air pressure to thereby vary a capacity thereof;
- wherein assuming that said toner container is packed with toner to a packing density determined by dividing a weight (g) of the toner by a capacity (cm3) of said toner container, said packing density is 0.7 g/cm3or less.
A toner container for an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, comprising:
- a sack formed of a flexible material;
- a toner outlet implemented by a tubular body for discharging toner;
- and
- a mating portion for allowing said toner outlet to mate with an elongated member and remain in a mating position;
- said sack being deformable in accordance with an air pressure to thereby vary a capacity thereof;
- wherein assuming that said toner container is packed with toner, that said toner container has a maximum capacity Cmax, and that said toner container packed with the toner and sealed has a capacity Ctoner+Cair where Ctoner and Cair respectively denote a capacity occupied by the toner and a capacity occupied by air, said toner container is packed with the toner to satisfy a relation:
- (Cmax)−{(Ctoner)+(Cair)}≧0.1×(Cair).
A toner container for an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, comprising:
- a sack formed of a flexible material;
- a toner outlet implemented by a tubular body for discharging toner;
- a mating portion for allowing said toner outlet to mate with an elongated member and remain in a mating position;
- and a tight contact enhancing mechanism for enhancing tight contact between said mating portion and the elongated member, the elongated member extending into the toner container, the tight contact enhancing mechanism forming a sealing enclosure around the elongated member;
- said sack being packed with toner and deformable in accordance with an air pressure to thereby vary a capacity thereof;
- wherein assuming that said toner container is packed with toner to a packing density determined by dividing a weight (g) of the toner by a capacity (cm3) of said toner container, said packing density is 0.7 g/cm3or less.
A toner container for an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, comprising:
- a sack formed of a flexible material;
- a toner outlet implemented by a tubular body for discharging toner;
- a mating portion for allowing said toner outlet to mate with an elongated member and remain in a mating position;
- and
- a tight contact enhancing mechanism for enhancing tight contact between said mating portion and the elongated member;
- said sack being packed with toner and deformable in accordance with an air pressure to thereby vary a capacity thereof;
- wherein assuming that said toner container is packed with toner, that said toner container has a maximum capacity Cmax, and that said toner container packed with the toner and sealed has a capacity Ctoner+Cair where Ctoner and Cair respectively denote a capacity occupied by the toner and a capacity occupied by air, said toner container is packed with the toner to satisfy a relation:
- (Cmax)−{(Ctoner)+(Cair)}≧0.1×(Cair).
An electrophotographic image forming method comprising:
- setting a toner container packed with toner and including a toner outlet, on an image forming apparatus including a developing section;
- setting up a toner delivery passage between said toner container and said developing section, the toner delivery passage including an elongated member that extends into the toner container, the toner outlet of the toner container forming a sealing enclosure with the elongated member;
- and
- delivering the toner from said toner container to said developing section via said toner delivery path with an air stream.
An image forming apparatus using a toner container including a toner outlet implemented by a tubular body, a mating portion for allowing said toner outlet to mate with an elongated member and an air inlet, said image forming apparatus comprising:
- a developing section;
- and
- a toner conduit including air flow generating means;
- said air inlet of said toner container being connected to one end of said toner conduit while said toner outlet being connected to said developing section, said elongated member extending into the toner container, the mating portion of the toner container forming a sealing enclosure with the elongated member.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.