US 7,890,027 B2Granted

Sealing member, toner accommodating container and image forming apparatus

AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha

InventorsYusuke Yamada, Yutaka Ban, Katsuya Murakami, Fumio Tazawa, Hironori Minagawa

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

A toner container detachably mountable to an image forming apparatus, includes a container body for containing toner and a coupling member. The coupling member includes a coupling portion provided at a side remote from the container body. The coupling portion includes a supporting portion which is elastically displaceable in an inward direction toward the axis of the container body and is elastically restorable in an outward direction away from such axis, an engaging portion configured and positioned to displace in an inward direction with the supporting portion and to engage with a slot of a hollow cylindrical driving member of the image forming apparatus when the supporting portion elastically restores in an outward direction, and a displacing force receiving portion configured and positioned to receive a force from a hollow cylinder of the image forming apparatus and cause the supporting portion to elastically displace in an inward direction.

Claims16

Dependent claims

A toner supply container detachably mountable to an assembly of an electrophotographic imaging forming apparatus having a hollow cylindrical driving member that has a slot formed therein, which slot extends in a circumferential direction and defines a plurality of interior surfaces of the hollow cylindrical driving member, and a hollow cylinder that is substantially concentric with the hollow cylindrical driving member, said toner supply container comprising:

i) a container body configured to contain toner and rotatable about an axis thereof;
and
ii) a coupling member provided at one axial end portion of said container body, said coupling member including:
ii-i) a coupling portion provided at a side remote from said container body and configured and positioned to receive a rotational drive force, said coupling portion including:
ii-i-i) a supporting portion, said supporting portion being elastically displaceable in an inward direction toward the axis of said container body and elastically restorable in an outward direction away from the axis of said container body;
ii-i-ii) an engaging portion provided at a free end of said supporting portion, said engaging portion configured and positioned to (a) displace in an inward direction with said supporting portion as said engaging portion enters the hollow cylindrical driving member and (b) engage with the slot of the hollow cylindrical driving member when said supporting portion elastically restores in an outward direction, said engaging portion including a rotational force receiving portion capable of being abutted in a circumferential direction of the hollow cylindrical driving member by at least a portion of a first interior surface of the hollow cylindrical driving member defined by the slot to receive a rotational drive force from the hollow cylindrical driving member to rotate said container body;
and
ii-i-iii) a displacing force receiving portion provided at a position closer to said container body than said engaging portion, said displacing force receiving portion configured and positioned to receive a force from the hollow cylinder and cause said supporting portion to elastically displace in an inward direction.

5 more elements

A toner supply container detachably mountable to an assembly of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus having a hollow cylindrical driving member that has a slot formed therein, which slot extends in a circumferential direction and defines a plurality of interior surfaces of the hollow cylindrical driving member, and a hollow cylinder that is substantially concentric with the hollow cylindrical driving member, said toner supply container comprising:

i) a container body configured to contain toner and rotatable about an axis thereof;
and
ii) a coupling member provided at one axial end portion of said container body, said coupling member including:
ii-i) a coupling portion provided at a side remote from said container body and configured and positioned to receive a rotational drive force, said coupling portion including:
ii-i-i) a supporting portion, said supporting portion being elastically displaceable in an inward direction toward the axis of said container body and elastically restorable in an outward direction away from the axis of said container body;
ii-i-ii) an engaging portion provided at a free end of said supporting portion, said engaging portion configured and positioned to (a) displace in an inward direction with said supporting portion as said engaging portion enters the hollow cylindrical driving member and (b) engage with the slot of the hollow cylindrical driving member when said supporting portion elastically restores in an outward direction, said engaging portion including a rotational force receiving portion capable of being abutted in a circumferential direction of the hollow cylindrical driving member by at least a portion of a first interior surface of the hollow cylindrical driving member defined by the slot to receive a rotational drive force from the hollow cylindrical driving member to rotate said container body;
and
ii-i-iii) a displacing force receiving portion provided at a position closer to said container body than said engaging portion, said displacing force receiving portion configured and positioned to receive a force from the hollow cylinder and cause said supporting portion to elastically displace in an inward direction,
wherein a radially outermost part of said displacing force receiving portion is more remote from a rotation axis of said coupling portion than a radially outermost part of said engaging portion.

6 more elements

A toner supply system comprising:

i) an assembly of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, said assembly including:
i-i) a hollow cylindrical driving member that has a slot formed therein, which slot extends in a circumferential direction and defines a plurality of interior surfaces of said hollow cylindrical driving member;
and
i-ii) a hollow cylinder that is substantially concentric with said hollow cylindrical driving member;
and
ii) a toner supply container detachably mountable to said assembly, said toner supply container including:
ii-i) a container body configured to contain toner and rotatable about an axis thereof;
and
ii-ii) a coupling member provided at one axial end portion of said container body, said coupling member including:
ii-ii-i) a coupling portion provided at a side remote from said container body and configured and positioned to receive a rotational drive force, said coupling portion including:
ii-ii-i-i) a supporting portion, said supporting portion being elastically displaceable in an inward direction toward the axis of said container body and elastically restorable in an outward direction away from the axis of said container body;
ii-ii-i-ii) an engaging portion provided at a free end of said supporting portion, said engaging portion configured and positioned to (a) displace in an inward direction with said supporting portion as said engaging portion enters said hollow cylindrical driving member and (b) engage with the slot of said hollow cylindrical driving member when said supporting portion elastically restores in an outward direction, said engaging portion including a rotational force receiving portion capable of being abutted in a circumferential direction of said hollow cylindrical driving member by at least a portion of a first interior surface of said hollow cylindrical driving member defined by the slot to receive a rotational drive force from said hollow cylindrical driving member to rotate said container body;
and
ii-ii-i-iii) a displacing force receiving portion provided at a position closer to said container body than said engaging portion, said displacing force receiving portion configured and positioned to receive a force from said hollow cylinder and cause said supporting portion to elastically displace in an inward direction.

11 more elements

A toner supply system comprising:

i) an assembly of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, said assembly including:
i-i) a hollow cylindrical driving member that has a slot formed therein, which slot extends in a circumferential direction and defines a plurality of interior surfaces of said hollow cylindrical driving member;
and
i-ii) a hollow cylinder that is substantially concentric with said hollow cylindrical driving member;
and
ii) a toner supply container detachably mountable to said assembly, said toner supply container including:
ii-i) a container body configured to contain toner and rotatable about an axis thereof;
and
ii-ii) a coupling member provided at one axial end portion of said container body, said coupling member including:
ii-ii-i) a coupling portion provided at a side remote from said container body and configured and positioned to receive a rotational drive force, said coupling portion including:
ii-ii-i-i) a supporting portion, said supporting portion being elastically displaceable in an inward direction toward the axis of said container body and elastically restorable in an outward direction away from the axis of said container body;
ii-ii-i-ii) an engaging portion provided at a free end of said supporting portion, said engaging portion configured and positioned to (a) displace in an inward direction with said supporting portion as said engaging portion enters said hollow cylindrical driving member and (b) engage with the slot of said hollow cylindrical driving member when said supporting portion elastically restores in an outward direction, said engaging portion including a rotational force receiving portion capable of being abutted in a circumferential direction of said hollow cylindrical driving member by at least a portion of a first interior surface of said hollow cylindrical driving member defined by the slot to receive a rotational drive force from said hollow cylindrical driving member to rotate said container body;
and
ii-ii-i-iii) a displacing force receiving portion provided at a position closer to said container body than said engaging portion, said displacing force receiving portion configured and positioned to receive a force from said hollow cylinder and cause said supporting portion to elastically displace in an inward direction,
wherein a radially outermost part of said displacing force receiving portion is more remote from a rotation axis of said coupling portion than a radially outermost part of said engaging portion.

12 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 12/615,012Filed 9 Nov 2009 · division
Priority: JP 2001-04253619 Feb 2001
Published: US 2010/0046982 A125 Feb 2010
Granted: 15 Feb 2011
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification13 codes

G03G 15/0881
Arrangements for metering and dispensing developer from a developer cartridge into the development unit: sealing of developer cartridges
G03G 15/0868
Cylindrical developer cartridges, e.g. toner bottles for the developer replenishing opening: toner cartridges fulfilling a continuous function…
G03G 15/0872
Developer cartridges having a longitudinal rotational axis, around which at least one part is rotated when mounting or using the cartridge: the…
G03G 15/0877
Arrangements for preparing, mixing, supplying or dispensing developer: arrangements for metering and dispensing developer from a developer…

Family

Application10/076,430Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 19 Feb 2002
Application10/429,741Parent of this division · filed 6 May 2003
US 6,879,789 B2Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 12 Apr 2005
Application11/200,179Parent of this division · filed 10 Aug 2005
US 6,990,301 B2Parent of this division · filed 24 Jan 2006
Application12/169,895Parent of this division · filed 9 Jul 2008
US 7,430,384 B2Parent of this division · filed 30 Sep 2008
US 7,647,012 B2Parent of this division · filed 12 Jan 2010
US 2010/0046982 A1Pre-grant publication · published 25 Feb 2010
Application10/429,741Parent of this continuation-in-part
US 2002/0127029 A1Published application
US 2004/0009006 A1Published application
US 2006/0008290 A1Published application
US 2009/0003872 A1Published application
US 7,890,027 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.