Patent · US Expired

Developer replenishing device and developer container for use therewith

US5627631A · kind A · utility

58Cited by
28References
7Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJan 17, 1996
Grant dateMay 6, 1997
Priority date
Expiry dateJan 17, 2016

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY10S222/01
  • WIPO fieldOptics
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A developer replenishing device for replenishing a developing device with a developer, and a developer container for use therewith. The developer container, or toner bottle, has a mouth portion at one end thereof which is smaller in diameter than a hollow cylindrical main body. At the end of the bottle provided with the mouth, a shoulder has the inner periphery thereof partly raised to the edge of the mouth portion to form a raised portion for scooping up a toner. In addition, a part of the inner periphery of the circumferential wall of the bottle which is contiguous with the raised portion is also raised toward the axis of the bottle about which the bottle is rotatable, thereby forming another raised portion. When the bottle is mounted to a bottle holder, which is included in the replenishing device, substantially horizontally with the mouth portion oriented sideways, the bottle is rotated to raise the toner from the bottom of the main body to the mouth portion. As a result, the toner is discharged to the outside via the mouth portion smoothly.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.