| US 7,577,379 B2 | ||
| Toner container, toner supply device and image forming apparatus | ||
| Emi Kita, Tokyo (Japan); Takeroh Kurenuma, Yokosuka (Japan); Kiyonori Tsuda, Yokohama (Japan); Masayuki Yamane, Zama (Japan); Nobuyuki Taguchi, Kawasaki (Japan); Kazuhisa Sudo, Kawasaki (Japan); Satoshi Narumi, Yokohama (Japan); Fumio Ogata, Fuji (Japan); Seiji Terazawa, Mishima (Japan); Kenzo Tatsumi, Toyonaka (Japan); and Keisuke Katoh, Numazu (Japan) | ||
| Assigned to Ricoh Company, Ltd., Tokyo (Japan) | ||
| Filed on Feb. 16, 2007, as Appl. No. 11/676,003. | ||
| Application 11/676003 is a division of application No. 11/255872, filed on Oct. 24, 2005, granted, now 7,184,691. | ||
| Claims priority of application No. 2004-324976 (JP), filed on Nov. 09, 2004; application No. 2004-331142 (JP), filed on Nov. 15, 2004; and application No. 2004-380959 (JP), filed on Dec. 28, 2004. | ||
| Prior Publication US 2007/0140747 A1, Jun. 21, 2007 | ||
| This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer. | ||
| Int. Cl. G03G 15/08 (2006.01) | ||
| U.S. Cl. 399—120 [399/262] | 9 Claims |
| 1. A toner container for installation in a toner supply device, comprising:
a toner accommodation member having an opening, and a connection member attached to the opening and having a toner supply
opening; and
a cap member attachable to and detachable from the toner accommodation member, and having a cap member opening configured
to receive toner supplied from the toner supply opening of the connection member of the toner accommodation member and to
discharge the received toner,
wherein:
either of the connection member of the toner accommodation member and the cap member includes a protrusion part and the other
includes an engaging part to engage with the protrusion part, and the cap member is attached to the toner accommodation member
by engaging the protrusion part and the engaging part with each other,
the protrusion part elastically deforms during engagement with the engaging part,
the protrusion part engages with the engaging part along a longitudinal direction of the engaging part, and a tip in the longitudinal
direction of the engaging part is formed broader than an inner side of the engaging part.
an internal surface of an end part of the engaging part has a tapered shape which is narrower toward the inner side of the
engaging part from the tip thereof.
a tip in a longitudinal direction of the protrusion part is narrower than a base side thereof,
an end part of an outer border of the protrusion part has a tapered shape which is broader toward the base side of the protrusion
part from the tip thereof,
the protrusion part is configured to engage with the engaging part by rotating the cap member relative to the connection member,
said tapered shapes of the protrusion and engaging part including tapered portions, respectively, said tapered portions having
leading ends, and
said tapered portions engaging with each other when the leading ends contact each other and the cap is rotated,
said toner container further comprising a cylindrical toner guide protrusion protruding from the cap member at a center of
the cap member and configured to guide toner when toner is dispensed, said cylindrical toner guide protrusion providing a
rotational center when the cap is rotated,
said cylindrical toner guide protrusion serving as a guide when the cap is attached to the toner accommodation member,
said tapered portions being arranged on a cap side and a bottle side around the cylindrical toner guide protrusion.
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