EP0431110B1

EP0431110B1 - Container for particulate material

Info

Publication number: EP0431110B1
Application number: EP90908909A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Frank C/O Eastman Kodak Company Hacknauer; Kenneth Dean C/O Eastman Kodak Company Corby; Ronald Roy C/O Eastman Kodak Company Vacek
Original assignee: Eastman Kodak Co
Current assignee: Eastman Kodak Co
Priority date: 1989-06-02
Filing date: 1990-05-30
Publication date: 1993-12-22
Anticipated expiration: 2010-05-30
Also published as: DE69005425T2; JPH04500283A; JP2927947B2; DE69005425D1; EP0431110A1; WO1990015366A1

Abstract

A container (2) for supplying toner to a receiving apparatus (1) of a copier or printer includes a containing portion (3) having an opening (9) in its bottom. A cover (25) for the opening (9) is slidable between positions covering and uncovering the opening. The cover includes a hinge (35) permitting rotating a major portion (11) of the cover to an unprotruding position when the cover is not covering the opening. The receiving apparatus (1) for the toner container has a toner cavity (20) over which the containing portion of the container is slid. To prevent skiving of toner into the workings of the machine, a guide means (40) forces at least the leading part of the containing portion through a higher path with respect to the cavity as it moves over the cavity than the path it takes moving back to a position beside the cavity. The toner container includes extensions (10) at the leading edges of flanges (5) on opposite sides of the container opening for cooperating with the guide means of the apparatus. Two different toners are supplied in essentially the same design of the container. One of two protrusions (7, 17) from opposite sides of the container is removed according to the toner contained therein. The receiving apparatus (1) for the container has an interfering means (8, 18) positioned to mate with each protrusion. The appropriate interfering structure is removed to customize the receiving apparatus for the correct container.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to a container for particulate material, and more particularly, to a container for supplying toner and other material to a receiving device therefor in a copier, printer, or other such apparatus.

BACKGROUND ART

U.S. Patent No. 4,062,385, issued December 13, 1977 to Katusha et al, shows a toner container with a broad flange at the bottom around an opening through which toner can be emptied. A cover for the container is slidably retained against the flange so that it can be moved between positions covering the opening and uncovering the opening. The container is usable with appropriate receiving apparatus on a copier. It is placed on a slide structure next to a toner sump cavity on the receiving apparatus. As the container is slid over the sump cavity the cover is retained on the slide by suitable detent means between the cover and the slide and sump. When the container is empty and to be removed it is slid back onto the cover so that it may be removed and disposed of without dirtying the operator or the apparatus.
This structure has been used extensively commercially and has successfully accomplished its mission of supplying toner in a clean environment. However, the slide and cover protrude substantially from the sump. To prevent the slide from interfering with the front door of the apparatus, the commercial use of this structure positions the slide parallel to the door, so that the container's movement is substantially parallel to that front door of the apparatus. This requires substantial room on one side of the receiving apparatus in the copier, which in fact has been available.
It would be desirable to use this toner container cover removing system in newer apparatus having a number of development stations, for example, apparatus capable of making multicolored reproductions. Unfortunately, such apparatus receives several, for example, as many as four, toner containers, one next to the other. Thus, the adjacent toner containers do not permit placement of the slide parallel to the front door and movement of the toner container off its cover in a direction parallel to the front door.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a container for supplying toner to a receiving apparatus which utilizes the covering and uncovering feature of the prior art mentioned above but which eliminates the protruding aspect of the cover and slide so that the cover is positioned in more compact space than the prior art.
According to the present invention, there is provided a container for supplying toner to a receiving apparatus as defined in claim 1.
Essentially, the container for supplying toner according to the present invention comprises a hinge in the cover permitting a portion of the cover to be bent around the hinge when the cover is not covering the opening.
A preferred embodiment of the container for supplying toner to a receiving apparatus is described in the detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings and claimed in the dependent claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the invention:
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a toner container and a receiving apparatus constructed according to the invention.
Fig. 2 is a top section of a portion of a toner container with its cover in a removed position with a few portions of a toner sump shown.
Fig. 3 is a front view of the bottom portion of the toner container and cover shown in Fig. 2 with a few portions of the toner sump shown.
Fig. 4 is a side view of the toner container and cover shown in Fig. 2.
Fig. 5 is a top view of a toner sump, portions of which are shown in in Figs. 2, 3 and 4.
Figs. 6 and 7 are top and front simplified views of a toner container--receiving apparatus interface illustrating the use of toner identification tabs for a first toner.
Figs. 8 and 9 are top and front schematic views similar to Figs. 6 and 7 illustrating the use of toner identification tabs for a second toner.

BEST MODE OF CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Referring to Fig. 1 a toner sump 1 is positioned to receive a toner container 2. In Fig. 1 the toner container 2 is shown without a cover, which cover is shown in Figs. 2-5 and described below. The toner container 2 has a containing portion 3 for holding a supply of toner. The toner may include carrier particles for use in a two component process or include only toner for either a one or two component process. A bottom, interface portion 4 of the container portion 3 surrounds an opening 9 in the containing portion 3. Interface portion 4 includes an insert flange 5, a handle 6, and a protrusion from a side wall of the interface portion, toner identification tab 7 (described in more detail with respect to Figs. 6-9). The leading end of insert flange 5 includes lateral extensions 10 which extend away from opening 9 (their function to be explained below). Ordinarily, the interface portions 4 of various size containing portions 3 would be identical.
Toner sump 1 includes a receiving surface 15 (see also Fig. 5) for receiving and guiding the bottom surface of insert flange 5 as the toner container 2 is moved to a position on the sump 1. The sump 1 includes a toner or sump cavity 20 for receiving toner from the container where it is mixed with carrier particles and fed to a development mechanism all by means well-known in the art and not shown herein. Side guides 21 having overhangs 22 help guide flange 5 as it is slid by the operator into position with opening 9 over cavity 20. Receiving surface 15 has an ingress surface portion 16 and a surface portion 44 generally alongside cavity 20. Once in position, overhangs 22 hold flange 5 to surface portion 44.
Referring to Figs. 2-5, a rigid plastic cover 25 is held on flange 5 by angled side rails 26. Protrusions 29 engage the front of flange 5 when the cover is on the container 2. As seen best in Fig. 2, cover 25 includes a first portion 27 which has indents 28 or other suitable detent means and a second portion 11. Indents 28 allow the first portion 27 of the cover to be positioned behind protrusions 30 (Figs. 1, 2 and 5) on ingress surface 16. The indents 28 cooperate with the protrusions 30 to prevent cover 25 from moving with flange 5 as the container 2 is moved by the operator rearward to a position with opening 9 over the sump cavity 20 as guided in part by receiving surface 15, side guides 21 and the inner surfaces of protrusions 30. Thus, the containing portion 3 of container 2 is slid away from cover 25 when the containing portion is moved over cavity 20.
As shown best in Fig. 4, once the toner container 2 is positioned over the sump cavity 20 the cover 25 extends substantially to the left from the interface portion 4 of the container 2. In prior devices, it was common to move the toner container in a direction parallel to the front door of the apparatus into which it was being inserted, which meant that the cover did not interfere with closing of the door. However, the toner supply system shown herein is designed for apparatus with a number of development stations placed side-by-side. With such an arrangement it is not structurally possible to move the toner container according to the prior art, because it will be restricted by the toner container next to it.
Accordingly, the toner container shown in Fig. 1 is designed to be inserted directly from the front of the machine toward the back of the machine leaving the cover 25 in a position in which it can interfere with closing the front door of the apparatus. To solve this problem, the cover 25 itself includes a hinge 35 across the direction of movement of the containing portion 3 about which the second portion 11 may be rotated to a position shown in phantom in Fig. 4, where it is out of the way and not restricting of the rest of the apparatus, i.e., it allows the front door of the apparatus to be closed. The hinge can be a conventional thinning of the plastic cover.
After the toner bottle is empty, the cover 25 is lowered to its extended position shown best in Figs. 2 and 4, and the toner container is slid back out onto the cover (a position beside or to the side of the sump cavity) for removal and disposal with a minimum loss of unused toner and a minimum of dirtying the person and clothing of the operator.
Fig. 5 shows a gate 50 which can be swung open to permit access to the sump for the container 2. After the containing portion 3 has been moved over the sump cavity 20 and the cover 25 has been bent about hinge 35 to its raised position, the gate 50 is closed and lodged behind a detent 51 where it holds the cover in its raised position. The gate 50 also pushes the cover into container 2 assuring that container 2 is completely inserted over sump cavity 20.
The invention has been described in detail with particular reference to a preferred embodiment thereof, but it will be understood that variations and modifications can be effected within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

A container for supplying toner to a receiving apparatus, said container having:
a containing portion (3) having an opening (9) and an interface portion (4) surrounding said opening, and
a cover (25) engaging said interface portion for covering the opening, the cover being slidable relative to the interface portion from a covering position to an uncovering position,
characterized by a hinge (35) in the cover (25) permitting a portion of the cover to be bent around said hinge when said cover is not covering said opening (9).
A container according to claim 1, characterized in that said interface portion (4) includes a flange (5) adjoining the opening and forming the bottom surface of the containing portion and positionable on a surface (15) surrounding a sump cavity (20) which cavity is for receiving toner from a container positioned above the cavity, said cover (25) being engageable with said flange (5) and slidable with respect to said flange from a position covering said opening (9) when said container is not above said sump cavity (20) to a position uncovering said opening (9) when said container is on said sump cavity, said hinge (35) permitting bending a major part of said cover (25) around said hinge to a position generally vertical when said cover is in an uncovering position and said container is over said cavity (20).
A container according to claim 2, characterized in that said cover (25) includes means (26) for slidably engaging said flange (5) to retain said cover against the bottom surface of said flange but permit sliding of the cover (25) with respect to said flange (5) between positions covering and uncovering said opening (9), said cover (25) further including detent means (28) from at least one lateral edge of said cover and engageable with a complementary detent means (30) of a receiving apparatus to prevent movement of the cover (25), with respect to the apparatus, while the containing portion (3) is being slid to a position over said sump cavity (20).