Image forming apparatus including toner transporting member and toner container including toner transporting member
View Patent ↗An image forming apparatus includes: a cylindrically-shaped feed portion that is fed with toner from above; a transport path including an inlet through which the toner transported from the feed portion enters and transporting the toner therethrough; and a transporting member including a rotary shaft provided to extend from the feed portion to the transport path, the rotary shaft being provided with a small-diameter portion on an upstream side thereof and a large-diameter portion on a downstream side thereof in the toner transport direction, and transports the toner along the transport path, the large-diameter portion being provided inside the transport path, the large-diameter portion having an end portion on the upstream side thereof in the toner transport direction to be connected to the small-diameter portion, the end portion being provided on a side of the feed portion of the inlet of the transport path in the toner transport direction.
1. An image forming apparatus comprising:
a feed portion that is fed with toner from above;
a transport path that includes an inlet through which the toner transported from the feed portion enters, that allows the toner to be transported therethrough, and that is in a cylindrical shape,
a transport path forming member having the feed portion and the transport path, wherein the transport path forming member has a uniform diameter throughout the feed portion and the transport path; and
a transporting member that includes a rotary shaft provided to extend from the feed portion to the transport path, the rotary shaft being provided with a small-diameter portion on an upstream side thereof in a toner transport direction and a large-diameter portion on a downstream side thereof in the toner transport direction, and transports along the transport path the toner fed to the feed portion,
the large-diameter portion of the transporting member being provided partly inside the transport path, the large-diameter portion having an end portion on the upstream side thereof in the toner transport direction to be connected to the small-diameter portion, the end portion being provided on a side of the feed portion of the inlet of the transport path in the toner transport direction.
2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the end portion of the large-diameter portion is provided on the downstream side in the toner transport direction inside the feed portion.
3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the rotary shaft of the transporting member further includes, between the small-diameter portion and the large-diameter portion, a part having an outer diameter that increases with a move toward the downstream side in the toner transport direction.
4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the rotary shaft of the transporting member further includes, between the small-diameter portion and the large-diameter portion, a part having an outer circumferential surface that gets away from a center of the rotary shaft with a move in a circumferential direction of the rotary shaft.
5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a toner containing portion that contains toner and feeds the toner to the feed portion,
wherein the toner containing portion has an opening on a bottom portion thereof, and causes the toner contained therein to fall down from the opening, thus feeding the toner to the feed portion.
6. A toner container comprising:
a containing portion that contains toner;
a feed portion provided beneath the containing portion and fed with toner from the containing portion,
a transport path forming member having the feed portion and the transport path, wherein the transport path forming member has a uniform diameter throughout the feed portion and the transport path;
a transport path that includes an inlet through which the toner transported from the feed portion enters, that allows the toner to be transported therethrough, and that is in a cylindrical shape; and
a transporting member that includes a rotary shaft provided to extend from the feed portion to the transport path, the rotary shaft being provided with a small-diameter portion on an upstream side thereof in a toner transport direction and a large-diameter portion on a downstream side thereof in the toner transport direction, and transports along the transport path the toner fed to the feed portion,
a part of the large-diameter portion of the transporting member being provided partly inside the transport path, the large-diameter portion having an end portion on the upstream side thereof in the toner transport direction to be connected to the small-diameter portion, the end portion being provided on a side of the feed portion of the inlet of the transport path in the toner transport direction.
7. The toner container according to claim 6 , wherein
the containing portion has an opening on a bottom portion thereof, and causes the toner contained therein to fall down from the opening, thus feeding the toner to the feed portion.