Powder container

Abstract

 A powder container wherein a cover (3) for opening part (1a) for letting contained powder flow out sealed by a film-like sealing member 2 is moved to open so that the sealing member (2) is peeled off with the motion of opening of said cover (3). One end of the sealing member (2) is connected to the cover (3) and the other end thereof to the container (1). The cover 3 is slidable along a bottom surface of the opening part (1a) of the container (1). The cover (3) is provided with a lever member (4) having a movable arm (4a) and an acting arm (4b), which peels off the sealing member (2) as the cover (3) slides.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to an improvement in a container which contains powder, such as toner, used for a reproducing machine, and in particular, it relates to an improvement in a container whose opening part for letting the contained powder flow out, is sealed by a film-like sealing member and opened to let the powder flow out for supply by peeling off the sealing member.

[0002] Such a powder container as described above has so far been employed widely, since the structure of its opening part is simple and its sealing is complete in comparison with a container whose opening part is sealed with a cover. It has been used frequently, in particular, as a toner supplying container, since the sealing member is peeled off for supplying toner after the container is set on a reproducing machine or the like and thereby the occurrence of stain due to the scattering of the toner can be prevented with ease. Although a cover is used also for such a container, it is for protecting the sealing member, and therefore it is removed before the sealing member is peeled off so as to let the powder flow out from the container. For the toner container of this type, accordingly, it becomes necessary to provide the reproducing machine or the like with an appropriate means for peeling off the sealing member after the container is set on the machine or the like. The simplest means for this purpose is a slit member which is provided near a flap for putting the container in and out of the reproducing machine or the like and through which folded back one end of the sealing member is drawn out of the machine or the like. By this means, the sealing member can be peeled off by drawing out one end thereof outside of the machine. In order to conduct this operation successfully, however, it becomes necessary for the sealing member to have a long folded back part, which is liable to cause the damage of the sealing member, since the direction of peeling off is apt to deflect and thereby the sealing member is rubbed against its wall. In addition, the end of the member needs to be drawn out by twice the length of the opening part of the container so that the part is fully opened, and this causesa problem that the sealing member is apt to be broken while it is peeled off. Furthermore, there are problems of disposal of the sealing member which has been peeled off and of stain due to the toner sticking to the sealing member, and further a more important problem that the toner remaining in a used container spills therefrom and stains the surroundings when the container is taken out of the reproducing machine or the like.

[0003] To solve these problems in the conventional containers, such new problems would arise that a means for peeling off the sealing member, etc. in the reproducing machine or the like becomes complicated and that the reproducing machine or the like becomes large-sized.

[0004] The present invention has been designed to solve said problems, and therefore, the first purpose of the present invention is to furnish a container which is free from the possibility of the sealing member being damaged and makes it possible to peel off simply the sealing member without any provision of a complicated means on the reproducing machine or the like. The second purpose of the present invention is to furnish a container whose sealing member can be peeled off with no need of subsequent troublesome disposal thereof, and which causes no spilling of toner when it is used up and taken out.

[0005] Regarding a powder container whose opening part, for letting the contained powder flow out, is sealed by a film-like sealing member and opened to let the powder flow out for supply by peeling off the sealing member, the powder container of the present invention is characterized in that a cover for said sealed opening part is provided in engagement with the sealing member so that the sealing member is peeled off with the motion of opening of said cover.

[0006] The engagement in the present invention contains all cases of engagement of the sealing member with the cover by any means, including, for instance, a case wherein one end of the sealing member is folded and connected to the cover, and a case wherein an extension whose one end is folded is connected to the vicinity of the other end.

[0007] Other purposes and characteristics of the present invention will be explained hereunder with reference to drawings.

Figure 1(A) is a sectional view showing one embodiment of the container according to the present invention whose cover is a slide cover;

Figure 1(B) is a perspective view thereof;

Figure 2(A) is a sectional view of another embodiment of the container according to the present invention;

Figures 2(B)and 2(C) are each drawings for explaining the operation of the principal part thereof; and

Figure 3 is a sectional view showing still another embodiment of the container according to the present invention whose cover is a rotary cover.

[0008] A container 1 of the present invention shown in the longitudinal sectional view of Figure 1(A) and the perspective view of Figure 1(B) is designed so that one end 2a of a film-like sealing member 2 sealing an opening part la is folded back and connected to the inner surface of a slide cover 3, and that the sealing member 2 is drawn and peeled off by the slide cover 3 by sliding the cover 3 to the right, as shown in the perspective view of Figure 1(B), and thereby the opening part la is opened to let powder flow out of the container. The sealing member 2 consists, for example, of a laminated layer of polyethylene with polyethylene terephthalate. An opening part la of the container 1 made of plastic etc. is sealed by heat fusion. In this case, it is composed that the polyethylene and plastic are fused by heat. The slide cover 3 slides with its structure of holding the outside reinforcement frame of the opening part la in both side parts thereof, and it is a matter of course that a plate-shaped cover sliding with both side parts thereof engaged with grooves provided on the container may also be employed. A short folded back part of the sealing member 2 is sufficient for this container 1. Therefore, the sealing member 2 can be peeled off without fail, only by providing the reproducing machine or the like with a slit through which the slide cover 3 can be drawn out.

[0009] A container 1 shown in Figures 2(A), 2(B) and 2(C) is different from the container 1 shown in Figure 1(A) in that a lever member 4 activated so as to rotate clockwise is provided at the end part of the slide cover 3. When the slide cover 3 is drawn to the right, the sealing member 2 is drawn and peeled off thereby in the same way as in the container 1 of Figure 1(A). When the slide cover 3 is drawn to a position shown in Figure 2(B), a moving arm 4a of the lever member 4 rides on the bottom surface of the opening part of the container 1, the lever member 4 is thereby rotated counterclockwise, and therewith an acting arm 4b enters the opening part la. When the slide cover 3 is further drawn, the acting arm 4b of the lever member 4 starts to peel off the sealing member as shown in Figure 2(C). In the case of this container 1, the opening part la is almost fully opened by making the slide cover 3 slide nearly by the length of the opening part la, while, in the case of the container of Figure 1, the opening part la is fully opened only when the slide cover 3 is moved twice the length of the length thereof. In addition, in the case of the container 1 of Figure 2(A), there is no possibility that powder sticking to the sealing member 2 spills out, since the peeled sealing member 2 does not come outside the opening part la, and also there is no possibility that the powder spills when the container 1 is handled after being used up, since the sealing member 2, together with the slide cover 3, covers the opening part la when the slide cover 3 is returned to the original position after the supply of the powder is completed. In this respect, the container 1 of Figure 1(A) has a problem that the powder, when sticking to the sealing member 2, is apt to spill in the same way as in conventional containers. Regarding the handling of the container 1 from which the supply of the powder is ended, however, the sealing member 2 covers the opening part la by returning the slide cover 3 again onto the opening part la, and thereby the spilling of the powder is prevented when the container 1 is handled afterward.

[0010] A container 1 shown in Figure 3 is designed so that a rotary cover 5 is rotated in a bending manner as shown by double dots and dashes lines by pulling a wire 6 engaged firmly with an operation ring 5a of the rotary cover 5, and that the sealing member 2 is peeled off with the rotation of the rotary cover 5, since one end 2a of the sealing member 2 is connected to a hook element of the rotary cover 5.

[0011] The figure shows an embodiment wherein the rotary cover 5 is made of flexible material and integrally formed with a reinforcing frame of the opening part la. The rotary cover 5 may also be desinged so that it is made of hard material and hinged on the side wall part of the opening part la. When such a container 1 is employed, the reproducing machine or the like needs only to be provided with a hole for pulling out therethrough the wire 6. Thereby the sealing member 2 can be peeled off without fail, and the spilling of powder is prevented completely by returning the rotary cover 5 to its original position by means of the wire 6.

[0012] As described above, the present invention is particularly effective when it is applied to a toner container. Its effect, however, is not limited to the toner container. It is also needlessto say that the structure of the container is not limited to that of the embodiments shown in the figures wherein one end side of a tubular body is covered by fixing a blank cover thereto and the reinforcing frame is fixed to the opening part.

Claims

1. A powder container (1), the opening part (1a) of which for letting powder contained therein flow out, is sealed by a film-like sealing member (2) and opened to let the powder contained therein flow out by peeling off the sealing member (2), characterized in that a cover (3) for said sealed opening part (1a) is provided in engagement with the sealing member (2) so that the sealing member (2) is peeled off with the motion of opening of said cover (3).

2. A powder container according to Claim 1, wherein one end of said sealing member (2) is connected to said cover (3) and the other end thereof to the container (1).

3. A powder container according to Claim 2, wherein the cover (3) is slidable along a bottom surface of the opening part (la) of the container (1).

4. A powder container according to Claim 3, wherein the cover (3) is provided with a lever member (4) comprising a moving arm (4a) and an acting arm (4b), which peels off the sealing member (2) as the cover (3) slides as aforesaid.

5. A powder container according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein said powder is toner.

Drawing