US 12,066,769 B2
Toner container having a shutter and an engaging portion exposed from the shutter
Masaaki Sato, Kanagawa (JP); Hiroyuki Munetsugu, Kanagawa (JP); Isao Koishi, Kanagawa (JP); Hiroshi Takarada, Kanagawa (JP); Shohei Katsuya, Kanagawa (JP); Shunsuke Hijikata, Kanagawa (JP); Goshi Ozaki, Kanagawa (JP); and Mitsuhiro Sato, Tokyo (JP)
Assigned to Canon Kabushiki Kaisha, Tokyo (JP)
Filed by CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA, Tokyo (JP)
Filed on Dec. 2, 2022, as Appl. No. 18/073,733.
Application 18/073,733 is a continuation of application No. PCT/JP2021/013825, filed on Mar. 31, 2021.
Claims priority of application No. 2020-099728 (JP), filed on Jun. 8, 2020; and application No. 2021-043868 (JP), filed on Mar. 17, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2023/0096202 A1, Mar. 30, 2023
Int. Cl. G03G 15/08 (2006.01)
CPC G03G 15/0868 (2013.01) [G03G 15/0863 (2013.01); G03G 15/0886 (2013.01); G03G 2215/0682 (2013.01); G03G 2215/0692 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A toner container mountable to and dismountable from an image forming apparatus, the image forming apparatus including an engaged portion, the toner container comprising:
a toner storage unit configured to store toner;
a container base portion provided with a discharge port through which the toner is discharged to outside of the toner container, the discharge port being provided on an outer surface of the container base portion extending in a first direction in which the toner storage unit and the container base portion are aligned, the discharge port communicating with an inside of the toner storage unit; and
a container shutter configured to be rotatable with respect to the container base portion, about a rotation axis extending in the first direction, between a shielding position where the container shutter shields the discharge port and an open position where the container shutter opens the discharge port, the container shutter having a cylindrical shape and a circumferential surface that extends in a direction of the rotation axis and which is provided with a shutter opening from which the discharge port is exposed to outside of the toner container when the container shutter is in the open position,
wherein the container base portion includes an engaging portion configured to be engaged with the engaged portion of the image forming apparatus in a case where the toner container is mounted to the image forming apparatus so that rotation of the container base portion with respect to the image forming apparatus about the rotation axis is restricted, and
wherein at least a part of the engaging portion of the container base portion is exposed from the shutter opening of the container shutter when the container shutter is in the shielding position.