| Entries |
| Document | Title | Date |
|---|
| 20080199222 | Developing Unit, Process Cartridge, and Image Forming Device - A developing unit includes a developer agitating member having a plurality of vanes that are disposed in a developer containing chamber and that are rotatable about an axis parallel to an axis of a supply roller. Each of the vanes has an peripheral edge, and a trailing end of the peripheral edge in a vane rotation direction is located more inside than a leading end of the peripheral edge. | 08-21-2008 |
| 20080199223 | DEVELOPING UNIT, PROCESS CARTRIDGE, AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A developing unit containing developer including carrier and toner and developing a latent image formed on an image carrier is disclosed. The developing unit includes multiple conveyor members configured to convey the contained developer in respective longitudinal directions so as to form a circulation channel; a supply part configured to supplement the carrier in the developing unit; a discharge part configured to discharge a first part of the contained developer outside the developing unit; and a bypass channel configured to cause a second part of the developer to return to the upstream side of the circulation channel without passing a position where the discharge part is provided. | 08-21-2008 |
| 20080205936 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR TRANSPORTING POWDER TO AN IMAGE DEVICE OF AN ELECTROSTATOGRAPHIC PRINTER - An apparatus and method for dispensing toner in an electrostatographic printer includes an apparatus for transporting powder into a developer station containing at least powder and magnetic carrier including a conveyance housing divided into a mixing space adjacent to a second separate transport space, the second transport space located adjacent to a development roller, a powder conveying device located in the conveyance housing comprising two or more augers and a conveyance controller for controlling the powder conveying device, including the one or more augers, such that the auger preferentially mixes in the first mixing space and transports in the second transport space as the powder conveying device conveys the powder toward the imaging device of a print engine. | 08-28-2008 |
| 20080205937 | IMAGE DEVELOPER, PROCESS CARTRIDGE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image developer, including a rotatable developer bearer; a rotatable developer feeding member contacting the developer bearer; a developer container located above the developer feeding member, wherein the developer container includes a pressure reducing member configured to reduce a pressure applied to the developer feeding member; and a first stirring bar located directly below the pressure reducing member and configured to stir a developer such that a gap between an end of the pressure reducing member and an outer diameter of the stirring bar is 6 mm. | 08-28-2008 |
| 20080205938 | IMAGE DEVELOPER AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image developer, including a developer bearer rotatable facing an electrostatic latent image bearer; a developer feeder feeding a developer including a toner to the developer bearer; a developer collector collecting the developer separated and left from the developer bearer after the developer is fed to the electrostatic latent image bearer; a detour route including a developer stirrer and transfer stirring and transferring the developer between the developer feeder and the developer collector; a first opening connecting the developer feeder with the detour route; a second opening connecting the detour route with the developer collector; a developer supplier supplying the developer to the image developer; and a third opening connecting to the developer supplier, wherein the toner has a volume-average particle diameter of from 3 to 8 μm and a ratio (Dv/Dn) of the volume-average particle diameter (Dv) to a number-average particle diameter (Dn) thereof of from 1.00 to 1.40. | 08-28-2008 |
| 20080205939 | Developer Cartridge, Developing Unit and Image Forming Apparatus Including the Same - A developer cartridge, developing unit, and image forming apparatus are provided. The developer cartridge includes a cartridge cabinet including a developer accommodate chamber, a supply opening, and a return opening. The developer cartridge further includes a rotational shaft that is rotatably supported in the cartridge cabinet, a first agitating blade that is attached to the rotational shaft and that is located in a position opposed to the return opening, a distance from the rotational shaft to a distal end of the first agitating blade being shorter than a distance from the rotational shaft to the return opening, and a second agitating blade that is attached to the rotational shaft and that is located in a position opposed to the supply opening, a distance from the rotational shaft to a distal end of the second agitating blade being longer than a distance from the rotational shaft to the supply opening. | 08-28-2008 |
| 20080226351 | Toner Paddle for Distributing Toner Within An Image Forming Device - The present application is directed to devices for moving toner within an image forming device. In one embodiment, the device includes a reservoir with an inlet that leads into the reservoir through a first sidewall. New toner may be introduced through the inlet and into the reservoir. A paddle may be positioned within the reservoir to move the toner from the inlet and through the reservoir. The paddle may prevent the toner from accumulating at the inlet which may act as a block to prevent further toner from being moved into the reservoir. The paddle may include a shaft with a weighted first arm extending from the shaft in a first direction and a second arm extending from the shaft in a second direction. The arms are weighted such that the first arm is heavier than the second arm. The paddle is positioned within the reservoir such that rotation of the paddle moves the toner from the inlet throughout the reservoir. | 09-18-2008 |
| 20080232858 | Developing unit, visualized image formation unit and image forming apparatus - A developing unit includes a developer consumption calculator, a consumption shift unit, a supply amount setting unit and a developer supply controller. The developer consumption calculator calculates consumptions of developer in zones and stores the consumption in each zone into a corresponding storage region. The consumption shift unit shifts the consumption stored in the storage region corresponding to each zone to a storage region corresponding to a zone located on a downstream side in a developer conveyance direction in response to the conveying of the developer by the circulation conveyance member. The supply amount setting unit sets a supply amount from a developer supply portion based on the consumption stored in the storage region corresponding to the zone corresponding to the developer supply position. The developer supply controller controls supply of the developer from the developer supply portion based on the set supply amount. | 09-25-2008 |
| 20080240789 | ROTATOR FOR POWDER CONVEYANCE AND TONER CARTRIDGE - A rotator for powder conveyance includes a substantially linear rotary supporting shaft and plural stirring/conveying pieces. The plural stirring/conveying pieces are separated from each other and arranged in a longitudinal direction along the rotary supporting shaft, are placed at positions separated from a central axis of the rotary supporting shaft in a radial direction of the rotary supporting shaft, have a spiral configuration along an outer peripheral surface of the rotary supporting shaft, and are respectively connected to the rotary supporting shaft via a connecting piece at plural points. | 10-02-2008 |
| 20080240790 | Developing Device and Developer Cartridge - A developing device and a developer cartridge are provided. The developing device includes a first housing that receives a developing roller; a second housing that is disposed adjacent to and detachable from the first housing and stores developer; first and second communication paths that allow an inside of the first housing to communicate with an inside of the second housing and an agitator that is provided within the second housing and conveys the developer from the first communication path toward the second communication path. The developing cartridge includes a housing that stores developer and an agitator including a rotational shaft that is disposed in one direction and a first blade that is provided at a midpoint in the axial direction of the rotational shaft and conveys the developer from the midpoint in the axial direction of the rotational shaft to both end portions of the rotational shaft. | 10-02-2008 |
| 20080240791 | ELECTROGRAPHIC DEVELOPER MIXING APPARATUS AND PROCESS - A developer mixing apparatus, comprising: a housing including a chamber that holds developer, a first ribbon blender disposed within the chamber and elongate along a first longitudinal axis; and, a second ribbon blender disposed within the chamber and elongate along a second longitudinal axis, wherein the first and second ribbon blenders move developer in different directions. | 10-02-2008 |
| 20080253809 | Developing unit and image forming apparatus - A developing unit for developing an electrostatic latent image born on an image bearing member with a developer that has been charged by mixing and agitating toner and magnetic carrier, includes: a developing hopper for holding the developer; a developer bearing member arranged opposing the image bearing member for bearing the developer having been mixed and agitated in the developing hopper and supplying the developer to the area for development; and at least a pair of agitating and conveying members rotationally driven in the developing hopper for conveying the developer while agitating, and is constructed such that the agitating and conveying members are arranged substantially parallel to the developer bearing member and each rotational shaft of the agitating and conveying members is embedded with a magnetic source element whose magnetic poles are laid out so as to produce a magnetic field radially oriented in a particular fixed direction with respect to the agitating and conveying member; and a toner supply port for supplying the toner into the developing hopper is arranged over the opposite position of the paired agitating and conveying members. | 10-16-2008 |
| 20080260430 | DEVELOPING DEVICE, IMAGE CARRIER UNIT AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A developing device includes a first developer containing chamber, a second developer containing chamber, a first inflow section, a second inflow section, a first conveyance member and a second conveyance member. The first inflow section allows the developer to flow from the second developer containing chamber into the first developer containing chamber. The second inflow section allows the developer to flow from the first developer containing chamber into the second developer containing chamber. The first conveyance member conveys the developer contained in the first developer containing chamber in a first developer conveyance direction. The second conveyance member conveys the developer contained in the second developer containing chamber in a second developer conveyance direction. In a range corresponding to the first inflow section, an area of a cross section, perpendicular to the second developer conveyance direction, of the second developer containing chamber decreases along the second developer conveyance direction. | 10-23-2008 |
| 20080267667 | Powder stirring device, developing device, and image forming apparatus incorporating the same - A developing device includes a developing container that accommodates toner particles, a developing roller that supplies the toner particles to an image carrier on which an electrostatic latent image is formed, and a stirring and transporting member that transports the toner particles inside the developing container toward the developing roller with stirring by rotating around a shaft axis. The stirring and transporting member includes a shaft portion serving as a rotation center and sheet-shaped first stirring blade and second stirring blade fixed to the shaft portion so as to extend outward in a radius direction from the shaft portion. The first stirring blade transports the toner particles in a first transportation direction. The second stirring blade transports the toner particles in a second transportation direction different from the first transportation direction. | 10-30-2008 |
| 20080267668 | DEVELOPING UNIT, PROCESS CARTRIDGE, AND IMAGE FORMING METHOD AND APPARATUS - A developing unit used in an image forming apparatus with a latent image carrier includes a developer carrier, a supply compartment, a recovery compartment, a separation member, and a gap. The developer carrier facing the latent image carrier rotates while carrying two-component developer containing toner and carrier and supplies the toner to the latent image. The supply compartment includes a supply transport member to transport the developer in a first direction. The recovery compartment includes a recovery transport member to transport the developer in a second direction. The separation member includes one end portion facing the latent image carrier at a facing area. The separation member separates the supply compartment and the recovery compartment and is disposed above the recovery compartment behind the separation member. The gap is provided at the facing area. The gap has a width of not more than 1.4 millimeters. | 10-30-2008 |
| 20080292362 | Developing Apparatus - A developing apparatus is described. The developing apparatus includes a transport member including a plurality of electrodes forming a traveling wave electric field by successively applied voltages and a casing storing a toner transported by the transport member, wherein the activity of the toner based on the following measuring method shown in (1) to (3) is not more than 2.0×10 | 11-27-2008 |
| 20080298844 | DEVELOPING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS INCLUDING SAME - A developing device including a developing unit configured to develop an electrostatic latent image formed on a latent image bearing member with a developer comprising a toner and a carrier, and a circulation unit configured to collect the developer from the developing unit and return the developer to the developing unit. The circulation unit includes a container including a main body having an inverted cone shape, a supply opening provided in a top thereof, and a discharge opening provided in a bottom thereof, configured to hold a part of the developer and provided on an upstream side from the developing unit relative to a direction of circulation of the developer. The container includes a plurality of agitation members configured to agitate the developer collected from the developing unit and fresh toner so that a plurality of flows of the developer is produced in the container. | 12-04-2008 |
| 20080298845 | DEVELOPMENT DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - The development device includes a development member and a circulation member. The development member develops an electrostatic latent image formed on a latent image carrier with a developer including toner and a carrier to make the electrostatic latent image visible. The circulation member receives the developer discharged from the development member and conveys the developer back to the development member. The circulation member includes a container provided upstream from the development member in a conveyance direction of the developer to store the developer. The container includes an agitator provided inside the container and agitates and mixes the developer and fresh toner supplied to the container. The agitator includes a rotatable agitation member in which one or more holes are formed through which the developer passes to mix the fresh toner and the developer to be agitated in the container. | 12-04-2008 |
| 20080317507 | DEVELOPER CARTRIDGE GUIDE UNIT AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS HAVING THE SAME - A developing unit of an image forming apparatus includes a developing member to develop an electrostatic latent image on a photosensitive medium with a developer, a first feed member to feed the developer to the developing member, and a reset member disposed above the developing member to reset the developing member. Accordingly, expenditure for consumables is reduced, because a developer cartridge is separately provided. Additionally, efficient developer agitation is provided. Furthermore, a consistent image quality is achieved, because a plurality of augers move vertically and horizontally to circulate the developer inside the developing unit. | 12-25-2008 |
| 20080317508 | DEVELOPING DEVICE, IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS AND PROCESS CARTRIDGE - A developing device capable of conveying discharged developer to the outside of the device well by preventing developer from firmly adhering within a discharge conveyance path, as well as an image forming apparatus and a process cartridge having this developing device. A developing device, having: a developing roller; a developer conveyance path having a supply screw and a supply conveyance path; a toner replenishment controller for replenishing the developer to the developer conveyance path; a discharge conveyance path for conveying the developer to the outside of the developing device; a discharge screw serving as a discharge conveying member for applying a conveying force to the developer within the discharge conveyance path; and a developer discharge port serving as developer discharge means for discharging the developer to the discharge conveyance path, wherein the conveying force is applied to the discharged developer intermittently by the discharge screw serving as a discharge conveying member, whereby a shock is applied intermittently to the discharged developer within the discharge conveyance path. | 12-25-2008 |
| 20080317509 | Developing Device - A developing device includes a developing housing that supports a developer carrier, and a developer cartridge. The developer cartridge includes a cartridge housing that is configured to accommodate developer, an agitator that is provided in the cartridge housing and is configured to agitate the developer by a driving force, and a transmission gear that is configured to transmit the driving force to the agitator. The developing housing comprises a moving gear that is movable between a meshing position in which the moving gear meshes with the transmission gear and a spaced-apart position in which the moving gear is spaced apart from the meshing position. The moving gear is configured to transmit the driving force from the transmission gear to the agitator. | 12-25-2008 |
| 20090016778 | DEVELOPMENT DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An aspect of the invention provides a development device including a rotatable development sleeve which supplies developer to a photosensitive drum, the development sleeve being disposed such that a rotational axis of the development sleeve is orientated toward a vertical direction; a conveying screw which conveys the developer along a rotational axis direction of the development sleeve; and a developer supply guide which guides the developer conveyed by the developer conveying device to the development sleeve. The plural developer supply guides are disposed at predetermined intervals in the rotational axis direction of the development sleeve and between the development sleeve and the conveying screw. | 01-15-2009 |
| 20090041506 | DEVELOPING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A developing device for developing an electrostatic latent image formed on an image bearer with a dual-component developer, includes: a developing hopper for storing the developer; an agitation and conveying member for conveying the developer while agitating; a developer support which supports the developer that has been mixed and agitated inside the developing hopper and supplies the developer to a developing area located opposing the image bearer; a layer thickness-regulating member for regulating the layer thickness of the developer being conveyed by the developer support; a flow-guide plate member for flowing down the surplus developer that was rejected and conveyed away from the layer thickness-regulating member; a multiple number of diffusing elements arranged upright on the flow-guided plate member for flowing down the surplus developer in a predetermined direction whilst diffusing the developer with respect to the longitudinal direction of the developer support; and a down flow direction turning mechanism for periodically turning the downflow direction of the surplus developer regulated by the diffusing elements. | 02-12-2009 |
| 20090041507 | DEVELOPING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS INCLUDING SAME - A developing device of the present invention has a toner supply opening in a first carrying path and in the upstream of the developer carrying direction of a first carrying screw which is further from a developing roller; and a moquette member having feathers on its surface, and being provided, along the developer carrying direction, on the first carrying path. With this arrangement, it is possible to realize a compact developing device having a simple arrangement in which the supplied toner is speedily mixed with the preexisted developer, and the stable toner which is uniformly dispersed and charged can be speedily supplied for development. | 02-12-2009 |
| 20090041508 | DEVELOPING UNIT, PROCESS CARTRIDGE INCLUDING SAME, AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS INCLUDING PROCESS CARTRIDGE - A developing unit includes a developer bearing member, a developer transporter, a developer conveyance system for directing the developer, including a supply path, a recovery path, and an agitation path, a developer supply opening through which the developer is supplied to the developer conveyance system, a developer supply device for supplying the developer from the developer supply opening to the developer conveyance system, a developer discharge device for discharging the developer outside the developing unit, a developer level rise detector for detecting increase in a level of the developer between the downstream end of the recovery path facing the developer bearing member in the direction of developer transport and a portion of the agitation path where the agitation path receives the collected developer from the recovery path, and a controller for controlling the developer discharge device based on the detection result provided by the developer level rise detector. | 02-12-2009 |
| 20090067884 | TONER SUPPLIER, DEVELOPMENT UNIT, AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A toner supplier according to the present invention includes a toner stirrer. The toner stirrer includes a shaft, an auxiliary member, and a fixture. The melting point of the auxiliary member is higher than the melting points of the shaft and fixture. The shaft and fixture are welded to each other with the auxiliary member interposed between them. | 03-12-2009 |
| 20090074468 | DEVELOPING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A developing device includes: a developer carrier; a first housing chamber; a second housing chamber; a first inflow portion; a first conveying member; a second conveying member; and a concentration detecting member. | 03-19-2009 |
| 20090080940 | Developer, developer cartridge, image forming unit and image forming apparatus - A developer is produced by a process including mixing at least a binder resin and internal additive particles. The internal additive particles have diameters in a range from 15 μm to 212 μm. The internal additive particles have higher melting point than the binder resin. | 03-26-2009 |
| 20090080941 | IMAGE FORMING DEVICE - There is provided an image forming device, comprising: an image holding unit configured to hold an image formed by developing material; a developing material case configured to accommodate the developing material and to have a supplying opening facing the image holding unit; a carrying unit having a plurality of carrying electrodes, the carrying unit being configured to carry the developing material accommodated in the developing material case toward the image holding unit by generating a traveling electric field through the plurality of carrying electrodes; a vibrator that vibrates the carrying unit; and a controller that controls the vibrator to change a frequency of vibration. | 03-26-2009 |
| 20090080942 | DEVELOPING MATERIAL CARRYING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING DEVICE - There is provided an image forming device, including an image holding unit configured to hold an image formed by developing material, a developing material case configured to accommodate the developing material and to have a supplying opening facing the image holding unit, a carrying unit having a plurality of carrying electrodes, the carrying unit being configured to carry the developing material accommodated in the developing material case toward the image holding unit by generating a traveling electric field through the plurality of carrying electrodes, at least one vibrator that vibrates the carrying unit, and a vibrating region moving unit configured to move a vibrating region vibrated by the at least one vibrator along the carrying unit in accordance with an amount of the developing material in the developing material case. | 03-26-2009 |
| 20090092419 | MEMBER FOR AGITATING AND CONVEYING DEVELOPER, DEVELOPING DEVICE, AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS HAVING THE SAME - A member for agitating and conveying a developer, includes: a rotation shaft that rotates in a given direction; a spiral-shaped conveying member that is disposed on an outer circumferential surface of the rotation shaft; and conveys a developer in a shaft direction of the rotation shaft; a protruded agitation section that protrudes, with a gap from the rotation shaft, from the spiral-shaped conveying member toward an upstream side in a developer conveying direction; and agitates the developer; and a diameter directional conveying section that is disposed between adjacent spires of the spiral-shaped conveying member; is disposed in a downstream side in the developer conveying direction with respect to the protruded agitation section; and gives a diameter directional conveying force to the developer. | 04-09-2009 |
| 20090097884 | DEVELOPER CARTRIDGE, DEVELOPING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A developer cartridge constructed in a structure in which an overload is not applied to stirring units to stir a developer even when the developer is lump includes a housing having a developer storage chamber, a first stirring unit rotatably mounted in the housing, and a second stirring unit rotatably mounted in the housing such that the second stirring unit is rotatable with time delay after a rotation of the first stirring unit. The second stirring unit includes a rotary shaft, and the developer cartridge further includes a rotary member coupled to one end of the rotary shaft and a power transmission member to transmit a rotary force to the rotary member after rotation thereof by a predetermined angle. | 04-16-2009 |
| 20090103951 | DEVELOPMENT DEVICE, IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS, AND PROCESS CARTRIDGE HAVING COMPACT STRUCTURE FOR DISCHARGING DEVELOPER - In a development device for containing a developer and developing an electrostatic latent image formed on an image carrier, a supplier supplies fresh developer to the development device. A developer carrier carries the developer to be supplied to the electrostatic latent image formed on the image carrier. A plurality of conveyance members conveys the developer contained in the development device in an axial direction of the development device to form a circulation path. An outlet is provided in a wall of a conveyance path formed by one of the plurality of conveyance members and discharges the developer to an outside of the conveyance path. A discharge conveyance member forms a discharge conveyance path to convey the developer discharged from the outlet in the axial direction of the development device and to discharge the developer to an outside of the development device. | 04-23-2009 |
| 20090129820 | DEVELOPMENT APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - There is provided a development apparatus including: a first developer storage container and a second developer storage container that store developer, having a first a and second openings, respectively; a first transport member provided within the first developer storage container, and that causes the developer to move to the second developer storage container via the first opening; a second transport member provided within the second developer storage container, and that causes the developer to move to the first developer storage container via the second opening; a developer holding member that performs development by causing the developer to move to a position facing an image holding body on which a latent image is formed; and a moving member provided so as to fit between an inner wall face of the second developer storage container and an outer edge of the second transport member. | 05-21-2009 |
| 20090129821 | CONVEYOR, DEVELOPER CARTRIDGE, AND FILLING METHOD - A conveyor includes a rotation shaft and a plurality of convey members provided along an axial direction of the rotation shaft, wherein at least one part of the plurality of convey members is an arc convey member that includes: an arc part having an outer periphery that forms an arc forming a part of a spiral so that an angle between two perpendiculars extended from two ends of the arc is smaller than 360°; and a support part that supports the arc part, with the outer periphery of the arc part inclined to the axial direction of the rotation shaft. | 05-21-2009 |
| 20090148192 | DEVELOPING DEVICE - In an embodiment, a reducing plate that dams up a part of a developer scraped up by a blade is provided. The reducing plate suppresses swell of the developer held up by a discharge mixer from fluctuating according to the rotation of the blade. Fluctuation in an excess developer discharged from a discharge port is suppressed and replace a deteriorated carrier in a development container with a new carrier little by little. | 06-11-2009 |
| 20090148193 | DEVELOPING DEVICE - In an embodiment, a contact pivoting plate, which comes into contact with a developer swelled by a discharge mixer, is provided in a case. The contact pivoting plate is pivoted according to a detection result of a temperature and humidity sensor to change the magnitude of resistance by the contact pivoting plate with respect to a flow of the developer. The height of the swell of the developer is suppressed from fluctuating according to an environmental change. The fluctuation in an amount of an excess developer discharged from a discharge port is suppressed to replace a deteriorated carrier in a development container with a new carrier little by little. | 06-11-2009 |
| 20090162101 | TONER AGITATING UNIT, TONER HOPPER, PROCESS CARTRIDGE, AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A toner agitating unit is located in a toner hopper that houses toner used for developing a latent image. The toner agitating unit includes a rotary shaft and an agitating member. The agitating member is a flat plate made of resin. The agitating member has a plurality of slits extending from an outer edge of the agitating member toward the rotary shaft. | 06-25-2009 |
| 20090169263 | CARRIER PARTICLES FOR DEVELOPER, DEVELOPER, AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - Carrier particles for a developer used in an image forming apparatus, in which the carrier particles contain a core material containing magnetic particles, and a coating layer formed on a surface of the core material, and the coating layer contains diamond fine particles or diamond-like carbon exposed on a surface of the coating layer. | 07-02-2009 |
| 20090169264 | DEVELOPING DEVICE, PROCESS CARTRIDGE, AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS, METHOD OF DEVELOPING LATENT IMAGE - A developing device includes a first screw that supplies a developer to a developing roller while agitating/conveying the developer in a first direction, and a screw that collects residual developer from the developing roller, agitates/conveys the residual developer in a second direction opposite to the first direction, and delivers the residual developer to the first screw. Between two points that a magnetic flux density in a normal direction of a magnetic field formed in a developer separating magnetic pole in the developing roller become substantially zero, a point at a downstream side in a rotating direction of the developing roller is formed at an upstream side to a developing roller rotating direction, than a line joining the center of the developing roller and the center of the second screw. | 07-02-2009 |
| 20090185831 | DEVELOPING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A developing device is provided with a developing roller arranged to face a photoconductor for forming an electrostatic latent image and adapted to supply a toner to the photoconductor, an agitating member for agitating a developer, a supply roller that holds the developer agitated by the agitating member, and supplies the toner to an area facing the developing roller; a restricting member for blocking the developer supplied onto the supply roller and restricting the amount of the developer conveyed by the supply roller, and an intermediate roller including a first magnetic pole facing in a direction toward the staying developer by being restricted by the restricting member for attracting the staying developer and arranged at such a position as to face the developer blocked by the restricting member. Thus, the developing device can avoid image quality deterioration even when a developing process continues over a long period of time. | 07-23-2009 |
| 20090214265 | DEVELOPING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A developing device includes: a container that contains a developer including toner; a partition that forms a plurality of chambers by partitioning an interior space of the container; an agitation mechanism that agitates the developer in the interior space and moves the developer between the plurality of chambers; a transport section that is supplied with the developer from the container, and transports the developer to a surface of an image carrier that carries an electrostatic latent image such that the transported developer is close to or contacts the surface of the image carrier, thereby developing the electrostatic latent image; and a driving mechanism that moves at least the partition. | 08-27-2009 |
| 20090214266 | DEVELOPING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - The present invention provides a developing device and an image forming apparatus capable of preventing a developer from being discharged excessively using simple configurations in the case that a trickle developing device that uses a two-component developer is in a tilted state. The developing device having stirring members for conveying and stirring a developer and a developer holder, comprises a developer replenishing tank for replenishing the developer to a developer tank and a trickle discharging mechanism, wherein the conveying passages thereof include an upper conveying passage, a lower conveying passage, a first communicating passage for connecting the downstream side of the upper conveying passage to the upstream side of the lower conveying passage, and a second communicating passage for connecting the downstream side of the lower conveying passage to the upstream side of the upper conveying passage, and also include a circulation passage through which the developer circulates using the upper conveying passage, the first communicating passage, the lower conveying passage and the second communicating passage; the discharging mechanism is disposed in the downstream end section of the upper conveying passage; the bottom face on the downstream side of the upper conveying passage is positioned above the bottom face on the upstream side of the lower conveying passage; and the first communicating passage is disposed obliquely downward with respect to the horizontal plane. | 08-27-2009 |
| 20090232558 | DEVELOPING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS INCLUDING SAME - A developing device including a developer container casing, a developer bearing member to supply toner to a latent image, a supply path to convey developer in an axial direction of the developer bearing member, a supply conveyance member to apply a force to the developer in the supply path to convey the developer, a recovery path to return the developer reaching a downstream end of the supply path to an upstream end of the supply path relative to a direction of conveyance of the developer, and a recovery conveyance member to apply a force to the developer in the recovery path to convey the developer. A bottom surface of the supply path is tilted such that the bottom surface at the downstream end of the supply path relative to the direction of conveyance of the developer is lower than the bottom surface at the upstream end of the supply path. | 09-17-2009 |
| 20090245877 | DEVELOPING UNIT AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS HAVING THE SAME - Disclosed are a developing unit, in which a developing agent storing part is closed by an agitating member, and an image forming apparatus having the same. The developing unit includes a developing agent storing part to store a developing agent, a developing part connected to the developing agent storing part, and an agitating member rotatably provided in a channel between the developing agent storing part and the developing part to transfer the developing agent stored in the developing agent storing part to the developing part, wherein the channel is closed by the agitating member. | 10-01-2009 |
| 20090245878 | DEVELOPMENT CARTRIDGE, DEVELOPMENT UNIT, AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A development cartridge includes a developer carrier which carries toner, a toner supply member supplying the toner to the developer carrier and a regulation member regulating an amount of toner on the developer carrier. A development chamber encloses the developer carrier and the toner supply member. A transport section is connected to upper and lower portions of the development chamber to transport the toner from the lower portion of the development chamber to the upper portion of the development chamber. A transport member is disposed inside the transport section and transports the toner while agitating the toner. An amount of toner passing per unit time from the development chamber to the transport section is larger than an amount of toner passing per unit time from the transport section to the development chamber. A toner transport speed of the transport member is controlled in accordance with a process speed. | 10-01-2009 |
| 20090252538 | DEVELOPER UNITS, ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHIC APPARATUSES AND METHODS OF SUPPLYING DEVELOPER MATERIAL TO PHOTOCONDUCTIVE MEMBERS - Developer units, electrophotograhic apparatuses, and methods of supplying developer material to photoconductive members in electrophotographic apparatuses are disclosed. An embodiment of the developer units for supplying a developer material to a photoconductive member, comprises a magnetic roll having an outer surface; a first auger adjacent the magnetic roll, the first auger being rotatable to convey the developer material to the outer surface of the magnetic roll; a second auger disposed below the first auger; a first trim blade disposed at a first angular position about the outer surface of the magnetic roll, the first trim blade adapter for leveling the developer material on the outer surface during rotation of the magnetic roll; and a second trim blade disposed at a second angular position about the outer surface of the magnetic roll, the second trim blade adapted for leveling the developer material on the outer surface that has been leveled by the first trim blade during rotation of the magnetic roll; wherein the magnetic roll is rotatable to supply the developer material that has been leveled by the second trim blade to the photoconductive member. | 10-08-2009 |
| 20090257781 | Developer storing apparatus, image forming unit and image forming apparatus - A developer storing apparatus includes a developer storing portion for receiving and storing a developer, a developer carrying member rotatably disposed in the developer storing portion and configured to carry the developer in the developer storing portion in a predetermined direction, an agitating member rotatably disposed in the developer storing portion and configured to agitate the developer in the developer storing portion, and a driving force transmitting portion that transmits a driving force to the developer carrying member. | 10-15-2009 |
| 20090257782 | Image forming apparatus - A toner containing section contains toner, and includes a toner stirring member penetrating the toner containing section for stirring the toner. A rotation member is attached to the toner stirring member and revolves around a rotational shaft of the toner stirring member. A pushing member revolves around the rotational shaft of the toner stirring member to push the rotation member. A stopper section having a stopper body is provided to contact the rotation member. An optical detection device is provided to detect the rotation member temporarily stopping at the stopper section. The rotation member separates from the pushing member by own weight and stops at the stopper section waiting for arrival of the pushing device thereon when an amount of toner remaining in the toner containing section decreases to a prescribed level and the pushing member arrives at an upper dead point. The toner stirring member is formed in a crank sate partially plunging into the toner. The rotation member is attached to the toner stirring member at an outside of the toner containing section. | 10-15-2009 |
| 20090311009 | DEVELOPING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS HAVING THE DEVELOPING DEVICE - In a developer cartridge of toner and carrier, uneven distribution of the carrier at least in the vicinity of a replenishing port is eliminated regardless of the composition ratio between the carrier and the toner and the specific gravity of the carrier. Provided is a construction including a developer container in which a developer containing toner and carrier is received and which has a developing roller to supply the toner to an image carrier, a developer cartridge in which a replenishing developer containing the toner and the carrier is received and which has a replenishing port connected to the developer container to allow the developer container to be replenished with the developer via the replenishing port, and stirring means capable of stirring the developer located at least in the vicinity of the replenishing port in the developer cartridge. | 12-17-2009 |
| 20090317140 | TONER SUPPLYING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A toner supplying device which supplies toners contained in a toner container to a developing device is disclosed. The toner supplying device includes a toner tank which stores the toners discharged from the toner container, a toner carrying section which carries the toners stored in the toner tank, a toner dropping route which causes the toners carried by the toner carrying section to drop into the developing device by toner's own weight, a control unit which controls an amount of the toners to flow into the toner dropping route from the toner carrying section, and a stirring member which stirs the toners staying at a region between the toner tank and the toner carrying section. | 12-24-2009 |
| 20090317141 | DEVELOPMENT APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A development apparatus | 12-24-2009 |
| 20100028050 | DEVELOPING APPARATUS AND ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A developing device for an electrophotographic image forming apparatus includes a developing roller of a developing portion for developing an electrostatic latent image on an electrophotographic photosensitive drum, a developer accommodator, a supply opening, between the developing portion and the accommodator, and a stirring member including a support rotatably provided on the accommodator and a stirrer on the support. The stirrer's length is longer than the opening's length in a longitudinal direction of a mount mounted to the support and the length of the stirrer's end portion is shorter than the supply opening's length. When the stirrer is rotated, an end thereof enters the opening to feed the developer from the accommodator through the opening to the developing portion and then through the supply opening back to the developer accommodating portion. | 02-04-2010 |
| 20100028051 | TONER TRANSFERRING MECHANISM, DEVELOPING APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS THEREWITH - A toner transferring mechanism is provided with: an agitating and transferring member disposed in a housing accommodating toner, and having a blade portion thereof formed in a spiral shape on a circumferential portion of a rotatable shaft portion; and a plurality of scraping members making contact with the agitating and transferring member, and then scraping toner adhering to the agitating and transferring member, the scraping members being arranged in an axial direction of the agitating and transferring member, wherein the scraping members are arranged so that the scraping members adjacent to each other form an interval which is approximate to a spiral pitch of the blade portion of the agitating and transferring member. | 02-04-2010 |
| 20100028052 | DEVELOPING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS AND TONER SUPPLYING METHOD USING THE SAME - A developing device includes: a developing vessel for storing a developer D containing a toner and a magnetic carrier; a first conveying passage for conveying the developer; a first conveying member provided in the first conveying passage for agitating and conveying the developer in a predetermined direction; a developing roller; a toner supply port for supplying toner to the first conveying passage; and an electromagnet arranged at the outer periphery of the toner supply port, and is constructed such that the toner supply port is formed over the first conveying member and the electromagnet intermittently attracts the developer residing under the toner supply port. | 02-04-2010 |
| 20100054815 | VISIBLE IMAGE FORMING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A visible image forming device is provided with an image carrier and a developing device that develops a latent image on the image carrier surface to form a visible image includes, a developer container that contains developer therein, a developer carrier carries the developer on a surface of the developer carrier and rotates oppositely to the image carrier, a first stirring member that is rotatably supported to be adjacent to the developer carrier inside the developer container and conveys the developer to be supplied to the developer carrier while stirring the developer, and a second stirring member that is rotatably supported to be adjacent to the first stirring member inside the developer container and circulates the developer by conveying the developer in the developer container oppositely to a conveyance direction of the first stirring member. | 03-04-2010 |
| 20100061768 | DEVELOPMENT UNIT, PROCESS CARTRIDGE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A development unit includes a developer accommodating part that accommodates a developer therein, a developer stirring-transporting member that transports the developer in the developer accommodating part while stirring the developer, a bearing part that receives a rotating shaft of the developer stirring-transporting member, a magnetic member that is located between the bearing part and the developer accommodating part and fixed around the rotating shaft, and a stirring member that is spaced apart from the magnetic member so as to be opposed to the magnetic member and that is arranged at the rotating shaft of the developer stirring-transporting member. | 03-11-2010 |
| 20100061769 | DEVELOPING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS AND TONER SUPPLY CONTROL METHOD USING THE SAME - A developing device includes: a first conveying passage (developer conveying passage) through which a developer containing a toner and a magnetic carrier is conveyed; a first conveying member (developer conveying member) provided in the first conveying passage for agitating and conveying the developer in a predetermined direction; and a toner supply pipe for leading supplementary toner to the first conveying passage. The developing device further includes electromagnets for forming a magnetic field inside the toner supply pipe to create a magnetic brush shutter by means of the electromagnets. | 03-11-2010 |
| 20100067956 | ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHIC TONER AND METHOD OF PREPARING THE SAME - An electrophotographic toner and a method of preparing the same are provided. The electrophotographic toner includes a latex, a colorant, and a releasing agent, wherein the electrophotographic toner includes silicon (Si) and iron (Fe), each of the Si and Fe is in the range of about 3 to about 1,000 ppm, a mole ratio of Si to Fe (Si/Fe) is in the range of about 0.1 to about 5, an initiation temperature of a maximum heat absorption peak curve when a temperature increases in a heat absorption curve of the toner measured by a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) is in the range of about 68 to about 89° C., and a peak temperature of the maximum heat absorption peak curve is in the range of about 86 to about 89° C. | 03-18-2010 |
| 20100074655 | DEVELOPING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS AND DEVELOPER CONVEYING METHOD USING THE SAME - To provide a developing device, which includes: a first conveying passage through which a developer including a toner and a magnetic carrier is conveyed; a first conveying member disposed in the first conveying passage for conveying the developer in a predetermined whilst agitating; a toner supply port for supplying toner into the first conveying passage; and a multiple number of electromagnets arranged in the upper part of the first conveying passage and on the downstream side of the toner supply port with respect to the developer's direction of conveyance for creating magnetic fields inside the first conveying passage along the developer's direction of conveyance, and which can improve agitation performance and conveying performance of the developer without extremely increasing stress acting on the developer, as well as providing an image forming apparatus and developer conveying method using the device. | 03-25-2010 |
| 20100080630 | AGITATING MEMBER AND DEVELOPING CARTRIDGE - In order to provide an agitator having a wiper made of a resiliency deformable material, an agitator according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a main body and a resiliently deformable plate-like member. The main body has a placing surface, a first protrusion, and a second protrusion protruding from the placing surface. The resiliently deformable plate-like member has a free end portion including a free end and a supported portion supported to the main body, the supported portion being placed on the placing surface and having a first engaging section engaging the first protrusion and a second engaging section engaging the second protrusion, the supported portion being curved upon resilient deformation thereof as a result of engagement of the first engaging section and the second engaging section with the first protrusion and the second protrusion respectively, a length between the first engaging section and the second engaging section being greater than a linear distance between the first protrusion and the second protrusion. | 04-01-2010 |
| 20100098463 | DEVELOPING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING DEVICE - A developing device has: a developer housing chamber in which developer is housed; a developer holding member holding developer by magnetic force; a partitioning wall having an overlapping region that, in a transparent plan view, is positioned upward of the developer holding member and overlaps the developer holding member in an up/down direction; and an opening portion formed in the overlapping region of the partitioning wall. The partitioning wall is a portion of a separating wall of the developer housing chamber, and is provided between the developer housing chamber and the developer holding member. | 04-22-2010 |
| 20100111571 | Developer storing container, developing device and image forming apparatus - A developer storing container includes a developer storing chamber storing a developer therein and having a side wall, and an agitating member having a shaft portion rotatably supported by the side wall. The side wall has a hollow portion surrounding the shaft portion of the agitating member. A seal member having an annular shape is provided between the hollow portion and the shaft portion. The seal member has an outer circumferential surface contacting the hollow portion, and an inner circumferential surface contacting the shaft portion. A contact pressure between the outer circumferential surface of the seal member and the hollow portion is larger than a contact pressure between the inner circumferential surface of the seal member and the shaft portion of the agitating member. | 05-06-2010 |
| 20100119263 | DEVELOPING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A developing device and an image forming apparatus are provided, which prevent the output of the sensor from being destabilized due to the loose aggregation and stagnation of a developer on the detection surface of a permeability sensor and stabilize the output of the permeability sensor so as to enable highly precise toner concentration control. The developing device includes a transport passage, a developing roller that supplies to a photosensitive drum the two-component developer passing through the transport passage, a transport member that stirs the two-component developer in the transport passage and supplies the two-component developer to the developing roller, and the permeability sensor that is disposed in the transport passage to detect a toner concentration of the two-component developer. The developing device also includes an electromagnet located adjacent to the permeability sensor. The electromagnet is supplied with an intermittent flow of current to make the developer active in movement. | 05-13-2010 |
| 20100124442 | DEVELOPING DEVICE, DEVELOPING METHOD, AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A developing device includes: a container configured to store a developer and have an agitating passage for supplying the developer to a developing roller; a rotatable agitating member configured to carry the developer along the agitating passage while agitating the developer; a discharge port configured to be provided a container wall surface on a side on which the developer is scraped down in the agitating passage and discharge an excess developer involved in the supply of the developer; and a heaping member configured to heap the developer near the discharge port and discharge the developer from the discharge port. | 05-20-2010 |
| 20100124443 | DEVELOPMENT DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A development device includes a development portion to develop a latent image formed on a latent image carrying member with developer including toner and carrier particles, a circulation unit to convey the developer collected from the development portion to a supplying unit in the development portion, the circulation unit including a container to store the developer, disposed upstream from the development portion in a direction in which the developer is circulated, and a first agitator provided inside the container, to agitate and mix the collected developer and fresh toner supplied to the container, the first agitator formed by multiple linear members. | 05-20-2010 |
| 20100135700 | DEVELOPER ,DEVELOPING UNIT,DEVELOPING DEVICE,AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A developer of the present invention includes a toner and a carrier. The toner contains a charge control agent, and the carrier has on its surface a coating layer to which a charge control agent and electrically conductive particles are added. All of constituent elements of one of the charge control agent of the toner and the charge control agent of the carrier are contained in constituent elements of the other one of the charge control agents. With the configuration, the developer of the present invention is capable of stably maintaining a toner charge amount and outputting high-quality images for long periods. | 06-03-2010 |
| 20100143000 | DEVELOPMENT DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS INCLUDING SAME - A development device includes a development mechanism, an agitation unit connected to the development mechanism, to agitate and mix together the developer collected from the development mechanism and fresh toner, and a transport member to transport the agitated developer from the agitation unit to the development portion. The development mechanism includes a developer carrier to carry the developer, multiple supply ports disposed at different positions in an axial direction of the developer carrier, through which the agitated developer is supplied to the development mechanism, a discharge port, a developer supply member to supply the developer to the developer carrier while transporting the developer in the direction parallel to the axial direction of the developer carrier, and a developer collection member to collect the developer from the developer carrier. | 06-10-2010 |
| 20100158572 | DEVELOPER HOMOGENIZER FOR MULTI-ENGINE PRINTING SYSTEM - An apparatus and method for homogenizing developer allow variations in image quality between marking engines to be reduced. The apparatus includes a developer homogenizer in communication with the marking engines which receives developer from the first marking engine and developer from the second marking engine and combines them. A first portion of the combined developer is returned to the first marking engine for forming images therewith and a second portion of the combined developer is returned to the second marking engine for forming images therewith. | 06-24-2010 |
| 20100158573 | DEVELOPER SUPPLYING APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS HAVING THE SAME - A developer supplying apparatus can include a first chamber and a second chamber defined within a housing. Each of the first and second chambers may include an agitator disposed therein. A magnetic body may be disposed near the first chamber to receive toner from the first chamber. A controller can determine the level of developer received in the first chamber, and to based on the determined developer level control the operations of one or more of the agitators and the magnetic body in order to ensure sufficient supply of the developer in the first chamber to reduce the occurrences of image defects, such as, for example, auger marks. | 06-24-2010 |
| 20100166465 | Developing Apparatus and Developer Cartridge - A developing apparatus includes a developing roller and a feed roller accommodated in a developing chamber of a developing frame, a first agitating member accommodated in a storing chamber of the developing frame for agitating the developer by rotating in a prescribed rotational direction while moving the developer in the rotational direction, a second agitating member accommodated in a developer accommodation chamber of a developer cartridge, a wall portion provided between the storing chamber and the developer accommodation chamber and formed with an opening for circulating the developer between the storing chamber and the developer accommodation chamber to face the storing chamber on a position above the upper end portion of the feed roller, and a conveyance member arranged between the opening of the wall portion and the developer accommodation chamber for conveying the developer in an axial direction of the developing roller. | 07-01-2010 |
| 20100189469 | Developer storing container, developing device and image forming apparatus - A developer storing container includes a developer storing portion having a developer outlet opening at a substantially longitudinal center portion, and an agitation member rotatable about a rotation axis to thereby agitate and eject the developer via the developer outlet opening. The agitation member includes a mounting portion with a mounting surface along the rotation axis, and an elongated flexible member having first and second ends. The flexible member is mounted to the mounting portion at the first end so that the second end defines a sliding end portion at which the flexible member slides in a sliding direction. Both longitudinal end portions of the sliding end portion of the flexible member slide along the inner surface of the developer storing container, ahead of a substantially longitudinal center portion of the sliding end portion in the sliding direction, and are inclined with respect to a direction perpendicular to the sliding direction. | 07-29-2010 |
| 20100196056 | DEVELOPING DEVICE, IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS, AND CLEANING METHOD FOR THE DEVELOPING DEVICE - A developing device includes a developer tank for housing a two-component developer containing toner and magnetic carrier; a first conveying portion having a first rotary shaft rotatable about its axis and a first screw blade which surrounds the first rotary shaft and rotates together with the first rotary shaft and contains a ferromagnetic substance; a second conveying portion having a second rotary shaft rotatable about its axis and a second screw blade which surrounds the second rotary shaft and rotates together with the second rotary shaft and contains a ferromagnetic substance; a first electromagnet for magnetizing the first screw blade; and a second electromagnet for magnetizing the second screw blade. | 08-05-2010 |
| 20100196057 | DEVELOPING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS USING THE SAME - A developing device includes a developing vessel for storing a developer, a first conveying passage, a second conveying passage, a first conveying member, a second conveying member and a developing roller for supplying toner to a photoreceptor drum. The first conveying member has a first rotary shaft and a first conveying blade formed on the periphery of the first rotary shaft. The first conveying blade has a large-diametric ring-shaped helical blade and a small-diametric helical blade, forming a double-helical structure. Alternatively, the first conveying blade is formed of helical blades being different in phase; each helical blade is formed so that the radius varies on a cycle of the rotational angle of 180 degrees. | 08-05-2010 |
| 20100209146 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus includes: a latent image bearing member on which an electrostatic latent image is to be formed; a developing unit which contains the developer and performs a development process to develop the electrostatic latent image formed on the latent image bearing member; and a movement mechanism which moves the developing unit toward the latent image bearing member when the development process is performed, and moves the developing unit away from the latent image bearing member and changes the attitude of the developing unit with, respect to the latent image bearing member when the development process is not performed. | 08-19-2010 |
| 20100226688 | DEVELOPING DEVICE, PROCESS CARTRIDGE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A developing device includes: a developing roll; a developer storage chamber; a toner supply chamber into which toner flows through an inflow opening from a toner storage chamber, the toner supply chamber being communicated through an outflow opening with the developer storage chamber; and an agitating member that is disposed inside the toner supply chamber. The agitating member includes: a circular column-shaped shaft portion that has a gradually tapering portion where the shaft diameter of at least a portion of the shaft portion that faces the outflow opening gradually increases in the toner conveyance direction, and spiral blade portions that are disposed on the outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion and that rotate and agitate and convey the toner flowing from the inflow opening into the toner supply chamber to the outflow opening. | 09-09-2010 |
| 20100226689 | DEVELOPING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS USING THE SAME - A developing device includes a developing vessel for storing a developer, a first conveying passage, a second conveying passage, a first conveying member and a second conveying member to supply toner to a photoreceptor drum. The first conveying member includes a first rotary shaft and a first multi-helically structured blade. The first multi-helically structured blade includes a first inner helical blade and ring-shaped first outer helical blade. The first inner helical blade is formed so that the radius of the helical blade varies cyclically. The second helical pitch of the first outer helical blade is smaller than the first helical pitch of the first inner helical blade. The first outer helical blade inscribes the outer periphery of the first inner helical blade at its minimum radius portions. | 09-09-2010 |
| 20100232838 | DEVELOPING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A developing device includes a conveyance path, a conveyance member, a return path, and a pre-agitation region. The conveyance path conveys a toner while agitating the toner. The conveyance member has a rotational shaft, which is rotatably disposed along an upstream end to a downstream end of the conveyance path, and conveys the toner toward the downstream end due to rotation of the rotational shaft. The return path communicates with the downstream end and an intermediate portion of the conveyance path, thereby forming a circulation path, and returns the toner from the downstream end to the intermediate portion. The pre-agitation region is formed at the upstream end side, extending from the intermediate portion and outside the circulation path, and pre-agitates the toner to be conveyed to the circulation path. | 09-16-2010 |
| 20100232839 | Image forming system - A developing unit, which incorporates a developer carrier and can be used in an image forming apparatus incorporated in an image forming system, includes an agitator to agitate a developer including a toner therein, a toner conveyer to convey the developer agitated by the agitator, and a developer carrier disposed facing an image carrier at a development area located between the developer carrier and the image carrier to carry the agitated developer conveyed by the toner conveyer toward a surface thereof to develop a latent image formed on the image carrier into a toner image with the developer at the development area. An adhesion force exerted between the surface of the developer carrier and a toner particle is 100 nN or smaller. The developing unit further includes a supplementary particle supplier and a developer container to mix supplementary particles with the developer therein. | 09-16-2010 |
| 20100239322 | DEVELOPING APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A developer accommodating container is structured such as to be provided with a first accommodating portion in which the first feeding member is arranged, a second accommodating portion in which the second feeding member is arranged, a first communication portion communicating the first accommodating portion and the second accommodating portion in one end side, a second communication portion communicating the first accommodating portion and the second accommodating portion at the other end side, a developer replenishing portion arranged in the other end side rather than the second communication portion, in the other end side of the first accommodating portion, a developer discharge portion arranged in the other end side rather than the second communication portion, in the other end side of the second accommodating portion, and a flow rate regulating portion arranged between the second communication portion and the developer discharge portion, and regulating an amount of the passing developer. | 09-23-2010 |
| 20100247150 | DEVELOPER CONTAINER, DEVELOPING APPARATUS, AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - The invention provides a developer container that comprises a container main unit having a partition arranged at a position dividing a first transport space and a second transport space that are spaces in which developer is transported respectively, and an opening, and a lid that blocks the opening, and contacts the partition in a state in which the partition is bent when the opening is blocked, and the lid dividing the first transport space and the second transport space using a portion of the lid, which contacts the partition. | 09-30-2010 |
| 20100247151 | DEVELOPING UNIT AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A developing unit including a retainer receiving portion for receiving a developer retainer, a first agitation portion adjacent to the retainer receiving portion, a second agitation portion adjacent to the first agitation portion, a first conveyance member received in the first agitation portion and conveying a developer in the first agitation portion in a first conveyance direction, a second conveyance member received in the second agitation portion and conveying a developer in the second agitation portion in a second conveyance direction reverse to the first conveyance direction, and a magnetic member disposed between the second conveyance member and the developer retainer and having magnetism. | 09-30-2010 |
| 20100247152 | DEVELOPING UNIT AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A developing unit including a retainer receiving portion for receiving a developer retainer, a first agitation portion adjacent to the retainer receiving portion, a second agitation portion adjacent to the first agitation portion, a first conveyance member received in the first agitation portion, a second conveyance member received in the second agitation portion, a layer thickness limiting member made of a magnetic material and disposed between the second conveyance member and the developer retainer to limit the layer thickness of a developer retained on the surface of a retaining member, and a blocking portion disposed on the upstream side of the layer thickness limiting member in the rotation direction of the retaining member and in a space located between the layer thickness limiting member and the second agitation portion to block a developer on the upstream side of the layer thickness limiting member from entering the space. | 09-30-2010 |
| 20100247153 | IMAGE FORMING AGENT STORAGE CONTAINER, IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS, AND METHOD OF FILLING IMAGE FORMING AGENT - An image forming agent storage container includes a container body formed with a discharge hole, a rotary shaft, a stirring part, and a conveying member. The conveying member includes a first end portion, a second end portion and a slit. The first end portion comes into contact with a lower inner face of the container body. The second end portion comes into contact with an inner face of the container body which intersects the lower inner face. The slit is formed between the first end portion and the second end portion. A corner of the conveying member located between the first and second end portions is removed. The slit extends from a portion from which the corner is removed toward an inside of the conveying member. | 09-30-2010 |
| 20100254729 | DEVELOPING UNIT AND DEVELOPER STIRRING AND TRANSPORTING METHOD - There are provided a developing unit and a developer stirring and transporting method in which the amount of developer in the developing unit can always be kept at a specified amount without being influenced by a use environment. A developing unit | 10-07-2010 |
| 20100272473 | POWDER SUPPLY DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A powder supply device includes: first and second storage sections that store powder, first and second stirring sections arranged inside the first and second storage sections, a drive section that produces a forward direction rotational force and a reverse direction rotational force to apply a drive force to the first and second stirring sections, first and second transmission shafts that transmit the drive force to the first and second stirring sections, and a transmission switching section that transmits the drive force produced by the forward direction rotational force of the drive section to the first transmission shaft, and that transmits the drive force produced by the reverse direction rotational force of the drive section to the first transmission shaft and the second transmission shaft. | 10-28-2010 |
| 20100272474 | Developer Cartridge and Developing Unit Provided with the Same - A developer cartridge assembled to a developing device defining therein a developing chamber. The developer cartridge includes a first accommodating portion, and a first agitator. The first accommodating portion accommodates therein a developing agent and is positioned beside the developing device. The first accommodating portion includes a first wall part neighboring the developing device. The first wall part is formed with a first through-hole and a second through-hole. The first through-hole is open diagonally downward from the first accommodating portion to the developing device. The second through-hole is open diagonally upward from the first accommodating portion to the developing device. The first through-hole and the second through-hole allow communication between an interior of the first accommodating portion and the developing chamber. The first agitator is rotatably disposed in the first accommodating portion and in sliding contact with the first wall part in a vertical direction. | 10-28-2010 |
| 20100278563 | DEVELOPING UNIT AND DEVELOPER STIRRING AND TRANSPORTING METHOD - A developing unit and a developer stirring and transporting method are provided that enable smooth discharge of a developer in the developing unit without being affected by the inclination of the developing unit. A developing unit | 11-04-2010 |
| 20100290814 | DEVELOPING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS USING THE SAME - A developing device includes a developing vessel, first and second conveying passages for conveying a developer, first and second conveying members for agitating and conveying the developer, a developing roller, a toner supply port for receiving a supply of toner and an agitator arranged under the toner supply port. The first conveying member has a rotary shaft and first and second conveying blades formed on the periphery of the rotary shaft. The agitator is arranged coaxially with the first conveying member so as to be rotatable independently from the first conveying member. The agitator includes a circular helical blade formed around the outer periphery of the second helical blade. | 11-18-2010 |
| 20100290815 | DEVELOPING APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS USING SAME - A developing apparatus using a two-component developer constituted by a magnetic carrier and a toner, and an image forming apparatus comprising the developing apparatus. A developing unit and a stirring unit are provided, and in order to suppress toner scattering that may occur after a development operation has been halted for a long time, and thereby suppress contamination of the apparatus interior, the developer in a developing machine is transferred to a stirrer serving as a developer storage unit on the exterior of the developing machine when the development operation ends. Further, to extend the life of the developer, a range in which an angle of a restricting member upstream side central angle α, which is a central angle of the surface of a developing roller serving as a developer carrier on the upstream side of a restricting member opposing position opposing a doctor blade serving as a developer amount restricting member in a surface motion direction of the developing roller, is not less than 0[°] and not more than 60[°] is set as a low magnetic flux density area γ in which the maximum value of a normal direction magnetic flux density on the surface of the developing roller is not more than 30 [mT]. | 11-18-2010 |
| 20100303507 | DEVELOPING APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A developing apparatus is provided with a developer accommodating container having a replenishing portion in which a developer including a toner and a carrier is accommodated, and provided for replenishing the developer, and a discharging portion for discharging the accommodated developer. The developer accommodating container is separated into a first accommodating portion and a second accommodating portion by a partition wall, and the first accommodating portion and the second accommodating portion are communicated with each other by communication portions in both end sides. The developing apparatus moves in a circulating manner the accommodated developer while agitating, by means of a first feeding member arranged in the first accommodating portion and a second feeding member arranged in the second accommodating portion. The communication portions are communicated below a supposed lowest height of a liquid surface of the developer. | 12-02-2010 |
| 20100310275 | Powder Carrier Screw, Development Device And Image Forming Device Using The Powder Carrier Screw - A powder carrier screw includes a rotation shaft which is provided along a path which carries powder such as toner and is rotatably supported by a container forming the path, the rotation shaft having one end from which a rotation driving force is applied, a coil which is provided in a spiral form along an outer circumference of the rotation axis, the coil having a shaft center of the rotation shaft as a shaft center and having both end portions joined to both end portions of the rotation shaft, and the coil rotating along the rotation of the rotation shaft, a thick portion which is provided in at least one end portion of the coil, the thick portion having a thickness larger than a thickness of a general portion of the coil, and a coil welded portion in which the thick portion and the rotation shaft are welded. | 12-09-2010 |
| 20100322670 | DEVELOPING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS USING THE SAME - The developing device includes: a developing container for storing a developer; first and second conveying passages that are formed in the developing container and sectioned by a partition; first and second conveying members disposed inside the first and second conveying passages, respectively, to agitate and circulatively convey the developer through the first and second conveying passages in opposite directions; a developing roller that supplies the developer in the second developer conveying passage to a photoreceptor drum; first and second communication paths that connect between the first and second conveying passages at both ends of the partition; and, a developer flow regulator that regulates the flow of developer moving from the first conveying passage to the second conveying passage, in accordance with the height of the developer surface of the developer. | 12-23-2010 |
| 20100322671 | DEVELOPING APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS PROVIDED WITH THE SAME - A housing of a developing apparatus is provided with a conveying member in a developer supplying and recovering portion, and with two agitating members rotating from the below to the above in portions opposed to each other in a developer agitating portion. A guide is provided in an inner bottom surface of the housing between two agitating members. A braking portion suppressing a discharge of a developer is provided in a downstream side of the developer agitating portion in a developer conveying direction of the second agitating member, and a discharge portion is provided in a downstream side of a disc of the braking portion. | 12-23-2010 |
| 20100322672 | DEVELOPING APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS PROVIDED WITH THE SAME - A housing of a developing apparatus is provided with a conveying member and two agitating members. A guide is provided in an inner bottom surface of the housing between two agitating members. A guide is formed into a mountain shape with wide foot portion in a cross sectional shape which is orthogonal to an axial direction of rotating shafts of the agitating members. The guide is arranged in such a manner that a gap between respective outermost portions of two agitating members, and an inner bottom surface of the housing and the guide becomes equal to or more than 1.5 mm and less than 3 mm. Further, each of two agitating members rotates in a direction from the below to the above at a position of the guide. | 12-23-2010 |
| 20100322673 | DEVELOPING APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS PROVIDED WITH THE SAME - A housing of a developing apparatus is provided with a conveying member in a developer supplying and recovering portion, and with two agitating members rotating from the below to the above in portions opposed to each other in a developer agitating portion. A guide is provided in an inner bottom surface of the housing between two agitating members. A discharge portion provided with a developer discharge port is provided on a downstream side of the developer agitating portion in a developer conveying direction of the first agitating member. A suitable amount of developer can be circulated while conveying a part of an excess amount of developer in a circulating conveying path to the discharge portion and discharging from the developer discharge port. Packing and leaking of the developer within the developing apparatus and breakage of the developing apparatus can be prevented and also a good image can be obtained even if high printing images are continuously provided. | 12-23-2010 |
| 20100322674 | DEVELOPING APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS PROVIDED WITH THE SAME - A housing of a developing apparatus is provided with a conveying member in a developer supplying and recovering portion, and two agitating members rotating in the same direction respectively as viewing rotating shafts from a near side in an axial direction, in a developer agitating portion. A guide is provided in an inner bottom surface of the housing between two agitating members. A braking portion suppressing a discharge of a developer is provided in a downstream side of the developer agitating portion in a developer conveying direction of the first agitating member, and a discharge portion is provided in a downstream side of a disc of the braking portion. | 12-23-2010 |
| 20100322675 | DEVELOPING APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS PROVIDED WITH THE SAME - A housing of a developing apparatus is provided with a conveying member and two agitating members. A guide is provided in an inner bottom surface of the housing between the agitating members. The guide has a mountain shape with wide foot portion in a cross sectional shape which is orthogonal to an axial direction of rotating shafts of the agitating members. The agitating members are arranged in such a manner that gaps between respective outermost portions thereof and the inner bottom surface of the housing and the guide become equal to or more than 1.5 mm and less than 3 mm. The agitating members rotate from the below to the above in a portion in which they are opposed to each other. A discharge portion is provided on a downstream side of a developer agitating portion in a developer conveying direction of the first and second agitating members. | 12-23-2010 |
| 20110008073 | DEVELOPMENT DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A development device includes a developer container internally divided by a partition into a supply path and a recovery path, a developer bearing member, a supply conveyance member to apply force to convey developer to a developer retaining space through the supply path, the developer retaining space retaining the developer to be conveyed by the developer bearing member, a recovery conveyance member, a communication pathway provided between the supply path and the developer retaining space, the communication pathway passing the developer from the supply path to the developer retaining space, and a developer softening member to soften the developer that is present above the partition, provided at least one of at a position in the communication pathway and at a position close to the communication pathway. | 01-13-2011 |
| 20110013943 | DEVELOPING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A developing device includes a first chamber, a second chamber, a first inlet portion, a first carrying member and an auxiliary blade. The first chamber receives a developer supplied to a developer holder. The second chamber receives the developer carried from the first chamber after being circulated between the first chamber and the second chamber. The first inlet portion allows the developer to be introduced from the second chamber to the first chamber. The first carrying member is disposed in the first chamber to carry the developer in the first chamber in a first carrying direction. The first carrying member includes a rotating shaft, a spiral blade provided at an outer periphery of the rotating shaft, and the auxiliary blade formed toward an upstream side of the first carrying direction from the spiral blade. | 01-20-2011 |
| 20110020037 | DEVELOPING DEVICE, IMAGE CARRIER UNIT AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A developing device includes a first developer containing chamber, a second developer containing chamber, a first inflow section, a second inflow section, a first conveyance member and a second conveyance member. The first inflow section allows the developer to flow from the second developer containing chamber into the first developer containing chamber. The second inflow section allows the developer to flow from the first developer containing chamber into the second developer containing chamber. The first conveyance member conveys the developer contained in the first developer containing chamber in a first developer conveyance direction. The second conveyance member conveys the developer contained in the second developer containing chamber in a second developer conveyance direction. In a range corresponding to the first inflow section, an area of a cross section, perpendicular to the second developer conveyance direction, of the second developer containing chamber decreases along the second developer conveyance direction. | 01-27-2011 |
| 20110044726 | DEVELOPING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A developing device includes a developing unit, a developer agitating unit, a developer conveying unit, and a toner supplementing unit. The developing unit develops an electrostatic latent image on an image carrier with a developer containing toner and carrier. The developer agitating unit agitates the developer. The developer conveying unit connects the developing unit and the developer agitating unit, and conveys the developer from the developing unit to the developer agitating unit. The toner supplementing unit is connected to the developer conveying unit, and supplements toner to the developer conveyed from the developing unit to the developer agitating unit. | 02-24-2011 |
| 20110052265 | DEVELOPING DEVICE USABLE WITH IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A developing device usable with an image forming apparatus, which has an improved configuration to allow smooth flow of developer stored therein. The developing device includes a housing in which a developer receiving chamber is defined, a partition to divide the developer receiving chamber into a first developer receiving chamber and a second developer receiving chamber, and a first developer delivery member arranged in the first developer receiving chamber to deliver developer in a first direction. The partition includes at least one opening to communicate the first developer receiving chamber and the second developer receiving chamber with each other, and a shield to block between the first developer receiving chamber and the second developer receiving chamber at an upstream position of the first direction so as to isolate the two developer receiving chambers from each other. | 03-03-2011 |
| 20110058854 | DEVELOPING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS USING THE SAME - A developing device includes: a developing vessel for storing a developer containing a toner and a magnetic carrier; a first conveying passage through which the developer is conveyed approximately horizontally; and a toner supply port for leading toner to the first conveying passage. The toner supply port is formed over the first conveying passage. The developing device includes a multiple number of electromagnets that intermittently attract and release the developer, over the first conveying passage. At the same time, a multiple number of downward slopes that go down toward the downstream side with respect to the developer conveying direction are formed in the bottom of the first conveying passage in areas in which the developer that has been attracted to the electromagnets and is released from the electromagnets falls. | 03-10-2011 |
| 20110064472 | DEVELOPING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - There is provided a developing device capable of preventing a carrier from abrading a shaft section of an agitating conveyance member facing a sealing member and preventing toner leakage resulting from the abrasion. A sealing member | 03-17-2011 |
| 20110069993 | DEVELOPING UNIT FOR ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY SYSTEM IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS AND PROCESS CARTRIDGE, AND ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY SYSTEM IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A developing unit includes a developing roller and a carrying member. The carrying member includes a main helical blade and a sub helical blade. The carrying member stirs developers containing a toner by using the main helical blade and carries in an axial direction the developers being fed to the developing roller. The sub helical blade is helically screwed in an opposite direction to the main helical blade in at least a part of the axial direction. Each of the main helical blade and the sub helical blade has carrying power of the developers. The carrying power of the sub helical blade is smaller than the carrying power of the main helical blade. | 03-24-2011 |
| 20110091246 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS AND DEVELOPER CONTAINER THEREFOR - An image forming apparatus includes a plurality of developing units respectively including developer inlets, the developing units are arranged side by side in a first direction, a plurality of developer containers to contain developers to be supplied to the plurality of developing units and respectively including developer outlets, the developer units are arranged side by side in the first direction to face the plurality of developing units, and a plurality of developer supplying paths respectively to connect the developer inlets to the developer outlets, wherein the plurality of developer containers include first and second developer containers, and a position of the developer outlet of the second developer container is different from position of the developer outlet of the first developer container. | 04-21-2011 |
| 20110103843 | DEVELOPING UNIT - A developing unit comprises a developing portion, a first developer storage portion and a partitioning wall. The developing portion includes a rotatable developer carrier, a rotatable supply member configured to supply the developer to the developer carrier, a regulating member contacting with the developer carrier to regulate the thickness of the developer on the developer carrier, and a developer feeding member arranged below the regulating member and configured to feed the developer. The partitioning wall is configured to partition between the developing portion and the first developer storage portion. The partitioning wall has a supply port for supplying the developer from the first developer storage portion to the developing portion. The regulating member is contacting with the developer carrier at a contact position located above an upper level of the developer in the developing portion. | 05-05-2011 |
| 20110123229 | DEVELOPING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A developing device includes: a developer holding member that faces an image carrier on which a latent image is formed and rotating while holding developer; a developing housing with a holding member mount that mounts developer holding member, and accommodates developer; a developer container connected to the developing housing and containing developer that flows into the developing housing; a partition member disposed in the developer container and partitioning an inner space of the developer container; and a loosening member having a loosening portion disposed in the developer container and extending along one side surface and another side surface of the partition member to partition the developer container, and a drawing portion that is connected to the loosening portion and extends from a port formed in the developer container to the outside of the developer container. When the drawing portion is drawn out, the loosening portion moves to loosen the developer. | 05-26-2011 |
| 20110123230 | DEVELOPING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS PROVIDED WITH THE SAME - A developing device is provided with a developer conveyance path for conveying a developer containing nonmagnetic toner and magnetic carrier, a wall portion including a wall surface for defining the developer conveyance path, a developing roller for supplying the toner from the developer conveyance path to an image bearing member, a conveying member extending in the developer conveyance path for conveying the developer while agitating it, a toner supply port arranged above the developer conveyance path for supplying new toner into the developer conveyance path from the outside, and a scraping member arranged at a position below the toner supply port in the developer conveyance path and adapted to scrape off the toner adhering to the wall surface while sliding in contact with the wall surface of the wall portion. | 05-26-2011 |
| 20110135343 | DEVELOPING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS HAVING THE SAME - A developing device includes: a developer carrier configured to form a developer image on an image carrier by developing an electrostatic latent image on the image carrier; a developer supplier being in contact with the developer carrier and configured to supply a developer to an outer circumferential surface of the developer carrier; and an agitating member configured to agitate the developer around the developer carrier or the developer supplier, wherein a tip of the agitating member, upon a rotation of the agitating member, moves in a noncircular path. | 06-09-2011 |
| 20110150535 | DEVELOPING APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS PROVIDED WITH THE SAME - A housing of a developing apparatus is provided with a conveying member and two agitating members. A guide is provided in an inner bottom surface of the housing between the agitating members. The guide has a mountain shape with wide foot portion in a cross sectional shape which is orthogonal to an axial direction of rotating shafts of the agitating members. The agitating members are arranged in such a manner that gaps between respective outermost portions thereof and the inner bottom surface of the housing and the guide become equal to or more than 1.5 mm and less than 3 mm. The agitating members rotate in the same direction respectively as viewing the rotating shafts from a near side in an axial direction. A discharge portion is provided on a downstream side of the developer agitating portion in a developer conveying direction of the first and second agitating members. | 06-23-2011 |
| 20110150536 | TONER CARTRIDGE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS INCLUDING THE SAME - Disclosed is a toner cartridge including a gear for rotating a rotatable member, for example, an agitator, of the toner cartridge and a support for rotatably supporting the gear. The gear includes a gear body, a coupling portion coupled to an end of the rotational shaft of the rotating member and a first position determining portion. The support includes a second position determining portion having a shape that corresponds to the shape of the first position determining portion so that the first and second position determining portions are capable of being coupled to each other. The gear is rotatable with the first and second position determining portions coupled to each other. | 06-23-2011 |
| 20110158696 | DEVELOPMENT AGENT SUPPLY DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS HAVING THE SAME - A development agent supply device includes a casing having an opening, a first development agent storage section, and a second development agent storage section, a development agent holding member housed in the casing such that a development agent holding surface thereof faces a developer-supplied device via the opening, a first electric-field transfer board that transfers development agent with a traveling-wave electric field along a down-facing development agent transfer surface in a predetermined direction from the first development agent storage section to the opening and faces the development agent holding surface at a downstream end in the predetermined direction, and a development agent retrieving unit that agitates development agent stored in the second development agent storage section and inadequately-charged development agent falling from the development agent transfer surface and conveys the development agent to the first development agent storage section. | 06-30-2011 |
| 20110158697 | Developer bearing member, developing device, and image forming apparatus - A developer bearing member that carries a developer including a carrier and a toner on its outer circumferential surface, and transports the developer, wherein a plurality of grooves having a V-shape extending in an axial direction are formed on the outer circumferential surface of the developer bearing member, and wherein an edge at which the outer circumferential surface of the developer bearing member meets an inner sidewall forming each of the plurality of grooves is removed. | 06-30-2011 |
| 20110158698 | DEVELOPING UNIT - The developing unit includes a developing section, a developer container, and a partition wall. The developing section includes a developer-bearing member, a supplying member, and a conveying member. The developer container is positioned adjacent to the developing section and configured to contain the developer. The partition wall is positioned adjacent to the conveying member and configured to separate the developing section and the developer container. The partition wall has a supply port, and a return port. A downstream end of the conveying member in a developer conveying direction is extended axially outward with respect to the supplying member. The return port faces the downstream end of the conveying member. | 06-30-2011 |
| 20110158699 | DEVELOPING APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS INCLUDING THE SAME - A developing apparatus and an image forming apparatus including the developing apparatus, the developing apparatus including a developing roller, a mixing transfer unit including a first mixing transfer unit and a second mixing transfer unit, and an auxiliary mixing transfer unit disposed on a transfer path from the first mixing transfer unit to the second mixing transfer unit and to mix the developer transferred by the first mixing transfer unit and the supply toner, wherein the auxiliary mixing transfer unit includes a vertical transfer unit to vertically upward transfer the developer transferred by the first mixing transfer unit and a mixing unit to mix the developer transferred by the first mixing transfer unit and the supply toner injected from an upper side thereof and to connect the second mixing transfer unit to a through hole formed in a lower portion thereof. | 06-30-2011 |
| 20110158700 | DEVELOPING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS INCLUDING THE SAME - A developing device and an image forming apparatus including the same includes an agitating and conveying unit that receives a developer, and at least one agitating and conveying member to mix and agitate the developer and convey the developer in a developer conveying direction. A developing roller faces a photosensitive drum on which an electrostatic latent image is formed, and attaches the developer to an outer surface of the developing roller. The agitating and conveying member includes a support shaft extending in the developer conveying direction. A plurality of agitation wings disposed on an outer surface of the support shaft to mix and agitate the developer. At least one paddle protrudes from the support shaft in a radial direction and extends along the shaft between adjacent agitation wings. The at least one paddle has a height increasing from an upstream side to a downstream side of the developer conveying direction. | 06-30-2011 |
| 20110158701 | DEVELOPER UNIT FOR AN IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A developer unit for an image forming apparatus is provided. The developer unit includes a developer device having a developer agent carrier, a developer agent supplier, and a restricting member, a developer agent container, which contains the developer agent, and a plurality of conveyers, including a first conveyer and a second conveyer, to convey the developer agent in an axial direction of the developer agent supplier. The first conveyer and the second conveyer are arranged along a circumference of the developer agent supplier and in parallel with the first conveyer. | 06-30-2011 |
| 20110170910 | DEVELOPING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS INCLUDING THE SAME - A developing device to be installed in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus including a photoconductor drum that is to have an electrostatic latent image formed on a surface thereof, the developing device comprising: a developer vessel that accommodates a developer containing a toner and a carrier; a toner supply port; a developing roller; a developer conveying passage that is disposed between a position in the developer vessel where the toner is supplied and the developing roller; a developer conveying helical member that is rotatably disposed in the developer conveying passage to convey the developer in the developer conveying passage to the developing roller while agitating the developer; and an agitating blade member that is rotatably disposed above, near and along the developer conveying helical member in the developer conveying passage to agitate the developer on the developer conveying helical member. | 07-14-2011 |
| 20110176836 | DEVELOPING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS INCLUDING THE SAME - A developing device comprising: a developer vessel that accommodates a developer containing a toner and a carrier; a toner supply port; a developing roller; a developer conveying passage; a developer conveying helical member; and a developer scooping member, wherein the developer conveying passage includes a first developer conveying passage and the a second developer conveying passage being defined by a partitioning plate, and a first communicating path and a second communicating path that establish a communication between the first and second developer conveying passage, the developer conveying helical member includes a first developer conveying helical member disposed in the first developer conveying passage, and a second developer conveying helical member disposed in the second developer conveying passage, the developer scooping member includes a first developer scooping member disposed near the first communicating path to send the developer in the first developer conveying passage into the second developer conveying passage, and a second developer scooping member disposed near the second communicating path to send the developer in the second developer conveying passage into the first developer conveying passage. | 07-21-2011 |
| 20110182624 | DEVELOPING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS USING THE DEVELOPING DEVICE - A developing device includes a developer container for containing a developer including a toner and a magnetic carrier; a developer conveying path provided in the developer container; a developer conveying member, provided in the developer conveying path, for agitating and conveying the developer; and a developing roller for holding the agitated developer so that the toner included in the developer is supplied to a photoconductor drum, wherein the developer conveying member includes a rotating shaft, and an undulated helical blade provided along an outer circumference of the rotating shaft. | 07-28-2011 |
| 20110194873 | BEARING SEAL UNIT, AND DEVELOPING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING DEVICE USING BEARING SEAL UNIT - A bearing seal unit comprises: a bearing member that supports a rotating shaft so as to freely rotate; a seal member provided integrally at one side along an axial direction of the bearing member to seal the rotating shaft; a connecting part extended along the axial direction from one member to the other member of the bearing member and the seal member and having an end side in the extending direction which protrudes more in the direction intersecting the axial direction than a base end side to connect the bearing member integrally with the seal member. | 08-11-2011 |
| 20110194874 | DEVELOPMENT DEVICE, AND PROCESS CARTRIDGE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS INCORPORATING SAME - A development device includes a developer container, a developer carrier, exposed partly from a casing, facing a latent image carrier in a development area, a magnetic field generator inside the developer carrier, having multiple magnetic poles including a conveyance pole to convey the developer downstream from the development area to a developer release portion, a developer agitator, and a developer regulator. A predetermined gap is kept between an outer surface of the developer carrier and an inner wall of the casing downstream from an opening of the casing, upstream from a developer release portion, in a direction in which the developer carrier rotates. Multiple recesses are formed in the outer surface of the developer carrier at a pitch in a circumferential direction shorter than half a width of a magnetic flux density of the developer conveyance pole in a direction perpendicular to an axial direction of the developer carrier. | 08-11-2011 |
| 20110217084 | DEVELOPING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A developing device includes a developer bearing body, a first developer supply member, a second developer supply member, and a compression member. The developer bearing body bears a developer. The first developer supply member supplies the developer to the developer bearing body. The second developer supply member moves the developer in the vicinity of the first developer supply member to the first developer supply member. The compression member opposes, and is out of contact with, the first developer supply member. The compression member also directs the developer moved by the second developer supply member to the first developer supply member, and compresses the developer between the first developer supply member and the compression member. | 09-08-2011 |
| 20110217085 | DEVELOPING APPARATUS, PROCESS CARTRIDGE, AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A developing apparatus contains a developer for developing a latent image formed on an image carrier. The developing apparatus includes a developer carrier disposed opposite to the image carrier; a developer regulating member regulating an amount of the developer carried by the developer carrier; and a developer circulating unit transporting the developer in a circulating path. The developer circulating unit includes a rotatable first transport member supplying the developer to the developer carrier while transporting the developer in a horizontal direction, a shielding member preventing the developer separated from the developer carrier from flowing back toward the first transport member, and a rotatable second transport member collecting the developer separated from the developer carrier while transporting the developer in the horizontal direction. A distance between the second transport member and the developer carrier is greater than a distance between the first transport member and the developer carrier. | 09-08-2011 |
| 20110222912 | DEVELOPING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS INCLUDING THE SAME - Provided is a developing device including: a developing container partitioned into a stirring-transport chamber, a supplying-transport chamber, and a collecting-transport chamber that are arranged substantially in parallel with one another, for storing a two-component developer; a developer carrying member for carrying the developer on a surface thereof; a supplying-transport member located within the supplying-transport chamber; a stirring-transport member located within the stirring-transport chamber; a collecting-transport member located within the collecting-transport chamber, for stirring and transporting the developer in the same direction as the supplying-transport member and at the different speed from the supplying-transport member; a first developer passage for passing the developer from the stirring-transport chamber to the supplying-transport chamber; a second developer passage for passing the developer from the supplying-transport chamber to the stirring-transport chamber; and a communication portion for passing the developer from the collecting-transport chamber to the supplying-transport chamber. | 09-15-2011 |
| 20110222913 | DEVELOPING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS INCLUDING THE SAME - A developing device includes: a developing container partitioned into a stirring-transport chamber, a supplying-transport chamber, and a collecting-transport chamber; a developer carrying member for carrying the developer on a surface thereof; a supplying-transport member located within the supplying-transport chamber; a stirring-transport member located within the stirring-transport chamber, for stirring and transporting the developer in a reverse direction to the supplying-transport member; a collecting-transport member located within the collecting-transport chamber, for stirring and transporting the developer in the same direction as the supplying-transport member; a first developer passage for passing the developer from the stirring-transport chamber to the supplying-transport chamber; a second developer passage for passing the developer from the supplying-transport chamber to the stirring-transport chamber, in which a communication portion for passing the developer from the collecting-transport chamber to the supplying-transport chamber is provided on an upstream side of the second developer passage in terms of a developer transporting direction. | 09-15-2011 |
| 20110229207 | DEVELOPING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A developing device includes a developer supply part and a developer collecting part, wherein the developer supply part has a developer inlet port for introducing a developer supplied from a reservoir into the developer supply part and a developer extraction port provided on the side of the developer inlet port to remove a portion of the developer so as to define a quantity of the developer to be introduced in the developer supply part, and wherein the developer extraction port and the developer collecting part are connected to the reservoir. | 09-22-2011 |
| 20110229208 | DEVELOPING DEVICE, PROCESS UNIT, AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - Provided is a housing that encloses: a first developer transport member that transports developer, which includes toner, laterally in a first direction; a second developer transport member that transports the developer in a second direction opposite to the first direction; a first communication passage configured to direct the developer transported by the first developer transport member to an upstream edge, along the second direction, of the second developer transport member; and a second communication passage configured to direct the developer transported by the second developer transport member to an upstream edge, along the first direction, of the first developer transport member. The second communication passage progressively reduces the amount of developer directed through the second communication passage to the upstream edge of the first developer transport member as an inclination angle of the housing increases so that the second communication passage is lower than the first communication passage. | 09-22-2011 |
| 20110236074 | DEVELOPING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A developing device that circulates developer in a circulation passage having first and second conveyance passages, so that the developer is supplied to a developing roller along the first or second conveyance passages, comprising: a first conveyance member in the first conveyance passage driven to rotate to convey the developer in a first conveyance direction; a communicating passage through which the developer flows from the first to second conveyance passages; a second conveyance member in the second conveyance passage driven to rotate to convey the developer in a second conveyance direction; a discharge passage extending from an end portion of the first conveyance passage located downstream in the first conveyance direction; and a passing developer amount changing mechanism configured to change an amount of developer passing through the communicating passage, according to a pressure applied to the developer at a junction between the first conveyance passage and the discharge passage. | 09-29-2011 |
| 20110262187 | DEVELOPING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS PROVIDED WITH SAME - A developing device includes: a developing tank for storing a developer containing a toner and a magnetic carrier, the developing tank including, inside thereof, a first developer carrying path; and a first stirring carrying member that rotates so that the first stirring carrying member carries the developer included in the first developer carrying path while stirring the developer. A toner supply opening is formed in a developing tank cover. An upper part of an inner wall surface of a side in which a developer sinks which inner wall surface faces downward rotation of the first stirring carrying member inclines from a direction perpendicular to a horizontal surface toward the first developer carrying path. An angle α made by (i) a tangential line of the upper inner wall surface at a position of the upper inner wall surface which position is at a height of a top part of an outer circumference of the first stirring carrying member and (ii) a horizontal line is not less than 100° but not more than 150°. This makes it possible to properly stir a supplied toner with an existing developer without applying excessive stress on the developer. | 10-27-2011 |
| 20110268478 | DEVELOPMENT DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - The development device includes a development member and a circulation member. The development member develops an electrostatic latent image formed on a latent image carrier with a developer including toner and a carrier to make the electrostatic latent image visible. The circulation member receives the developer discharged from the development member and conveys the developer back to the development member. The circulation member includes a container provided upstream from the development member in a conveyance direction of the developer to store the developer. The container includes an agitator provided inside the container and agitates and mixes the developer and fresh toner supplied to the container. The agitator includes a rotatable agitation member in which one or more holes are formed through which the developer passes to mix the fresh toner and the developer to be agitated in the container. | 11-03-2011 |
| 20110274468 | DEVELOPING DEVICE - Provided is a developing device which can prevent the occurrence of a phenomenon of an excessive increase of a developer quantity in a developer standby space, thereby acquiring a stable image. The developing device comprises a developer agitation-transfer unit, a developer roller, a developer feeding roller, a developer guide member and a space forming member. The developing device is characterized in that the developer feeding roller rotates to transfer the developer transferred by the agitation-transfer means, upward from the clearance between the developer feeding roller and the developer guide member, and in that, when the developer standby space formed in the device is filled with the developer transferred by the developer feeding roller, the developer feeding roller is rotated to carry the developer, which overflows from the developer standby space, and to move the same in the direction away from the developer roller, so that the developer is once discharged from the developer standby space. | 11-10-2011 |
| 20110286768 | DEVELOPING APPARATUS, AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A developing apparatus includes a first chamber for accommodating a developer, the first chamber being provided with a developer carrying member for carrying the developer; a second chamber communicated with the first chamber through communication openings provided at opposite end portions to establish a circulation path; a feeding member, provided in the second chamber, for feeding the developer in a feeding direction which is from one of the communication openings toward the other communication opening; a sealing portion for openably sealing the communication openings; a moving mechanism for opening the communication openings by moving the sealing portion; and a reverse feeding member for feeding the developer in a direction which is opposite the feeding direction. | 11-24-2011 |
| 20110286769 | DEVELOPING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A developer tank of a developing device is partitioned into a first conveyance path, a second conveyance path, a first communicating path and a second communicating path with a partition. A first developer conveying member that conveys a developer in a first developer conveying direction is provided in the first conveyance path. A second developer conveying member that conveys the developer in a second developer conveying direction is provided in the second conveyance path. In the first developer conveying member, a double spiral blade is provided on a downstream side in the first developer conveying direction from a first conveying blade of the first developer conveying member, the double spiral blade including an inner spiral blade that conveys the developer in a first direction and an outer spiral blade that conveys the developer in a second direction. | 11-24-2011 |
| 20110286770 | DEVELOPING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS INCLUDING THE SAME - A developing device to be installed in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus including a photoconductor drum that is to have an electrostatic latent image formed on a surface thereof, the developing device comprising: a developer vessell; a developing roller that is disposed in the developer vessel; first and second developer conveying passages; and first and second developer conveying helical members circulatory conveys the developer in the first and second developer conveying passages, wherein
| 11-24-2011 |
| 20110293332 | DEVELOPER STIRRING MEMBER, DEVELOPING APPARATUS AND PROCESS CARTRIDGE - A developer stirring member for stirring a developer in a developer accommodating portion, the developer stirring member includes a supporting shaft; a sheet-like member for stirring the developer, the sheet-like member having a first lateral end which is a free end and having a second lateral end which is fixed on the supporting shaft, wherein the sheet-like member is waved at the second lateral end, and waving is greater in the second lateral end than in the first lateral end. | 12-01-2011 |
| 20110305484 | DEVELOPMENT DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS INCLUDING THE SAME - A development device comprising a developer conveying member and a developer raking member that are rotatably disposed in the developer conveyance path to conveying and agitating the developer in the developer conveyance paths, wherein the developer conveyance path includes first and second developer conveyance paths and first and second communication paths that communicating the first and second developer conveyance paths on both sides, the developer conveying member includes first and second developer conveying members that are disposed in the first and second developer conveyance paths, the developer raking member is disposed in at least one of the first and second communication paths. | 12-15-2011 |
| 20110311278 | DEVELOPER SUPPLY DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS HAVING THE SAME - A developer supply device is provided, which includes a developer fluidizing unit including a movable member that moves in a moving direction identical to a developer transfer direction while contacting a predetermined contact range of a developer transfer surface of a transfer board disposed along an inner wall of a developer storage section, which developer fluidizing unit fluidizes development agent stored in the developer storage section by movement of the movable member, and a developer level adjusting unit that adjusts a level of the development agent stored in the developer storage section to be higher than a downstream end of the predetermined contact range of the developer transfer surface of the transfer board in the moving direction of the movable member. | 12-22-2011 |
| 20110311279 | DEVELOPING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMATION APPARATUS - A developing device comprising: a first transport member disposed in a first transport passage and configured to rotate and thereby transport developer; a second transport member disposed in a second transport passage and configured to rotate and thereby transport the developer; and a developer carrier configured to carry the developer supplied from the first transport passage, wherein the second transport passage is composed of an upstream section and a downstream section, the second transport passage communicates with the first transport passage via a first communication passage and a second communication passage, the upstream section is configured to receive refill toner, and V | 12-22-2011 |
| 20110318062 | Developer Conveying Device and Development Device, Toner Cartridge, and Cleaning Unit that are Provided with Developer Conveying Device - A developer conveying device comprising: a developer conveying cylinder; and a screw-shaped shaft, wherein the screw-shaped shaft includes a rotating shaft that is journaled in an upstream wall portion and a downstream wall portion, which are included in the developer conveying cylinder, and a spiral blade that is mounted on an outer circumferential surface of the rotating shaft; the rotating shaft includes a conical portion that thickens gradually toward the downstream side; and the spiral blade includes an agitating blade portion whose lead angle increases gradually toward the downstream side. | 12-29-2011 |
| 20120008987 | DEVELOPING DEVICE, IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS, AND IMAGE FORMING METHOD - An image forming apparatus includes: a photoconductive drum; a mixer which stirs a developer; and a developing roller which has plural magnets to supply the stirred developer to the photoconductive drum, and a separation pole that is a magnet arranged opposite the photoconductive drum in relation to a rotational center axis and separating the developer supplied to the photoconductive drum, and which is arranged in a way that a vertical first tangential line on the separation pole side is located outward to the separation pole side from an outer circumference of the mixer. | 01-12-2012 |
| 20120008988 | DEVELOPING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A developing device | 01-12-2012 |
| 20120014719 | DEVELOPING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS HAVING THE DEVELOPING DEVICE - A developing device comprising: a developer tank housing a developer including a toner and a carrier; a toner replenishment port; a developing roller; a first developer conveying path and a second developer conveying path; a conducting plate for peeling a recovery developer on a surface of the developing roller after the toner is supplied to a photosensitive drum from the surface of the developing roller so as to guide the recovery developer to the first developer conveying path; and first and second developer conveying members arranged on the first and second developer conveying paths, wherein the first developer conveying member has a cylindrical hollow rotating shaft with opened both ends that is rotatably provided to the first developer conveying path, and divides the first developer conveying path into an external first developer conveying path and an internal first developer conveying path, an external spiral blade fixed to an outer periphery of the hollow rotating shaft, and an internal spiral blade fixed to an inner periphery of the hollow rotating shaft, a direction where the developer is conveyed by the external spiral blade is the same as a direction where the developer is conveyed by the second developer conveying member and is opposite to a direction where the developer is conveyed by the internal spiral blade. | 01-19-2012 |
| 20120039632 | Developing Apparatus and Developer Cartridge - A developing apparatus includes a developing roller and a feed roller accommodated in a developing chamber of a developing frame, a first agitating member accommodated in a storing chamber of the developing frame for agitating the developer by rotating in a prescribed rotational direction while moving the developer in the rotational direction, a second agitating member accommodated in a developer accommodation chamber of a developer cartridge, a wall portion provided between the storing chamber and the developer accommodation chamber and formed with an opening for circulating the developer between the storing chamber and the developer accommodation chamber to face the storing chamber on a position above the upper end portion of the feed roller, and a conveyance member arranged between the opening of the wall portion and the developer accommodation chamber for conveying the developer in an axial direction of the developing roller. | 02-16-2012 |
| 20120045252 | DEVELOPMENT DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS PROVIDED THEREWITH - A development device mounted on an electrophotographic image forming apparatus including a photoconductive drum in which an electrostatic latent image is formed on a surface thereof, the development device comprising: a developer tank; a development roller that is provided in the developer tank; first and second developer conveying paths; and first and second developer conveying spiral members that conveying the developer in the circulating manner in the first and second developer conveying paths, wherein at least one of the first and second developer conveying spiral members further includes an end blade that is provided at one end of the rotary shaft, the end blade includes: a spiral blade portion that is fixed to the circumferential surface of the rotary shaft; and a circumferential agitating plate portion that is fixed to a circumferential portion of the spiral blade portion. | 02-23-2012 |
| 20120057904 | DEVELOPING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A developing device includes a developing tank, a developing roller, a supply toner carrying path, and a supply toner diffusion screw. A partition board provided parallel to the developing roller in the developing tank has, in an axial direction of the supply toner diffusion screw, a first region and a second region lower than the first region. The first region is located so as to face a region perpendicularly below a toner supply opening, and the second region is located so as not to face the region perpendicularly below the toner supply opening. | 03-08-2012 |
| 20120063813 | DEVELOPING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A developing device that is capable of securing an amount of developer that can be stored in a developer tank while suppressing the bending of a developer conveying section, as well as an image forming apparatus are provided. In a developer tank of a developing device, there is provided a first developer conveying section that includes a first rotation shaft member having a columnar shape in which grooves extending in an axial line direction are formed, and a first spiral blade that is spirally wound around the first rotation shaft member and conveys the developer by rotation around the axial line of the first rotation shaft member. | 03-15-2012 |
| 20120070194 | Developing Device and Image Forming Apparatus - Developing device supplying developer to developing roller, while causing developer to circulate in passage including first and second conveying passages in parallel, and while ejecting part of developer to outside via ejection passage formed as extension of first conveying passage on downstream side in developer conveying direction, developing roller being provided along first conveying passage. Developing device includes: first communication path provided as branch of first conveying passage on downstream side, allowing first passage to communicate with second passage; first conveying part conveying developer in first passage toward first communication path; and entrance allowance unit allowing developer to enter ejection passage from first passage depending on pressure of developer in first passage, first conveying part including main and sub-conveying parts, main conveying part being provided in region corresponding to roller, sub-conveying part, provided downstream of main conveying part, conveying smaller amount of developer per unit time than main conveying part. | 03-22-2012 |
| 20120070195 | DEVELOPING APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS USING SAME - A developing apparatus for an image forming apparatus. In order to suppress toner scattering that may occur after a development operation has been halted for a long time, the developer is transferred to a developer storage unit on the exterior of the developing machine when the development operation ends. A range in which an angle of a restricting member upstream side central angle α, which is a central angle of the surface of a developing roller on the upstream side of a restricting member opposing position opposing a developer amount restricting member in a surface motion direction of the developing roller, is not less than 0° and not more than 60° is set as a low magnetic flux density area γ in which the maximum value of a normal direction magnetic flux density on the surface of the developing roller is not more than 30 mT. | 03-22-2012 |
| 20120093541 | IMAGE FORMING UNIT AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A image forming unit includes an image forming unit including an image bearing body that bears a latent image, a developer bearing body that develops the latent image, a developer supplying portion that supplies the developer to the developer bearing body, an agitating portion provided in the vicinity of the developer supplying portion and including a plate member for agitating the developer in the vicinity of the developer supplying portion and a rotation shaft that holds the plate member, and a driving mechanism that causes the plate member of the agitating portion to reciprocatingly swing about the rotation shaft. | 04-19-2012 |
| 20120099899 | DEVELOPING UNIT AND IMAGE-FORMING APPARATUS - A developing unit includes: a developing roller; a first conveying member provided in a first container, having a first shaft and a spiral blade, that agitates and conveys developer; a second conveying member provided in a second container connected to the first container via a hole, having a second shaft and a spiral blade, that agitates and conveys the developer; and a supplying member having a third shaft and a paddle blade, that supplies the developer conveyed by the first or the second conveying member to a developing roller, wherein: at least one of the first and second shafts includes a first portion that faces the hole and a second portion that does not face the hole; and a diameter of the at least one of the first and second shafts in at least a part of the first portion is smaller than a diameter in the second portion. | 04-26-2012 |
| 20120099900 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A developing device comprising a developer carrying member for carrying the developer containing non-magnetic toner and magnetic carrier to a position where said developer carrying member is opposed to an image bearing member; a developing container including a first chamber for accommodating a developer to be supplied to said developer carrying member, a second chamber provided below said first chamber, and a pair of transferring portions for circulating the developer between said first chamber and said second chamber; a first feeding member and a second feeding member, rotatably provided, in said first chamber and said second chamber, respectively, for stirring and feeding the developer; and a magnetic member provided at least on said first feeding member, wherein said magnetic member is provided in a region opposing at least one of said transferring portions where the developer is scooped from said second chamber into said first chamber. | 04-26-2012 |
| 20120114384 | Image Forming Apparatus - An image forming apparatus includes: a photosensitive drum; a toner cartridge; and a developing unit that forms a toner image by visualizing a latent image formed on the photosensitive drum. The developing unit includes a feed opening through which toner is supplied from the toner cartridge, and a paddle that agitates toner supplied through the feed opening and feeds the toner in a direction of the photosensitive drum. The feed opening has an opening length shorter than a length in a direction of a rotary axis of the paddle, and the paddle includes a toner guide that diffuses the toner in the direction of the rotary axis of the paddle. | 05-10-2012 |
| 20120155923 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS AND METHOD - An image forming apparatus that may securely mix a toner and a carrier in a minimum space when high-speed printing is performed. The image forming apparatus including: a photosensitive drum; a developing roller; and a developing unit, wherein the developing unit includes: a receiving or transferring unit for receiving or transferring a two-component developing agent in an axial direction of a developing roller; and a preparatory agitation unit disposed on an end part of the receiving or transferring unit and including an agitation screw that has a large diameter and for mixing the newly-supplied toner and the carrier. | 06-21-2012 |
| 20120163872 | DEVELOPING DEVICE, IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS, DEVELOPER AGITATING AND CONVEYING METHOD - A developing device includes a developer tank and a developing roller. An internal space of the developer tank is divided into an upper conveying path, a lower conveying path, a communication path, a main pumping conveying path section, and a developer supply path, by a partition wall. A developer pumping conveying section conveys a developer inside the main pumping conveying path section in a conveyance direction Z, and includes an inner spiral blade, a rotational tube, a first outer spiral blade, a second outer spiral blade, a pumping rotation shaft member, and a pumping gear. An attracting magnet is located in a position horizontally spaced from the rotational tube. | 06-28-2012 |
| 20120163873 | DEVELOPING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - In a developing device including a developer tank and a developing roller, an internal space of the developer tank is divided by a partition wall into a first conveying path, a second conveying path, a communication path and a pumping path. In the pumping path, there is disposed a developer pumping section including a pumping spiral blade, a pumping rotation shaft member, and a pumping gear. A developer in the pumping path is pumped up by the developer pumping section, so that a part of the developer is moved to a side of the first conveying path while another part of the developer is moved to a side of the second conveying path. | 06-28-2012 |
| 20120163874 | DEVELOPING DEVICE, PROCESS CARTRIDGE, AND IMAGE-FORMING APPARATUS - Developing devices, process cartridges and image-forming apparatuses, having a chamber for conveying recovered developer on the top of another chamber for conveying supplying developer, where the developer is conveyed by screws inside the chambers respectively, when mixing and conveying the developing agent, a shielding member which separates the chambers, a guide section is provided in the shielding member to guide a developing agent which has left a developing roller toward the screw in the upper chamber, and a third communication section is provided next to the guide section, at the back of where the guided developer contacts the screw wings in the upper chamber, and the third communication section communicates the chambers with each other, and the third communication section is provided from center to downstream in the conveyance direction of the developer by the screw upper. | 06-28-2012 |
| 20120189349 | DEVELOPING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A trickle-type developing device comprising: a stirring and conveying tank provided with stirring and conveying screws that circulate the developer; a discharge member via which a part of the developer is conveyed from the tank to a discharge opening through which the developer is discharged, the discharge opening being provided in the discharge member; and a reverse flow generating screw provided inside a portion of the discharge member, sharing one of rotation shafts of the stirring and conveying screws, and pushing back a part of the developer, wherein the portion has a reduced-radius part and in a cross section thereof perpendicular to an axial direction of the one of rotation shafts, an inner radius of the portion is smaller in the reduced-radius part than in the remaining part, the reduced-radius part being located in a lower part of the portion with respect to a vertical direction of the portion. | 07-26-2012 |
| 20120189350 | DEVELOPMENT DEVICE, DEVELOPER CONTAINER, AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A development device includes a housing for containing developer, a developer bearer to carry by rotation the developer contained in the housing to a development range position facing a latent image bearer, and developer conveyance device that includes a rotary shaft, a conveyance blade extending axially along the rotary shaft, projecting from the rotary shaft, and extending obliquely to the rotary shaft, to transport developer as the rotary shaft rotates, and a flexible agitation blade provided to the rotary shaft. An axial range of the flexible agitation blade overlaps at least partially with that of the conveyance blade. The flexible agitation blade has a width wider than a width of the conveyance blade and extends beyond an outer edge of the conveyance blade in the direction of diameter of the rotary shaft. | 07-26-2012 |
| 20120213554 | DEVELOPING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A developing device comprises a first and a second developer conveyance path; a first conveyance member; a second conveyance member; and, a developing roller. A developer collection path guides the developer left on a surface of the developing roller in a direction away from the first developer conveyance path. A third conveyance member is provided in a third developer conveyance path. A toner supply port supplies new toner to the third developer conveyance path. A developer drawing and conveyance path guides the developer supplied with the new toner to the second developer conveyance path. A developer drawing member is provided in the developer drawing and conveyance path for simultaneously agitating and conveying the developer. | 08-23-2012 |
| 20120219326 | DEVELOPMENT DEVICE, AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS AND PROCESS CARTRIDGE INCORPORATING SAME - A development device includes a developer container, a developer bearer to carry developer to a development range, a partition dividing at least partly the developer container into a supply compartment and a collecting compartment, with an end portion of the partition facing a circumferential surface of the developer bearer, a developer supply member in the supply compartment to supply the developer to the developer bearer, and a developer collecting member in the collecting compartment above the developer supply member, to receive the developer from the developer bearer. An opening is formed in a downstream end portion of the partition in a developer conveyance direction of the developer collecting member to cause the developer to fall to the supply compartment, and a width of the opening in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction increases toward downstream in the developer conveyance direction of the developer collecting member. | 08-30-2012 |
| 20120219327 | DEVELOPING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - In a developing device including a developer tank and a developing roller, an internal space of the developer tank is divided into a first conveying path, a second conveying path, a first communication path and a second communication path, by a partition wall. A first developer conveying section which conveys a developer in the developer tank in a conveying direction X is disposed in the first conveying path. A second developer conveying section which conveys the developer in the developer tank in a conveying direction Y is disposed in the second conveying path. The first developer conveying section includes a plurality of inner spiral blade pieces, a rotation tube, an upstream spiral blade, a downstream spiral blade, support members, and a first gear. | 08-30-2012 |
| 20120230733 | DEVELOPMENT DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS INCORPORATING SAME - A development device includes a development portion to develop a latent image; an agitation container to contain developer; a circulation system through which the developer is circulated between the development portion and the agitation container; a developer replenishing device to supply fresh developer to the agitation container; an agitator, provided inside the agitation container, to agitate and mix the developer collected from the development portion and the fresh developer from the developer replenishing device; and a developer escape chamber to discharge surplus developer in the agitation container, projecting from and continuous with the agitation container, the developer escape chamber defining a communication pathway in a side of the agitation container between the agitation container and the developer escape chamber through which the developer is moved between the agitation container and the developer escape chamber and having a discharge opening whose lower end is positioned higher than the communication pathway. | 09-13-2012 |
| 20120230734 | IMAGE FORMATION UNIT AND IMAGE FORMATION APPARATUS - An image formation unit includes an image carrier, a developer carrier configured to supply developer to the image carrier to form a developer image on the image carrier, first and second developer supply members configured to supply the developer to the developer carrier, a first developer container room configured to contain therein the developer and accommodating therein the first developer supply member, and a second developer container room configured to contain therein the developer and accommodating therein the second developer supply member. | 09-13-2012 |
| 20120243911 | DEVELOPING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A developing device includes a developing member including a scooping pole generating the magnetic lines of force to scoop up a developer, rotating while holding the developer scooped up by the scooping pole on a surface thereof, and supplying the developer to an image holding body to develop the electrostatic latent image, and an agitation transport unit that is disposed at a position where a developer used for development and separated and falling from the developing member is received, rotates about a rotating shaft extending along a rotating shaft of the developing member, agitates the developer, and transports the agitated developer to a scoop position, wherein the scooping pole is disposed on the downstream side of a line, which connects the rotating shaft of the developing member with the rotating shaft of the agitation transport unit, in a rotation direction of the developing member. | 09-27-2012 |
| 20120263502 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member, a developing apparatus and a toner container which replenishes the developing apparatus with toner. The developing apparatus includes a first conveyance member having a first rotational shaft and a toner replenishment port. The toner container includes a second conveyance member having a second rotational shaft and a toner discharge port. The developing apparatus and the toner container are assembled in such a manner that the first rotational shaft and the second rotational shaft are in mutually perpendicular directions, and the toner replenishment port and the toner discharge port are mutually overlapping in a vertical direction. The second conveyance member rotates in a direction whereby the toner is discharged from the toner discharge port to the toner replenishment port at a position on an upstream side of the toner replenishment port in terms of the toner conveyance direction. | 10-18-2012 |
| 20120294654 | TONER CONVEYING APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - The toner conveying apparatus and the image forming apparatus using the toner conveying apparatus include a conveyance case for conveying toner; one rotatable crankshaft located in one end portion of the conveyance case another rotatable crankshaft located in the other end portion of the conveyance case; and an upstream agitation member and a downstream agitation member eccentrically connected to the one rotatable crankshaft and the another rotatable crankshaft to agitate toner inside the conveyance path. Thus, the toner conveying apparatus can prevent a toner conveyance failure more than ever such that toner is retained by depositing and adhering inside a conveyance path. | 11-22-2012 |
| 20120308269 | DEVELOPING DEVICE AND ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS INCLUDING THE SAME - A developing device including a two-component developer including toner and a carrier. The developing device includes first and second developer housing portions divided by a barrier wall having first and second communication openings. A development member is disposed on the first developer housing portion, and first and second agitators are respectively disposed on the first and second developer housing portions. The developing device satisfies 1.8≦(Wa/Wb)≦3.0, wherein Wa represents a mass of the developer in the first developer housing portion and Wb represents a mass of the developer in the second developer housing portion at an equilibrium state. | 12-06-2012 |
| 20120321352 | DEVELOPING APPARATUS - A developing apparatus is provided in which, with reference to a middle position in a developer conveyance direction, an average friction coefficient between an inner wall of the developing chamber and the developer, is smaller at an upstream side than at a downstream side in the developer conveyance direction. | 12-20-2012 |
| 20130004207 | DEVELOPING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A developing device for developing an electrostatic latent image on an image bearing member including a developer bearing member opposed to the image bearing member to bear thereon a developer including a toner and a magnetic carrier; a developer containing part to contain the developer to supply the developer to the developer bearing member; an agitating or feeding member to agitate or feed the developer in the developer containing part; a magnetic permeability sensor to measure magnetic permeability of the developer to determine toner concentration of the developer; a developer feeder; a feeding member to feed the developer to the developer containing part through the developer feeder; and a driver to drive the feeding member independently of the agitating or feeding member. The magnetic permeability sensor is arranged on the developer feeder. | 01-03-2013 |
| 20130004208 | DEVELOPER HOLDING APPARATUS, DEVELOPING UNIT THAT INCORPORATES THE DEVELOPER HOLDING APPARATUS, AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS THAT EMPLOYS THE DEVELOPER HOLDING APPARATUS - A developer holding apparatus holds a developer material therein. A rotatable member is disposed within the developer holding apparatus. The rotatable member includes a rotational shaft and an agitating portion. The agitator is offset relative to the rotational shaft and extends in a first direction parallel to the rotational shaft. The agitating portion includes a first portion and a second portion. The first portion includes a first dimension in a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction and the second portion includes a second dimension in a third direction substantially parallel to the second direction. The second dimension is smaller in width than first dimension. | 01-03-2013 |
| 20130011163 | Developer Container and Image Forming Apparatus Including The Same - A developer container includes a developer accommodating chamber and a transporting member configured to elastically deform, to rotate, and to transport the developer accommodated in the developer accommodating chamber. The developer accommodating chamber includes a dividing wall configured to deform the transporting member by making a sliding contact with the transporting member. The developer accommodating chamber further includes a communicating portion configured to allow the transporting member, which has been elastically deformed by the sliding portion, to restore. The developer accommodating chamber still further includes a contacting portion. The transporting member restored by the communicating portion being configured to contact with the contacting portion. | 01-10-2013 |
| 20130016998 | DEVELOPING DEVICEAANM Noguchi; AkihiroAACI Toride-shiAACO JPAAGP Noguchi; Akihiro Toride-shi JPAANM Nose; KatsuyaAACI Matsudo-shiAACO JPAAGP Nose; Katsuya Matsudo-shi JPAANM Takahashi; KyosukeAACI Toride-shiAACO JPAAGP Takahashi; Kyosuke Toride-shi JP - A developing device includes a developer carrying member for carrying a developer; a first feeding portion for supplying the developer to the developer carrying member while feeding the developer along the developer carrying member; a second feeding portion, communicating with the first feeding portion at end portions thereof, for feeding the developer in a direction opposite to a developer feeding direction of the first feeding portion while collecting the developer from the developer carrying member; and a partition wall portion for partitioning the first and second feeding portions. The partition wall portion includes an opposing portion opposing the developer carrying member with a spacing. A surface roughness of at least the opposing portion is larger than that of the developer carrying member. | 01-17-2013 |
| 20130016999 | IMAGE FORMING METHOD AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUSAANM Tohmatsu; HiroshiAACI ShizuokaAACO JPAAGP Tohmatsu; Hiroshi Shizuoka JPAANM Yaguchi; ShigenoriAACI ShizuokaAACO JPAAGP Yaguchi; Shigenori Shizuoka JPAANM Iwatsuki; HitoshiAACI ShizuokaAACO JPAAGP Iwatsuki; Hitoshi Shizuoka JPAANM Tano; ToyoakiAACI ShizuokaAACO JPAAGP Tano; Toyoaki Shizuoka JPAANM Sakata; KoichiAACI ShizuokaAACO JPAAGP Sakata; Koichi Shizuoka JPAANM Takii; MarikoAACI ShizuokaAACO JPAAGP Takii; Mariko Shizuoka JP - To provide an image forming method, containing: a charging step, a latent electrostatic image forming step, a developing step, a transferring step, and a fixing step, wherein the developing step is developing the latent electrostatic image formed on the latent electrostatic image bearing member with a two-component developer containing a toner and a carrier by a developing element to form a visible image, where the developing contains: stirring the toner and the carrier to prepare the two-component developer to have a flow energy amount of 30 mJ to 70 mJ; and periodically discharging and transporting the stirred two-component to the developer unit by air pressure to thereby supply the two-component developer for the developing. | 01-17-2013 |
| 20130022372 | FEED AUGER WITH PADDLES - A development system ( | 01-24-2013 |
| 20130078002 | ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHIC PRINTER DEVELOPMENT SYSTEM WITH MULTIPLE AUGERS - A development system ( | 03-28-2013 |
| 20130078003 | METHOD FOR ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHIC PRINTING - A method for transporting developer in an electrophotographic printer ( | 03-28-2013 |
| 20130101315 | DEVELOPMENT ROLLER WITH INCREASING MAGNETIC FIELD - A development system ( | 04-25-2013 |
| 20130149009 | DEVELOPING DEVICE - A developing device includes spiral wings, a forward double spiral wing, clearance portion, backward double spiral wing, and short lead backward spiral wing installed on the rotational shaft of a stirring and carrying unit. The forward and backward double spiral wings have spiral directions opposite to each other, and together are formed to have an equal lead to the spiral wings. The supplying and carrying unit is disposed above the stirring and carrying unit, and the supplying and carrying unit and the stirring and carrying unit are divided by a partition having a communication portion installed at a position corresponding to the forward and backward double spiral wings. | 06-13-2013 |
| 20130149010 | DEVELOPER CONTAINING CHAMBER, DEVELOPING DEVICE, PROCESS CARTRIDGE, AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An object is to smoothly convey toner from a developer containing chamber to a developing chamber even when an opening that provides communication between the developer containing chamber and the developing chamber has a connecting part for adding strength to the apparatus. | 06-13-2013 |
| 20130156468 | DEVELOPING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS INCLUDING THE SAME - A developing device includes a first agitating member and a second agitating member. Each of the first and second agitating members includes a screw having a helical portion formed helically so as to define a hollow portion, and a plurality of ribs formed on the helical portion in the longitudinal direction of the screw. On at least one of the first and second agitating members, there is disposed a paddle opposed to the communicating portion on a downstream side in a transport direction of the developing powder. The paddle has a flat surface in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and a width of a distal end of the paddle is smaller than a width of a proximal end of the paddle disposed to the agitating member in a plan view. | 06-20-2013 |
| 20130177338 | DEVELOPING DEVICE - A developing device includes a developing chamber which supplies a developer to a developing sleeve, an agitating chamber which is disposed above the developing chamber in a vertical direction, a first conveying screw which is disposed within the developing chamber, a second conveying screw which is disposed within the agitating chamber, a first connecting portion which is formed at one longitudinal end of the developing chamber and pumps the developer from the developing chamber to the agitating chamber, and a second connecting portion which is formed at the other longitudinal end of the developing chamber and at which the developer falls from the agitating chamber to the developing chamber. In the developing device, a replenishing port which replenishes a replenish toner to the developing chamber is provided at a downstream side of the first conveying screw of the developing chamber in a developer conveyance direction. | 07-11-2013 |
| 20130177339 | DEVELOPING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - According to a representative configuration of the developing device and the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the developing device includes: a developing sleeve which bears developer and conveys the developer to a developing region; a developing chamber which supplies the developer to the developing sleeve; an agitating chamber which forms a circulation path with the developing chamber and collects the developer from the developing sleeve; and a conveying unit (a first conveying screw and a second conveying screw) which circulates and conveys the developer in the circulation path. A spiral groove is formed on a surface of the developing sleeve so as to apply a conveying force to the developer in a rotation axis direction of the developing sleeve opposite to a developer conveying direction of the agitating chamber. | 07-11-2013 |
| 20130223889 | Developing Device - A developing device includes: a developing chamber provided with a developing agent-holding body; a first developing agent-accommodating chamber for accommodating a developing agent and arranged below the developing chamber; a first rotating member disposed in the first developing agent-accommodating chamber, elastically deformable and configured to rotate to slidably contact with an inner surface of the first developing agent-accommodating chamber; a second developing agent-accommodating chamber arranged adjacent to the developing chamber and an upper portion of the first developing agent-accommodating chamber, and to which the developing agent in the first developing agent-accommodating chamber is supplied by the first rotating member; and a second rotating member disposed in the second developing agent-accommodating chamber, elastically deformable and configured to rotate to slidably contact with an inner surface of the second developing agent-accommodating chamber and to transport the developing agent in the second developing agent-accommodating chamber toward the developing chamber. | 08-29-2013 |
| 20130243489 | DEVELOPING APPARATUS - A developing apparatus, including: a developing sleeve; a magnet configured to cause the sleeve to carry the developer and including a first magnetic pole and a second magnetic pole; a supply chamber configured to supply the developer to the sleeve; a collection chamber configured to collect the developer used for development; a first conveyance member and a second conveyance member provided in the supply chamber and the collection chamber, respectively; and a third conveyance member configured to convey the developer collected in the collection chamber in a direction opposite to a developer conveying direction in the collection chamber, wherein a center of the third conveyance member is arranged below a zone and overlaps the zone, which is defined on a surface of the sleeve between a local maximal peak of a magnetic flux density of the first magnetic pole and a local minimal peak of the magnetic flux density. | 09-19-2013 |
| 20130259530 | Developer Container - A developer container for an image forming apparatus includes a housing configured to store developer, a developer conveying member disposed inside the housing and configured to rotate to convey the developer stored in the housing. The developer conveying member includes a rotary shaft, a rotary base member and a sheet-like main body. The main body has a base end portion fixed to the rotary base member and a free end portion configured to be pressed into contact with an inner wall of the housing. The rotary base member includes an urging member configured to urge the main body from an upstream side toward a downstream side in a direction of rotation thereof. | 10-03-2013 |
| 20130259531 | TONER CARTRIDGE - A toner cartridge comprises a toner container which contains toner, a driving member which rotationally drives a conveying member, an agitating member which agitates a toner in the toner container while being rotated, a driven member which rotates in association with the driving member which is for rotationally driving the agitating member, and a rotational body which rotates according to rotation of the driven member, has a plurality of slits in rotational circumference for identifying a type of the toner cartridge, and has 1/K or more of the slits when a ratio of a rotational speed R | 10-03-2013 |
| 20130259532 | DEVELOPER CONTAINER, DEVELOPING DEVICE, PROCESS UNIT, AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - The developer container includes a rotator that is rotated in the container body, a sequence of gears disposed outside the developer container that transmits a torque to the rotator, and a container guiding portion that fits with a main body side guiding portion and guides the developer container in a direction in which the developer container is attached to a mounting portion of an image forming device main body. A first gear included in the sequence of the gears is movable between an operating position where the first gear engages with a second gear and a retracted position where the first gear is retracted. On a surface on which the container guiding portion is disposed, a part of the container guiding portion is disposed within a projected area of the first gear being disposed at the operating position. | 10-03-2013 |
| 20130279941 | TONER AGITATOR SYSTEM FOR A DEVELOPER UNIT FOR AN IMAGE FORMING DEVICE - A developer unit for use in an image forming device according to one example embodiment includes a housing having an inlet port for receiving toner, a sump for holding received toner and a developer roll rotatably mounted in the housing for transferring toner from the sump. A rotatable agitator is positioned in a lower portion of the sump and a pivotable agitator is positioned in an upper portion of the sump. A biasing member biases the pivotable agitator toward a stop in the pivot path of the pivotable agitator. The pivotable agitator includes an engagement feature positioned in the rotational path of the rotatable agitator when the pivotable agitator is in its home position. As the rotatable agitator rotates, the rotatable agitator engages and disengages the engagement feature causing the pivotable agitator to pivot away from and toward its home position. | 10-24-2013 |
| 20130302067 | Image Forming Device Having Toner Unit, Developer Unit, and Image Bearing Unit - In the image forming device, the main body has a loading port. The image bearing unit is configured to be detachably attached to the main body thorough the loading port. The toner unit is configured to be detachably attached to the main body thorough the loading port. The developer unit is configured to be detachably attached to the main body thorough the loading port. The toner unit, the developer unit, and the image bearing unit are located in this order from the loading port to an inside of the main body, when the toner unit, the developer unit, and the image bearing unit are attached in the main body. The toner unit is configured to be independently detached from the main body, when the image bearing unit and the developer unit are attached to the main body. | 11-14-2013 |
| 20130315628 | CONVEYANCE DEVICE, DEVELOPMENT DEVICE INCLUDING CONVEYANCE DEVICE, AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS INCLUDING DEVELOPMENT DEVICE - A conveyance device includes a housing, a formation member, and a detection section. The housing has a first conveyance path, a second conveyance path, and a first communication path. The first and second conveyance paths each are a conveyance path for conveying a developer. The first communication path allows a first end portion of the first conveyance path and a first end portion of the second conveyance path to be in communication with each other via a communication surface. The communication surface has a first region and a second region. The formation member forms the second region of the communication surface so that a height of the second region from a bottom portion of the first communication path is lower than a height of the first region from the bottom portion of the first communication path. The detection section detects the amount of the developer. | 11-28-2013 |
| 20130315629 | DEVELOPER CONVEYING DEVICE, AND DEVELOPING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS PROVIDED WITH SAME - A developer conveying device includes a housing, a developer conveyance path and a conveying member. The developer conveyance path extends between a pair of wall portions. The conveying member includes a spiral member, an inner wall portion and shaft portions. The spiral member is formed by connecting spiral pieces, each forming one spiral turn, in a conveying direction of the developer and includes a hollow interior formed by the connected spiral pieces. The inner wall portion includes a plurality of planar portions which define the hollow interior of the spiral member and are connected at predetermined angles in a circumferential direction of the rotation of the conveying member. The shaft portions are arranged at opposite end parts of the spiral member, rotatably supported on the wall portions and serve as a rotary shaft for the rotation of the conveying member. | 11-28-2013 |
| 20130315630 | DEVELOPER CONVEYING DEVICE, AND DEVELOPING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS PROVIDED WITH SAME - A developer conveying device includes a housing, a developer conveyance path and a conveying member. The developer conveyance path extends between the pair of wall portions of the housing. The conveying member conveys developer from one wall portion toward the other. The conveying member includes a spiral member, shaft portions, a rib member, a supporting member and a projecting portion. The spiral member is formed by connecting spiral pieces in a conveying direction of the developer and includes a hollow interior formed by the connected spiral pieces. The rib member extends in the conveying direction and bridges adjacent ones of the spiral pieces of the spiral member. The supporting member connects an end part of the rib member in the conveying direction and the shaft portion. The projecting portion projects from the end part of the rib member more toward the wall portion than the supporting member. | 11-28-2013 |
| 20130315631 | DEVELOPING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS PROVIDED WITH SAME - A developing device includes a developing roller, a developer supply path, a developer conveyance path, a supply-side conveying member and an agitating-side conveying member. The developing roller is rotatably supported in the housing. The developer supply path is arranged along the developing roller. The developer conveyance path is arranged along the developer supply path. The supply-side conveying member is a conveying member arranged in the developer supply path and includes a first receiving portion arranged to face the communication path at an upstream side in the first direction and configured to receive the developer from the developer conveyance path, and has a hollow spiral shape at a side downstream of the first receiving portion. The agitating-side conveying member is a conveying member arranged in the developer conveyance path and includes a first transferring portion arranged to face the first receiving portion at a downstream side in the second direction. | 11-28-2013 |
| 20130315632 | DEVELOPING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS PROVIDED WITH SAME - A developing device includes a housing, a developing roller, a developer supply path, a developer conveyance path, a supply-side conveying member, an agitating side conveying member and first projection members. The developing roller is rotatably supported in the housing. The supply-side conveying member includes a supply-side spiral member formed by connecting spiral pieces, in the first direction and having a hollow interior formed by the connected spiral pieces and a first rib member extending in the first direction, is arranged in the developer supply path and conveys the developer in the first direction by being driven and rotated. The first projecting members extend in the first direction along an outer wall portion of the first rib member from a first area where the supply-side spiral member and the first rib member intersect and project radially outward in the rotation of the supply-side conveying member. | 11-28-2013 |
| 20140003842 | DEVELOPER CARTRIDGE AND DEVELOPING UNIT INCLUDING THE SAME | 01-02-2014 |
| 20140003843 | DEVELOPMENT DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS INCORPORATING SAME | 01-02-2014 |
| 20140023401 | DEVELOPER CONVEYING DEVICE, AND DEVELOPING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS PROVIDED WITH SAME - A developer conveying device includes a housing with a pair of wall portions, a developer conveyance path extending between the pair of wall portions, and a conveying member. The conveying member is rotatably supported on the wall portions and conveys developer from one wall portion to the other. This conveying member includes a spiral member, shaft portions and a breaking member. The spiral member is formed by connecting spiral pieces, each forming one spiral turn, in a conveying direction of the developer and includes a hollow interior defined by the connected spiral pieces. The shaft portions are arranged at opposite end parts of the spiral member and rotatably supported on the wall portions and serve as a rotary shaft for the rotation of the conveying member. The breaking member extends across the hollow interior in a direction intersecting with the conveying direction. | 01-23-2014 |
| 20140023402 | DEVELOPER STORAGE CONTAINER AND MANUFACTURING METHOD THEREOF - In order to achieve an improvement in terms of workability when mounting a developer agitation member and a drive transmission member to a container portion storing developer, there is provided a method of mounting a developer storage container in which, when mounting a developer agitation member to a developer storage portion, a drive transmission member is inserted for connection from an end portion of the developer agitation member, the developer agitation member exhibits a first phase and a second phase. The first phase allows connection of the developer agitation member and the drive transmission member in the insertion path of the drive transmission member, whereas the second phase does not allow connection of the developer agitation member and the drive transmission member in the insertion path of a support member. | 01-23-2014 |
| 20140023403 | DEVELOPER CONVEYANCE DEVICE, DEVELOPMENT DEVICE, AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A developer conveyance device includes a housing and a conveyance member. The conveyance member is supported to the housing and rotates to convey developer. The conveyance member includes a shaft portion, a helical member, and a plurality of reinforcement members. The plurality of reinforcement members are disposed in a circumferential direction of rotation of the conveyance member. When viewing a cross section in a direction intersecting with the rotational axis, an outer circumferential surface of the helical member includes a facing region and a non-facing region, which are defined for one reinforcement member of the plurality of reinforcement members, the facing region being a region where the one reinforcement member of the plurality of reinforcement members is projected on an opposite side of an outer circumferential surface of the helical member through the rotational axis, and the non-facing region being a region of the outer circumferential surface of the helical member which is different from the facing region. The other reinforcement member of the plurality of reinforcement members is disposed in the non-facing region. | 01-23-2014 |
| 20140023404 | DEVELOPING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS INCLUDING THE SAME - A developing device and an image forming apparatus including the same includes an agitating and conveying unit that receives a developer, and at least one agitating and conveying member to mix and agitate the developer and convey the developer in a developer conveying direction. A developing roller faces a photosensitive drum on which an electrostatic latent image is formed, and attaches the developer to an outer surface of the developing roller. The agitating and conveying member includes a support shaft extending in the developer conveying direction. A plurality of agitation wings disposed on an outer surface of the support shaft to mix and agitate the developer. At least one paddle protrudes from the support shaft in a radial direction and extends along the shaft between adjacent agitation wings. The at least one paddle has a height increasing from an upstream side to a downstream side of the developer conveying direction. | 01-23-2014 |
| 20140037339 | Tandem Type Image Forming Apparatus - To facilitate replacing photosensitive drums and/or developing devices in an image forming apparatus, a photosensitive member unit including a plurality of photosensitive members is loaded in a main casing. A developing device unit including a plurality of developing devices is also loaded in the main casing. Both an intermediate transfer belt and the photosensitive member unit are configured to be movable toward and away from the developing device unit. Further, when the photosensitive member unit is separated from the developing device unit, the intermediate transfer belt and the plurality of photosensitive members are also separated from each other. | 02-06-2014 |
| 20140056620 | Developer Container and Developing Device - A developer container includes: a container body that has an opening at an upper part and is configured to accommodate therein developer; a conveyance member that is provided in the container body, and includes a rotation member having a rotary shaft and an elastic part, which is supported by the rotation member, is configured to be elastically deformed and is configured to rotate to convey the developer from the opening to an outside of the container body; and a driving member that is connected to one end portion of the rotary shaft and is configured to rotate the rotary shaft. The container body includes a first support part to which the other end portion of the rotary shaft is loosely fitted and a second support part that supports the one end portion of the rotary shaft. | 02-27-2014 |
| 20140056621 | Developer Container and Developing Device - A developer container comprising: a container body accommodating developer; a conveyance member that is provided to the container body, and includes a rotation member having a rotary shaft and an elastic part, which is supported by the rotation member and rotates to convey the developer. The container body includes a first support part to which the rotary shaft is loosely fitted, and a second support part that supports the rotary shaft. The container body includes a sliding contact part that the elastic part sliding-contacts while being elastically deformed when the conveyance member is being rotated. A distance from a center of the rotary shaft to a leading end of the elastic part is gradually increased from the one end portion-side of the rotary shaft towards the other end portion-side of the rotary shaft. | 02-27-2014 |
| 20140072344 | TONER CARTRIDGE - A toner cartridge comprises a toner container which contains toner, a driving member which rotationally drives a conveying member, an agitating member which agitates a toner in the toner container while being rotated, a driven member which rotates in association with the driving member which is for rotationally driving the agitating member, and a rotational body which rotates according to rotation of the driven member, has a plurality of slits in rotational circumference for identifying a type of the toner cartridge, and has 1/K or more of the slits when a ratio of a rotational speed R1 (rad/s) of the driving member and a rotational speed R2 (rad/s) of the driven member is K=R2/R1. | 03-13-2014 |
| 20140105649 | DEVELOPING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A developing device includes: a transport/supply member disposed in a transport/supply path, formed along a developing roller, to supply a developer to the developing roller while transporting the developer from one end side toward the other end side; a transport/agitation member disposed in a transport/agitation path, inclined with respect to the transport/supply path, to agitate the developer while transporting the developer from the other end side toward the one end side; a first transport member disposed in a first transport path, connecting between the transport/supply path and the transport/agitation path on the other end side, to transport the developer from the transport/supply path to the transport/agitation path; and a second transport member disposed in a second transport path, connecting between the transport/agitation path and the transport/supply path on the one end side, to transport the developer from the transport/agitation path to the transport/supply path. | 04-17-2014 |
| 20140112687 | DEVELOPMENT DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS INCORPORATING SAME - A developing device to develop with two-component developer an electrostatic latent image includes a developer bearer to carry thereon developer supplied to the latent image bearer, a first conveyance channel disposed adjacent to the developer bearer, a second conveyance channel disposed adjacent to the first conveyance channel and farther from the developer bearer than the first conveyance channel, a first conveying member disposed in the first conveyance channel to agitate and transport developer supplied to the developer bearer, a second conveying member including a spiral blade winding around a shaft to transport developer in the second conveyance channel in a predetermined developer conveyance direction, and a collected-developer guide to guide a part of developer that leaves the developer bearer to the second conveyance channel beyond the first conveyance channel. | 04-24-2014 |
| 20140140732 | DEVELOPING APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A developing apparatus according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a developing roller, a development housing, a first agitating screw, a toner supply inlet, a downstream-side reduction wall, and an upstream-side reduction wall. The developing roller is driven to rotate in the development housing, and carries toner on the circumferential surface thereof. Toner is circulated and conveyed in a first conveying path and a second conveying path in the development housing. The first agitating screw is disposed in the first conveying path, and conveys toner in a first direction. The downstream-side reduction wall is disposed downstream of the toner supply inlet. Further, the upstream-side reduction wall is disposed upstream of the toner supply inlet. An accumulation portion for toner is formed downstream and upstream of the toner supply inlet due to the downstream-side reduction wall and the upstream-side reduction wall. | 05-22-2014 |
| 20140140733 | DEVELOPMENT DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS INCLUDING THE SAME - In a development device, a developer carrier arranged in a housing containing a one-component developer has a circumferential surface carrying the developer. A developer conveying path includes one conveying path along the developer carrier in a first direction and another conveying path in a second direction opposite to the first direction. The developer is circulated and conveyed between the conveying paths. A developer conveying member is arranged in the one conveying path and rotationally driven to convey the developer along the first direction and to supply the developer to the developer carrier. A layer thickness adjusting member is arranged at a distance from the circumferential surface to adjust a layer thickness of the developer supplied to the developer carrier. The developer carrier has a circumferential speed Vd and the developer conveying member has a circumferential speed Vs so that a circumferential speed ratio Vd/Vs satisfies a relationship represented by 1.3≦Vd/Vs≦5.0. | 05-22-2014 |
| 20140193176 | DEVELOPER-AGITATING TRANSPORTER, DEVELOPING DEVICE, AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A developer-agitating transporter includes helical blades that helically extend around a rotation shaft, the helical blades being arranged at different positions in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the rotation shaft; and a gap portion that divides each helical blade into a first blade portion and a second blade portion, which oppose each other across the gap portion, so that the helical blade is discontinuous in a direction in which the helical blade extends. The gap portion causes the first blade portion and the second blade portion to be arranged at a certain angular interval in a circumferential direction of the rotation shaft, and at least one surface of adjacent ones of the helical blades that are adjacent in the circumferential direction of the rotation shaft has a sloped area that is sloped at an angle that changes with respect to an axial direction of the rotation shaft. | 07-10-2014 |
| 20140205324 | DEVELOPING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS WITH DEVELOPING DEVICE - A developing device includes a housing containing a developer, a developer carrier, a developer conveying path, a developer conveying member, and a plurality of paddle members. The developer conveying path includes a first conveying path and a second conveying path. The developer conveying member is disposed in the second conveying path and includes a rotating shaft and spiral blades formed around the rotating shaft. The developer conveying member is rotationally driven to convey the developer in the second direction and feeds the developer to the developer carrier. The plurality of paddle members project in a radial direction from the rotating shaft of the developer conveying member at one circumferential position on the rotating shaft. The plurality of paddle members is contiguously arranged in the axial direction of the rotating shaft to connect the spiral blades adjacent to each other in the axial direction. | 07-24-2014 |
| 20140205325 | DEVELOPING UNIT AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A developing unit includes a casing, a developer carrier, a developer conveying path, a developer conveying member, and a layer thickness regulator. The developer carrier is driven to rotate in the casing and carries a toner on the circumferential surface. The developer conveying member is located in the developer conveying path and driven to rotate so as to convey the developer in a second direction and to supply the toner to the developer carrier. The layer thickness regulator is spaced from the developer carrier, and regulates a layer thickness of the developer supplied to the developer carrier. The developing unit is configured to satisfy a condition of 2.0| 07-24-2014 | |
| 20140212177 | POWDER TRANSPORT DEVICE, AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - Provided is a powder transport device including a guide tube that guides a falling powder, a guide member that guides transport of the fallen powder, a transport member that is disposed in the guide member, has a helical member extending in a transport direction of the powder, and transports the fallen powder through rotation, and a swing member that is disposed at a lower end portion of the guide tube, and has a portion which is folded or bent in a direction of enclosing inner wall surfaces of the guide tube and a convex portion which intermittently contacts with the helical member so as to swing the portion. | 07-31-2014 |
| 20140212178 | TONER TRANSPORT DEVICE, AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - Provided is a toner transport device including a transport member that transports a developer in one direction, a toner feeding member disposed adjacent to, in a direction crossing the one direction, an end portion of the transport member, and a housing that is provided with a toner receiving port which receives supply of toner in an upper section of the toner feeding member, and accommodates the transport member and the toner feeding member, wherein the toner feeding member includes a rotating shaft, and a flat plate portion that protrudes in a direction away from a shaft member with one side thereof being connected to the shaft member and a front end portion away from the shaft member having a tapered shape, the flat plate portion rotating along with rotation of the shaft member to scrape the toner that moves from the toner receiving port toward the toner feeding member. | 07-31-2014 |
| 20140212179 | DEVELOPING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A developing device includes a developing-device body that includes a supply opening to which toner is supplied and a transporting member that is provided in the developing-device body and that transports the toner and a carrier while stirring the toner and the carrier. The transporting member includes a rotating shaft, a first transporting section, and a second transporting section. The first transporting section and the second transporting section are spirally formed around the rotating shaft. The number of spirals of the first transporting section is less than the number of spirals of the second transporting section. At least a portion of the first transporting section opposes the supply opening of the developing-device body. The second transporting section is formed at a portion other than the first transporting section that opposes the supply opening. | 07-31-2014 |
| 20140212180 | DEVELOPING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS AND PROCESS CARTRIDGE INCORPORATING SAME - A developing device includes a developer bearer to carry developer, a first developer compartment from which developer is supplied to the developer bearer, a second developer compartment from which developer is sent to the first developer compartment, and first and second communicating portions through which developer is circulated between the first and second developer compartments. The second communicating portion to send developer from the second developer compartment to the first developer compartment is constructed of multiple openings. | 07-31-2014 |
| 20140219686 | TONER CARTRIDGE - A toner cartridge comprises a toner container which contains toner, a driving member which rotationally drives a conveying member, an agitating member which agitates a toner in the toner container while being rotated, a driven member which rotates in association with the driving member which is for rotationally driving the agitating member, and a rotational body which rotates according to rotation of the driven member, has a plurality of slits in rotational circumference for identifying a type of the toner cartridge, and has 1/K or more of the slits when a ratio of a rotational speed R1 (rad/s) of the driving member and a rotational speed R2 (rad/s) of the driven member is K=R2/R1. | 08-07-2014 |
| 20140233984 | DEVELOPMENT DEVICE INCLUDING A REMOVABLE SEAL TO SEAL A SUPPLIED-DEVELOPER AND/OR A COLLECTED-DEVELOPER COMMUNICATING AREA - A development device can include a developer containing part containing developer, a carrier to carry developer that is supplied from the developer containing part to a development range, a partition dividing the developer containing part into a supply part and a circulation part beneath the supply part to collect developer from the carrier, a first transport member in the supply part of the developer containing part to supply developer from the supply part to the carrier, and a second transport member in the circulation part to transport developer in the circulation part in an axial direction of the carrier. The device can also include a removable seal member, which seals a supplied-developer and/or a collected-developer communicating area. | 08-21-2014 |
| 20140286676 | DEVELOPING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A developing device includes a developer container including a first chamber and a second chamber arranged along a lateral direction, which crosses a gravitational direction, developer circulating through the first chamber and the second chamber; a transporting member rotatably disposed in the first chamber; and a supply member rotatably disposed in the second chamber. A lower end position of the supply member and a lower end position of the transporting member in the gravitational direction are at the same level. While the supply member and the transporting member are rotating, an upper surface of developer contained in the first chamber and an upper surface of developer contained in the second chamber are at levels not higher than an upper end position of the transporting member but not lower than an upper end position of the supply member in the gravitational direction. | 09-25-2014 |
| 20140286677 | POWDER CONTAINER AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A powder container includes a body and a pair of walls that blocks one longitudinal end of the body and the other longitudinal end of the body. Powder is accommodated within the powder container which is mounted to an apparatus using the powder in a posture where a longitudinal direction of the body is a transverse direction of the apparatus. The powder container has an opening, through which the powder is supplied to the apparatus, formed in a lower position of the body in a posture where the powder container is mounted to the apparatus. The powder container includes a shutter and a shield. The shutter is, prior to mounting the powder container to the apparatus, in a closed location to block the opening and, when the powder container is mounted, is moved along an outer peripheral surface of the body to an opened location to open the opening. | 09-25-2014 |
| 20140314450 | DEVELOPING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS INCLUDING SAME - A developing device includes a developing container, a first agitating/conveying member, a second agitating/conveying member, a developer supply member, a supply port, and a supply section. The developing container is separated into a developer supply passage, a first conveying chamber, and a second conveying chamber, which are arranged substantially parallel to one another. The supply section is disposed between the developer supply passage and the first conveying chamber, and through the supply section, the developer is supplied from the developer supply passage into the first conveying chamber. The supply section is disposed upstream from a downstream-side end portion of the developer supply passage but downstream from the supply port with respect to a developer-conveying direction of the developer supply passage, and via the supply section, the developer supply member supplies the developer into the first conveying chamber in a direction opposite to a developer-conveying direction of the first conveying chamber. | 10-23-2014 |
| 20140314451 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS CAPABLE OF EFFECTIVELY DEVELOPING IMAGES - An image forming apparatus, a process cartridge, and a developing unit includes a developer carrying member to carry developer, first and second rotary members arranged in parallel to each other and configured to rotate to agitate and convey the developer, and an enclosure having an inside space to contain the developer, the inside space being divided by a partition with communication openings formed therein at opposite ends thereof into a first chamber configured to maintain the developer above a first level and to hold the first rotary member therein which supplies the developer to the developer carrying member while agitating and conveying the developer, and a second chamber configured to communicate with the first chamber through the communication openings, to maintain the developer at a second level lower than the first level, and to hold the second rotary member therein which circulates the developer with the first chamber through the communication openings. | 10-23-2014 |
| 20150030354 | DEVELOPMENT DEVICE, AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A development device includes a developer container | 01-29-2015 |
| 20150050053 | DEVELOPING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS INCLUDING THE SAME - A developing device configured such that developer is uniformly distributed in the developing device, thereby preventing deterioration of image quality due to poor supply of the developer and preventing damage to an agitating device due to the developer non-uniformly distributed in the developing device, and an image forming apparatus including the same are provided. | 02-19-2015 |
| 20150071683 | DEVELOPING DEVICE - A developing device includes: a developer carrying member; a first chamber; a second chamber; a partition wall; a communicating portion; and a feeding member, provided rotatably in the first chamber, for feeding the developer in the first chamber. In a circulation path, the feeding member includes a first region corresponding to a developer coating region of the developer carrying member and a second region, provided downstream of the first region with respect to a feeding direction of the feeding member, corresponding to a region outside the developer coating region of the developer carrying member. Feeding power per unit driving time of the feeding member is set at a smaller value in the first region than in the second region. | 03-12-2015 |
| 20150078786 | DEVELOPING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS THEREWITH - A developing device includes: a developer container having first and second transport passages, for containing developer; a developer carrier for carrying, on its surface, developer inside the second transport passage; a first stirring/transporting member having a rotary shaft and a transport blade formed on its circumferential surface, for stirring/transporting developer inside the first transport passage; a second stirring/transporting member for stirring/transporting developer inside the second transport passage in a direction opposite to the first stirring/transporting member; a first developer passing portion for delivering developer from the first to the second transport passage; and a second developer passing portion for delivering developer from the second to the first transport passage. In a part of the first stirring/transporting member facing the first developer passing portion, a paddle portion is formed which is devoid of the rotary shaft and which has a plurality of first ribs parallel to the rotary shaft. | 03-19-2015 |
| 20150078787 | DEVELOPING DEVICE AND AN IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS INCLUDING THE SAME - A developing device includes a developing container, a first agitating feeding member, a second agitating feeding member, a first developer delivery portion, a second developer delivery portion, and a toner sensor. The developing container includes a first transport path and a second transport path. The first agitating feeding member and the second agitating feeding member agitate and feed developer. The first developer delivery portion delivers the developer from the first transport path to the second transport path. The second developer delivery portion delivers the developer from the second transport path to the first transport path. The toner sensor is disposed at a part of the first transport path near the first developer delivery portion. A ceiling height of a part of the first transport path facing the first developer delivery portion is larger than a ceiling height of other part of the first transport path. | 03-19-2015 |
| 20150104216 | DEVELOPMENT DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A development device includes a development case, a first agitating/conveying member and a second agitating/conveying member. The first agitating/conveying member is arranged below the second agitating/conveying member to convey the developer in a first direction. The second agitating/conveying member conveys the developer in a second direction as an opposite direction to the first direction to supply the developer to the developer carrier. The development case includes a first conveyance chamber, a second conveyance chamber, a first communicating portion communicating end parts of the first conveyance chamber and second conveyance chamber in the first direction, and a second communicating portion communicating end parts of the first conveyance chamber and second conveyance chamber in the second direction. The developer carrier has a first ferromagnetic area having magnetic force stronger than another area of the developer carrier, in which the first ferromagnetic area corresponds to the first communicating portion. | 04-16-2015 |
| 20150117904 | DEVELOPMENT APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS INCLUDING THE SAME - A development apparatus is provided, including a case; a roller member configured to transport a developer; an agitating member configured to agitate the developer; and a movable transport member configured to transport the developer, which is agitated by the agitating member, toward the roller member. The case includes a first accommodating section which is formed with a filling port and which is arranged with the agitating member; and a second accommodating section which is arranged with the roller member and which is communicated with the first accommodating section. The transport member is arranged on a side of the roller member as compared with the agitating member; and the filling port is arranged so that the filling port is overlapped with a movement locus of the transport member as viewed in an axial direction lying along an axis of rotation of the agitating member. | 04-30-2015 |
| 20150117905 | Cartridge Having Agitator and Rotary Member with Detected Portion - A cartridge includes a housing, an agitator, a first rotary member having a detected portion and a first abutment portion, and a second rotary member having a second abutment portion. The agitator includes: a rotation shaft having an axial end portion at which the second rotary member is supported; and an agitation blade supported to the rotation shaft and resiliently deformable. The second rotary member is configured such that while the agitation blade is being spaced apart from the housing, the second abutment portion contacts the first abutment portion in accordance with rotation of the second rotary member to move the first rotary member from the first position to the second position, thereby transmitting the driving force from the second rotary member to the first rotary member. | 04-30-2015 |
| 20150117906 | Cartridge and Image Forming Device - A cartridge includes: a casing including a developer accommodation part for accommodating developer; an agitator for agitating the developer and rotatable about a first rotational axis extending in an axial direction; a receiving member rotatable about a second rotational axis upon receipt of a drive force inputted thereto; a first drive-force transmission member rotatable about a third rotational axis upon receipt of the drive force from the receiving member; and a second drive-force transmission member rotatable about the first rotational axis together with the agitator. The second drive-force transmission member can contact the first drive-force transmission member and receive the drive force therefrom, the first rotational axis being positioned closer to the second rotational axis than the third rotational axis is to the second rotational axis when projected in the axial direction of the agitator. | 04-30-2015 |
| 20150125185 | DEVELOPING APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - There is provided a developer bearing member, a supplying chamber which contains a developer to be supplied to the developer bearing member, a collecting chamber which collects the developer from the developer bearing member, a first conveying member which is disposed in the supplying chamber and conveys the developer, a second conveying member which is disposed in the collecting chamber and conveys the developer in a direction opposite to a conveying direction of the first conveying member, and a third conveying member which is disposed in the collecting chamber and conveys the developer in a direction opposite to a conveying direction of the second conveying member. The third conveying member has a conveyance performance on a downstream side lower than that on an upstream side in the conveying direction of the developer. | 05-07-2015 |
| 20150132026 | DEVELOPING DEVICE, PROCESS CARTRIDGE, AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A developing device is provided. The developing device includes a developer carrier, a regulator, a first developer storing chamber, a plurality of conveyers disposed within the first developer storing chamber, a second developer storing chamber in communication with the first developer storing chamber, and a supply member disposed within the second developer storing chamber. The developer carrier carries developer on its surface and supplies developer to a latent image carrier carrying a latent image. The regulator regulates the thickness of developer on the surface of the developer carrier. The first developer storing chamber stores developer separated from the developer carrier by the regulator and is to be supplied with fresh developer. Each of the plurality of conveyers coveys developer in a different conveyance direction. The second developer storing chamber is to be supplied with developer from the first developer storing chamber. The supply member supplies developer to the developer carrier. | 05-14-2015 |
| 20150132027 | DEVELOPING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS PROVIDED THEREWITH - A developing device according to the present disclosure is provided with a developing container, a first stirring conveyance member and a second stirring conveyance member that stir and convey a developer within the developing container, and a developer carrying member that carries the developer. The developing container includes a discharge passage where a developer discharge port for discharging surplus developer within the developing container is formed. In the discharge passage, a discharge screw having a rotation shaft and a spiral blade is disposed. Within the discharge passage, at a portion on an upstream side of the developer discharge port in a developer discharge direction, there is provided a discharge regulating member that regulates discharge of the developer. | 05-14-2015 |
| 20150139696 | DEVELOPING DEVICE - A developing device includes: a developer carrying member; a first chamber; a second chamber; a feeding member; a discharging portion; and a regulating portion, provided above a rotation center of the feeding member so as to oppose a reverse feeding portion of the feeding member with respect to a rotational axis direction of the feeding member, for regulating a gap between an inner wall of the second chamber and the reverse feeding portion so as to be narrowed. The regulating portion is provided at least in a position opposite from the first chamber with respect to the rotation center of the feeding member as seen in the rotational axis direction of the feeding member. | 05-21-2015 |
| 20150139697 | DEVELOPING APPARATUS - A developing apparatus including a first chamber; a second chamber forming a circulation path for the developer; a rotatable shaft in the first chamber; a first blade provided on the rotation shaft to feed the developer in a predetermined direction in the first chamber; a second blade provided on the rotation shaft to feed the developer fed by the first blade in a direction opposite the predetermined direction; a discharging portion provided downstream of the second blade to discharge the developer in the first chamber; and a regulating member having a regulating surface continuously extending in a rotational moving direction of the rotation shaft, the regulating member being provided on the rotation shaft in a region between the first blade and the second blade, a region connecting with a downstream end of the first blade, or a connecting with a downstream end of the second blade. | 05-21-2015 |
| 20150147094 | DEVELOPING DEVICE, PROCESS CARTRIDGE, IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS, AND DEVELOPER TRANSFER METHOD - A developing device includes a developer bearer, a first developer compartment to supply developer to the developer bearer, a second developer compartment to supply developer to the first developer compartment and positioned adjacent to the first developer compartment, a partition to divide, at least partly, the first developer compartment from the second developer compartment, a communicating opening in the opening, through which developer is transferred from the second developer compartment to the first developer compartment, a rotary conveyor to transport developer inside the second developer compartment to the communicating opening and a flexible sheet provided to the rotary conveyor and positioned facing the communicating opening. The flexible sheet rotates integrally with the rotary conveyor and projects through the communicating opening into the first developer compartment as the rotary conveyor rotates. | 05-28-2015 |
| 20150301477 | TRANSPORTING APPARATUS, DEVELOPING APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A developing apparatus includes a developer vessel that is provided with a first transporting path, a second transporting path and a third transporting path. The first transporting path and the second transporting path are communicated with each other, and a developer is circulated in the first transporting path and the second transporting path. The third transporting path is provided in an upstream side in a transporting direction of the developer in the second transporting path. If a toner is consumed while forming an image on a paper, a toner corresponding to a consumption amount is resupplied together with a carrier from a toner cartridge to the developer vessel. A carrier and/or a developer that overflows from the second transporting path to the third transporting path is discharged from a discharge port. | 10-22-2015 |
| 20150323886 | DEVELOPING APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A developing apparatus that develops an electrostatic latent image on an image supporting body, using developer including toner and carrier, includes: a circulation path where the developer circulates; a discharge path which is connected to the circulation path and through which some of the developer passes; and a first recycle path connected to the discharge path and allowing some of the developer flowing into the discharge path to return to the circulation path, wherein the discharge path is provided with: a discharge opening for discharging the developer flowing into the discharge path; and a first return opening for connecting to the first recycle path, and the first return opening is located on an upper side in a vertical direction with respect to the discharge opening and located on an upstream side in a pass-through direction of the developer flowing into the discharge path. | 11-12-2015 |
| 20150331360 | TRANSPORTING APPARATUS, DEVELOPING APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A developing apparatus includes a developer vessel that is provided with a first transporting path, a second transporting path and a third transporting path. The first transporting path and the second transporting path are communicated with each other, and a developer is circulated in the first transporting path and the second transporting path. The third transporting path has a developer discharge port and is provided in an upstream side in a transporting direction of the developer in the second transporting path. Furthermore, an annular plate-like first regulation portion is arranged in an end portion of the second transporting path in a third transporting path side and an annular plate-like second regulation portion opposite to the first regulation portion with a predetermined interval is arranged in an end portion of the third transporting path in a second transporting path side. Then, a developer that overflows from the second transporting path to the third transporting path is discharged from the developer discharge port, whereby excessive discharge of the developer from the developer discharge port is adequately prevented. | 11-19-2015 |
| 20150338777 | DEVELOPING APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - (γ−1)×360×(x/p)−α(x)≠0 is satisfied of L | 11-26-2015 |
| 20150338778 | DEVELOPING DEVICE HAVING AN OVERFLOW DISCHARGING PORTION - A developing device includes: a developer carrying member; first and second feeding paths; a first screw member; a second screw member; and a discharge portion. When a ratio of a developer feeding speed in a first region to a developer feeding speed in the second region is α, a screw blade pitch of the first screw member in the second region is p | 11-26-2015 |
| 20150355578 | TONER CONTAINER AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS WITH A MECHANISM TO SECURE THE TONER CONTAINER - A toner container and system for mounting and/or securing the toner container includes a toner container having a toner dispensing hole, a shutter, a protrusion. The shutter is movable relative to the toner dispensing hole, and is to selectively close the toner dispensing hole. The protrusion is connected to the shutter and movement of the protrusion causes the shutter to move relative to the toner dispensing hole to cover the toner dispensing hole. There is a receiver including a movable catch, the movable catch being in a first position when the toner container is initially inserted into the receiver, and the movable catch moving to a second position upon insertion of the toner container into the receiver. The movable catch interacts with the protrusion of the toner container when the toner container is being removed from the receiver such that the movable catch in the second position restricts movement of the protrusion of the toner container which closes the shutter as the toner container is withdrawn from the receiver. | 12-10-2015 |
| 20150362862 | Developer Conveying Apparatus, Developing Device, and Image Forming Apparatus - A developer conveying apparatus includes a developer housing portion, a first spiral feeder, a second spiral feeder, a driving unit, an operation control unit, and a sensor. The first spiral feeder and the second spiral feeder each include a hollow spiral member and rib members. The hollow spiral member is spirally formed and internally has a space. The rib members run in the first direction and bridge spiral pieces constituting the spiral member. The operation control unit causes: the driving unit to change the rotation speed of the first spiral feeder and the second spiral feeder according to a printing linear speed of an image forming part; and the driving unit to change a rotational phase difference between the first spiral feeder and the second spiral feeder referring positions of the rib members to a predetermined rotational phase difference according to the changed rotation speed. | 12-17-2015 |
| 20150378277 | DEVELOPING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS PROVIDED WITH SAME - A developing device includes a housing, a developer carrier, a conveying member and a surface layer. The conveying member conveys the developer in the first conveying direction and supplies the developer to the developer carrier. The surface layer is arranged on the circumferential surface of the developer carrier and formed on a surface of a predetermined cylindrical base member. The surface layer is formed by an immersion method of immersing the base member in an immersion tank so that an axial direction of the base member extends along a vertical direction. A lower end side of the base member at the time of the immersion is arranged in a downstream side of the housing in the first conveying direction and an upper end side of the base member at the time of the immersion is arranged in an upstream side of the housing in the first conveying direction. | 12-31-2015 |
| 20160018760 | DEVELOPING DEVICE INCLUDING A DEVELOPER FEEDING MEMBER HAVING A ROTARY SHAFT, A FIRST TRANSPORT BLADE FOR STIRRING AND TRANSPORTING DEVELOPER, A BLOCKING PORTION FOR BLOCKING THE DEVELOPER, A PADDLE EXTENDING PARALLEL TO THE ROTARY SHAFT, AND A SECOND TRANSPORT BLADE FOR TRANSPORTING THE DEVELOPER IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION TO THE FIRST TRANSPORT BLADE, AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS THEREWITH - A developing device includes first and second stirring/transporting members, a developer feeding member, and a developer container that accommodates those components. The first and second stirring/transporting members stir and transport developer. The developer feeding member feeds developer to the first stirring/transporting member. In the developer container, a feeding port through which developer is fed from the developer feeding member to the first stirring/transporting member is formed. The developer feeding member includes a rotary shaft, a first transport blade which stirs and transports developer, a blocking portion which protrudes substantially perpendicularly to the rotary shaft and blocks the developer transported by the first transport blade in a first direction, and a paddle which feeds the developer from a developer supply passage to a first transport chamber. | 01-21-2016 |
| 20160018761 | DEVELOPING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A developing device includes a developer container, a developer bearing member, and a plurality of stirring conveyance members. The developer container includes a plurality of developer conveyance paths and communication sections. At least one of the stirring conveyance members includes a conveyance fin configured to convey the developer toward one of the communication portions. The conveyance fin protrudes from a portion of the stirring conveyance member, the portion being located at a downstream end of the developer conveyance path in terms of a developer conveyance direction in the developer conveyance path. The conveyance fin is inclined at a specified angle to a direction of a rotational shaft of the at least one of the stirring conveyance members so that the developer being conveyed is turned by the conveyance fin in a direction at an acute angle to the developer conveyance direction in the developer conveyance path. | 01-21-2016 |
| 20160026116 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS CAPABLE OF EFFECTIVELY DEVELOPING IMAGES - An image forming apparatus, a process cartridge, and a developing unit includes a developer carrying member to carry developer, first and second rotary members arranged in parallel to each other and configured to rotate to agitate and convey the developer, and an enclosure having an inside space to contain the developer, the inside space being divided by a partition with communication openings formed therein at opposite ends thereof into a first chamber configured to maintain the developer above a first level and to hold the first rotary member therein which supplies the developer to the developer carrying member while agitating and conveying the developer, and a second chamber configured to communicate with the first chamber through the communication openings, to maintain the developer at a second level lower than the first level, and to hold the second rotary member therein which circulates the developer with the first chamber through the communication openings. | 01-28-2016 |
| 20160041520 | PROCESS CARTRIDGE AND IMAGE FORMING METHOD - Provided is a process cartridge by which the stability of an image having a high print percentage can be obtained even when high-density loading is performed. The process cartridge is a process cartridge in which a toner having a uniaxial collapse stress at the time of a maximum consolidation stress of 10.0 kPa of 2.0 kPa or more and 4.5 kPa or less, and a total energy measured after its compression of 70 mJ or more and 95 mJ or less is stored in a toner container in a state in which the container has a loading density of 0.70 g/cm | 02-11-2016 |
| 20160054684 | TONER CONVEYING MEMBER, DEVELOPING DEVICE, AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A toner conveying member is a member with a shaft and a screw around a longitudinal non-end portion (i.e., a central portion) of the shaft integrally molded with resin, and also includes a metal pipe. The metal pipe includes a surrounding portion provided around an end portion of the shaft where the screw is not provided, and a buried portion buried in at least a portion of the screw and extended from the surrounding portion. | 02-25-2016 |
| 20160054702 | Developer Cartridge Having Developing Roller - In a cartridge, a developing roller is configured to rotate around a first rotational axis extending in a predetermined direction and to carry developer thereon, the developing roller having a first end and a second end apart from each other in the predetermined direction, a from-first-to-second direction being defined along the predetermined direction as being directed from the first end to the second end. A developing electrode is formed of a conductive material and is configured to be electrically connected to the developing roller, the developing electrode including a main part and a protruding portion protruding from the main part in the from-first-to-second direction. A detection body is formed of an insulating material and is rotatably supported by the protruding portion, the detection body including a first opening that exposes part of the protruding portion and a covering portion covering part of the protruding portion. | 02-25-2016 |
| 20160062274 | DEVELOPING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS AND PROCESS CARTRIDGE INCORPORATING SAME - A developing device includes a casing to contain developer and a developer bearer disposed in the casing to bear developer, and a rough face repellent to developer is disposed inside the casing. | 03-03-2016 |
| 20160070205 | DEVELOPING DEVICE, VISIBLE-IMAGE-FORMING DEVICE, AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A developing device is provided. A rotating shaft of a first transporting member is positioned exactly below a developer carrier. A second virtual tangent to the first transporting member that extends vertically on a side of the first transporting member opposite an image carrier is farther from the image carrier than a first virtual tangent to the developer carrier that extends vertically on a side of the developer carrier opposite the image carrier. A distance between the two virtual tangents is shorter than a distance between the first virtual tangent and a developer container. A developer guiding member that guides a developer toward a downstream side in a direction of transport by the first transporting member is provided on a downstream side in a direction of rotation of the developer carrier with respect to the image carrier, with a gap provided with respect to the developer carrier. | 03-10-2016 |
| 20160070206 | DEVELOPING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A developing device has a first circulation tank and a second circulation tank. A developer is conveyed from the first circulation tank to the second circulation tank through a first opening, while the developer is partly discharged through an outlet. The developer conveyed to the second circulation tank is conveyed back in the first circulation tank via a second opening. A first screw provided in the first circulation tank has a first vane, which exerts a force in a conveying direction of the first circulation path, in a first portion upstream from the first opening with respect to the conveying direction. The first screw has no vanes in a second portion near the first opening. The first screw has a second vane, which exerts a force in a direction opposite to the conveying direction, in a third portion adjacently downstream from the second portion. The outlet is located at a point of the first circulation tank, downstream from the second vane. A portion of the first circulation tank downstream from the second vane is not connected to the second circulation tank in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction. | 03-10-2016 |
| 20160070207 | DEVELOPER CARTRIDGE, DEVELOPING APPARATUS, PROCESS CARTRIDGE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A developer container includes: a developer accommodating container for accommodating developer; a feeding member for feeding the developer, the feeding member being rotatable about an axis of a feeding shaft inside the developer accommodating container; and a drive transmission member rotatably mounted to the developer accommodating portion. The feeding shaft and the drive transmission member are bonded to each other at an engaging portion. | 03-10-2016 |
| 20160070208 | DEVELOPING UNIT, PROCESS CARTRIDGE, AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A developing unit includes a developer bearer to bear developer on a surface thereof, first and second developer conveyors each having a spiral blade mounted on a rotary shaft thereof parallel to a rotary axis of the developer bearer to convey developer in opposite directions to each other. A developer drain hole is provided at a given height in a side wall of a second developer conveyance channel to face a communication opening across the second developer conveyor. The first developer conveyor rotates in a direction with its spiral blade rising between the rotary shaft of the first developer conveyor and the communication opening. Rotational phases of the first developer conveyor and the second developer conveyor are fixed and synchronized with each other to weaken momentum of developer flow generated by the first developer conveyor toward the developer drain hole via the second developer conveyor. | 03-10-2016 |
| 20160085180 | TRANSPORT MECHANISM, DEVELOPING DEVICE, AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A transport mechanism includes: a container that stores a specific developer; a transport body that transports the developer in an axial direction of a shaft about which the transport body rotates in the container while stirring the developer; a bearing that supports the transport body such that the transport body is rotatable about the shaft; and a restricting portion that has a substantially annular shape and a maximum magnetic force of about 20 mT or greater and about 50 mT or smaller and restricts the transportation of the developer past the restricting portion by surrounding the shaft, the restricting portion being provided nearer to a side on which the transport body transports the developer than the bearing in the axial direction of the shaft. | 03-24-2016 |
| 20160091825 | POWDER CONTAINER DEVICE - A powder container device includes a powder container that contains powder and has an opening at one end, the powder container being installed in a substantially horizontal orientation and having a projection on an inner peripheral surface of the powder container, the projection transporting the powder toward the opening when the powder container rotates; and a lid member that covers the opening and has an outlet through which the powder flows, the lid member being held in a non-rotatable manner. The powder container device does not have a structure for scooping the powder, which has been transported by the rotation of the powder container, toward a rotational axis, and discharges the powder through the outlet. | 03-31-2016 |
| 20160091829 | DEVELOPING UNIT - A multipolar magnet is arranged inside a developer bearing member. A partitioning wall is arranged such that an apex position thereof is located between the developer bearing member and a first conveying member, and is extended up to a position which is located below an upper end position of a zero-gauss zone. A plurality of concaved portions is formed on the surface of the developer bearing member at an interval. Each of the plurality of concaved portions has such an opening shape that a maximum diameter of an inscribed circle is equal to or greater than a diameter of an average grain size of a carrier, and is formed such that the carrier with the average grain size is able to enter each of the concaved portions by a depth that is equal to or greater than a radius thereof. | 03-31-2016 |
| 20160097992 | DEVELOPING DEVICE, PROCESS CARTRIDGE, AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A developing device includes a developer agitation portion including a plurality of trap agitation blades arranged in an axis direction of the developer agitation portion. A plurality of agitation blade portions is arranged with being shifted from one another in a circumferential direction and a longitudinal direction of the developer agitation portion. Two adjacent trap agitation blades constituting the agitation blade portion are arranged at an angle so as to make a space between the two adjacent trap agitation blades gradually wider upstream with respect to a rotation direction of the developer agitation portion. | 04-07-2016 |
| 20160103403 | DEVELOPING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS INCLUDING THE SAME - A developing device includes: a photosensitive body on which an electrostatic latent image is formed; a development chamber; a development roller that faces the photosensitive body and transfers toner to the electrostatic latent image; a supply roller that supplies toner from the development chamber to the development roller; and an agitating member that is disposed under the supply roller in the development chamber and agitates the toner that is in the development chamber. | 04-14-2016 |
| 20160116863 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus includes an image holding body, a developing device, a transfer device, a collection device, a container, and a transport member. The image holding body includes a surface on which a latent image is formed. The developing device develops the latent image into a visual image with developer. The transfer device transfers the visual image onto a transfer medium. The collection device collects the developer remaining on the surface of the image holding body after the visual image has been transferred. The container contains new developer supplied to the developing device. The image forming apparatus has a channel that has a first sub-channel and a second sub-channel. The developer flows into the first sub-channel from one of the collection device and the container and the second sub-channel from the other of the collection device and the container. | 04-28-2016 |
| 20160139541 | DEVELOPING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A developing device includes a developer carrying member and first and second conveyance members. The first conveyance member conveys a developer in a first direction through a first conveyance path to the developer carrying member. The second conveyance member conveys the developer in a second direction through a second conveyance path included in a circulation path along with the first conveyance path. The second conveyance member has a helical second screw around a second shaft. The second conveyance path includes a developer replenishing port and a developer discharge port. The second screw is approximately constant in diameter in a second section being a portion extending a predetermined distance from an end of the discharge port in the second direction when viewed in a top view. The second screw conveys the developer at a lower speed in the second section than on an upstream side with respect to the second section. | 05-19-2016 |
| 20160154342 | DEVELOPING UNIT | 06-02-2016 |
| 20160187812 | Developing Cartridge Having Coupling and Developing Roller - In a cartridge, a housing has a developer accommodating portion and includes a first side wall and a second side wall. A coupling member is disposed at a position opposite to the developer accommodating portion with respect to the first side wall. A detection body is disposed at a position opposite to the developer accommodating portion with respect to the second side wall. A first driving force transmission member is positioned at the same side with the coupling member with respect to the first side wall, and transmits driving force from the coupling member to a rotating member. A second driving force transmission member is positioned at the same side with the detection body with respect to the second side wall, and transmits driving force from the rotating member to the detection body. | 06-30-2016 |
| 20160202637 | Process Unit | 07-14-2016 |
| 20160252848 | DEVELOPER CONTAINER, DEVELOPMENT DEVICE, PROCESS CARTRIDGE, AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS | 09-01-2016 |
| 20220137530 | IMAGING SYSTEM WITH NON-MAGNETIC REGULATOR AND SECONDARY REGULATOR - An imaging system includes a stirring device to stir a developer, a rotatable developer carrier to carry the developer a non-magnetic regulator, a secondary regulator, an excess developer conveyance path extending from the developer carrier and between the non-magnetic regulator and the secondary regulator, a toner supply path to supply a toner to the stirring device, and a merging portion where the toner supply path and the excess developer conveyance path merge. The non-magnetic regulator and the secondary regulator regulate the thickness of the developer carried by the developer carrier. Excess developer from the developer carrier is conveyed via the excess developer conveyance path. The merging region controls the supply of the toner from the toner supply path to the stirring device based, at least in part, on an amount of the excess developer received from the excess developer conveyance path. | 05-05-2022 |
