DEVELOPMENT DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS

• US 20090324284A1
• Filed: 05/26/2009
• Published: 12/31/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oki Data Corporation (OKI Electric Industry Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Oki Data Corporation (OKI Electric Industry Company Limited)
• Inventors: Ohta, Atsushi
• Granted Patent: US 8,116,662 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 399/120
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 21/105 Arrangements for conveying toner waste
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 21/12 Toner waste containers
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2221/1624 transporting cleaned toner into separate vessels, e.g. photoreceptors, external containers

Abstract

A development device includes a plurality of development units and a waste substance container or containers storing the waste substance removed by the cleaning member. Each of the plural development units includes an image carrier carrying a developer image formed by developer and a cleaning member cleaning the image carrier by removing a waste substance. A number of the waste substance containers disposed is smaller than a number of development units disposed, and the number of the waste substance containers is greater than or equal to one.

Claims

1. A development device comprising:

a plurality of development units, each of the plural development units including;

an image carrier carrying a developer image formed by developer; and

a cleaning member cleaning the image carrier by removing a waste substance; and

a waste substance container or containers storing the waste substance removed by the cleaning member,

wherein, a number of the waste substance containers disposed is smaller than a number of development units disposed, the number of the waste substance containers being greater than or equal to one.

2. The development device according to claim 1, wherein the plural development units are integrally provided.

3. The development device according to claim 1, wherein each of the plural development units is independently detachable.

4. The development device according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of developer containers, detachably disposed with respect to the plural development units, storing the developer therein,

wherein the waste substance container is annexed to a prescribed developer container of the plural developer containers.

5. The development device according to claim 4, wherein the prescribed development container having the waste substance container is disposed to one of the plural development units having the highest consumption of the developer.

6. The development device according to claim 4, wherein the prescribed developer container having the waste substance container is disposed to at least one of the plural development units which develops a black image.

7. The development device according to claim 4, wherein the prescribed developer container having the waste substance container is disposed to one of the plural development units which is disposed on the most upstream side of a conveyance direction of a transfer medium.

8. The development device according to claim 1, further comprising a conveyance member conveying the waste substance removed by each of the plural cleaning members, wherein the waste substance conveyed by the conveyance member is stored in the waste substance container.

9. The development device according to claim 8, wherein the conveyance member includes a coil spiral.

10. The development device according to claim 9, wherein the coil spiral includes, in an end portion thereof on a downstream side in a conveyance direction of the waste substance, a rotation drive transmission member transmitting rotation driving force from a rotation drive member.

11. The development device according to claim 7, wherein the prescribed developer container having the waste substance container includes the rotation drive member coupling with the rotation drive transmission member.

12. The development device according to claim 8, wherein the coil spiral includes:

a first conveyance member disposed in an axial direction of the image carrier; and

a second conveyance member conveying the waste substance conveyed by the first conveyance member to the waste substance container.

13. The development device according to claim 1, wherein the waste substance includes the developer.

14. A development device comprising:

a plurality of development units, each of the plural development units including;

an image carrier carrying a developer image formed by developer; and

a cleaning member cleaning the image carrier by removing a waste substance;

a conveyance member conveying the waste substance removed by each of the plural cleaning members;

a waste substance container storing the waste substance conveyed by the conveyance member; and

a rotation drive member allowing an end portion of the conveyance member to rotate.

15. The development device according to claim 14, wherein the rotation drive member is disposed in an end portion on an upstream side in a conveyance direction of the waste substance.

16. The development device according to claim 14, wherein the rotation drive member is disposed in an end portion on a downstream side in a conveyance direction of the waste substance.

17. The development device according to claim 14, wherein the conveyance member includes a coil spiral.

18. The development device according to claim 14, wherein the waste substance is a waste toner.

19. An image forming apparatus comprising:

a plurality of development units, each of the plural development units including;

an image carrier carrying a developer image formed by developer;

a transfer medium transferring the developer image thereon; and

a cleaning member, disposed on a downstream side relative to a contact point between the image carrier and the transfer medium in a rotation direction of the image carrier, cleaning the image carrier by removing a waste substance;

a conveyance member conveying the waste substance removed by each of the plural cleaning members; and

a waste substance container, disposed to one of the developer units disposed on the most upstream side in a conveyance direction of the transfer medium, storing the waste substance conveyed by the conveyance member.

20. The image forming apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the waste substance is a waste toner.