DEVELOPER RECOVERING UNIT AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS USING THE SAME

• US 20100119270A1
• Filed: 06/03/2009
• Published: 05/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Business Innovation Corp. (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Kinno, Kiyoshi, Soga, Tatsuya, Hoshino, Hirohisa
• Granted Patent: US 8,090,307 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 399/358
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 21/105 Arrangements for conveying toner waste

Abstract

A developer recovering unit is provided with a recovery vessel that contains a developer to be recovered, a transporting device that includes a transporting member that transports the developer through a tubular transport path connecting a portion where the developer is generated to the recovery vessel, and a detecting device that detects an amount of the developer contained in the recovery vessel, wherein the transporting member is formed as a conductive member and is grounded at least in a most downstream section of the transport path connected to the recovery vessel.

Claims

1. A developer recovering unit comprising:

a recovery vessel that contains a developer to be recovered;

a transporting device that includes a transporting member that transports the developer through a tubular transport path connecting a portion where the developer is generated to the recovery vessel; and

a detecting device that detects an amount of the developer contained in the recovery vessel,

wherein the transporting member is formed as a conductive member and is grounded at least in a most downstream section of the transport path connected to the recovery vessel.

4. The developer recovering unit according to claim 1,

wherein the transporting member has, in the most downstream section of the transport path, a conveyor rotating body that is supported by a first bearing and rotated in the transport path, and

the first bearing is grounded and the conveyor rotating body is first grounded through the bearing.

5. The developer recovering unit according to claim 1,

wherein at least a part of the transporting member is inserted into the recovery vessel in the most downstream section of the transport path connected to the recovery device.

2. A developer recovering unit comprising:

a recovery vessel that contains a developer to be recovered;

a transporting device that includes a transporting member that transports the developer through a tubular transport path connecting a portion where the developer is generated to the recovery vessel; and

a detecting device that detects an amount of the developer contained in the recovery vessel,

an inside transporting member that is arranged inside the recovery vessel that transports the contained developer within the recovery vessel,

wherein the inside transporting member is formed as a conductive member and is grounded.

3. The developer recovering unit according to claim 2,

wherein the transporting member is formed as a conductive member and is grounded at least in a most downstream section of the transport path connected to the recovery vessel.

6. The developer recovering unit according to claim 2,

wherein the inside transporting member has an inside conveyor rotating body supported by a second bearing and rotated, and

the second bearing is grounded and the conveyor rotating body is grounded through the second bearing.

7. An image forming apparatus comprising:

an imaging device that forms an image with a developer and transfers the image onto a recording medium; and

a developer recovering unit that transports and recovers a part of the developer used in the imaging device to a recovery vessel,

wherein the developer recovering unit includes;

the recovery vessel that contains the part of the developer to be recovered;

the transporting device that includes a transporting member for transporting the part of the developer through a tubular transport path connecting a portion where the developer is generated to the recovery vessel; and

a detecting device that detects an amount of the developer contained in the recovery vessel, and

the transporting member is formed as a conductive member and is grounded at least in a most downstream section of the transport path connected to the recovery vessel.

8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7,

wherein the transporting member has, in the most downstream section of the transport path, a conveyor rotating body that is supported by a first bearing and rotated in the transport path, and

the first bearing is grounded and the conveyor rotating body is first grounded through the bearing.

9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7,

wherein at least a part of the transporting member is inserted into the recovery vessel in the most downstream section of the transport path connected to the recovery device.

10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7,

wherein a supporting member on which the developer recovering unit is attached and supported is grounded, and

the transporting member of the transporting device to be grounded in the developer recovering unit is electrically connected to the supporting member.

11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7,

wherein the transporting device of the developer recovering unit is fixed on a side of the image forming apparatus.

12. An image forming apparatus comprising:

an imaging device that forms an image with a developer and transfers the image onto a recording medium; and

a developer recovering unit that transports and recovers a part of the developer used in the imaging device to a recovery vessel,

wherein the developer recovering unit includes;

the recovery vessel that contains the part of the developer to be recovered;

the transporting device that includes a transporting member for transporting the part of the developer through a tubular transport path connecting a portion where the part of the developer is generated to the recovery vessel;

a detecting device that detects an amount of the developer contained in the recovery vessel; and

an inside transporting member that is arranged inside the recovery vessel for transporting the contained developer within the recovery vessel, and

the inside transporting member is formed as a conductive member and is grounded.

13. The image forming apparatus according to claim 12,

wherein the transporting member is formed as a conductive member and is grounded at least in a most downstream section of the transport path connected to the recovery vessel.

14. The image forming apparatus according to claim 12,

wherein the transporting member has, in the most downstream section of the transport path, a conveyor rotating body that is supported by a first bearing and rotated in the transport path, and

the first bearing is grounded and the conveyor rotating body is first grounded through the bearing.

15. The image forming apparatus according to claim 12,

wherein at least a part of the transporting member is inserted into the recovery vessel in the most downstream section of the transport path connected to the recovery device.

16. The image forming apparatus according to claim 12,

wherein the inside transporting member has an inside conveyor rotating body supported by a second bearing and rotated, and

the second bearing is grounded and the conveyor rotating body is grounded through the second bearing.

17. The image forming apparatus according to claim 12,

wherein a supporting member on which the developer recovering unit is attached and supported is grounded, and

the inside transporting member to be grounded in the developer recovering unit is electrically connected to the supporting member.

18. The image forming apparatus according to claim 12,

wherein the transporting device of the developer recovering unit is fixed on a side of the image forming apparatus.