DEVELOPING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS

• US 20140105649A1
• Filed: 07/01/2013
• Published: 04/17/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Business Innovation Corp. (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: OTA, Naoki
• Granted Patent: US 9,086,650 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 399/254
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/0877 Arrangements for metering and dispensing developer from a developer cartridge into the development unit
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/0819 two or more agitators
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/0827 Augers
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/0838 Circulation of developer in a closed loop within the sump of the developing device

Abstract

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.

Claims

1. A developing device comprising:

a transport/supply member disposed in a transport/supply path formed along a rotary shaft of a developing roller, the transport/supply member supplying a developer containing toner and a carrier to the developing roller while transporting the developer along the transport/supply path from one end side toward the other end side in a direction of a rotational axis of the rotary shaft;

a transport/agitation member disposed in a transport/agitation path formed on a side opposite to the developing roller with respect to the transport/supply path as viewed in plan with one end side of the transport/agitation path positioned vertically above the one end side of the transport/supply path and with the other end side of the transport/agitation path disposed vertically below the other end side of the transport/supply path, the transport/agitation member agitating the developer while transporting the developer along the transport/agitation path from the other end side toward the one end side;

a first transport member disposed in a first transport path that connects between a lower side of the transport/supply path and an upper side of the transport/agitation path on the other end side, the first transport member transporting along the first transport path the developer fed from the transport/supply path to the first transport path to feed the developer to the transport/agitation path; and

a second transport member disposed in a second transport path that connects between a lower side of the transport/agitation path and an upper side of the transport/supply path on the one end side, the second transport member transporting along the second transport path the developer fed from the transport/agitation path to the second transport path to feed the developer to the transport/supply path.

2. The developing device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a toner supply section that supplies the toner to the first transport path.

3. The developing device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a toner densitometer that measures a toner density of the developer transported along the second transport path by the second transport member.

4. An image forming apparatus comprising:

an image holding element on which an electrostatic latent image is to be formed; and

the developing device according to claim 1 that develops the electrostatic latent image formed on the image holding element as a toner image.