Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Kouki Yano

Yuta Isobe

Takuya Kitamura

Hideo Kihara

Yuji Kawaguchi

Takahiro Ikeda

Takashi Kase

Yusuke Usui

Tatsuya Suzuki

Masaaki Sato

Shinjiro Toba

Yosuke Kashiide

Kohei Matsuda

Satoshi Nishiya

Motoki Adachi

Hiroyuki Munetsugu

Minoru Nakamura

Provided is a remanufacturing method of a developer accommodating unit including a flexible container provided with an opening and configured to accommodate developer, and a frame member configured to accommodate the flexible container. The remanufacturing method includes refilling the developer into the flexible container.

Remanufacturing method of developer accommodating unit

Provided is a remanufacturing method of a developer accommodating unit including a frame member configured to accommodate a flexible container for accommodating developer. The remanufacturing method includes taking out the flexible container from the inside of the frame member, and refilling the developer into the flexible container.

An elastically deformable region of an elastic layer in a developer supplying roller is near an agitator. In a state where the agitator agitates a predetermined region or where the agitator is in contact with the developer supplying roller, the agitator is rotated in the same direction as the developer supplying roller.

Developing device, process cartridge, and image forming apparatus

A developing device usable with an image forming apparatus includes a developer carrying member for carrying a developer, a developer accommodating portion for accommodating a developer, and a guiding member having an inclined surface contacting the developer carrying member. The inclined surface guides a developer to a contact portion where the inclined surface contacts the developer carrying member to cause the developer to be carried on the developer carrying member. A regulating member regulates an amount of the developer carried on the developer carrying member. An inclination angle of the inclined surface is in a range not less than an angle of rest of the developer and less than 90 degrees.

A developing device includes a developing chamber provided with a developing roller that conveys toner to a developing area, and a toner regulating member that is in contact with a surface of the developing roller; and a toner container that contains the toner. An opening that allows the developing chamber and the toner container to communicate with each other is closed by a seal member that prevents the toner in the toner container from flowing into the developing chamber, and the seal member is removable from the opening. Spherical resin particles are provided at least in a contact portion between the developing roller and the toner regulating member. A Martens hardness of the spherical resin particles is 0.5 N/mmor higher and 45 N/mmor lower, and a restoring elastic power of the spherical resin particles is 70% or higher.

Developing device, process cartridge, and electrophotographic apparatus

An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member, a developing device, a holding unit, and a detection device. The image bearing member supports an electrostatic latent image. The developing device includes a developer bearing member having a first electrode member and supporting a developer to develop the electrostatic latent image. The developing device includes a supply member having a second electrode member and supplying the developer to the developer bearing member at a nip portion. The holding unit holds and change the developing device to a first posture and to a second posture where the deposited developer falls off the first posture. The detection device detects a remaining developer amount in the developing device based on a capacitance Cbetween the first and second electrode members in the first posture and a capacitance Cbetween the first and second electrode members in the second posture.

Image forming apparatus to detect amount of remaining developer

In an image forming apparatus, when no image is being formed, an image bearing member is rotated at least one rotation, in a state in which a transfer bias is controlled such that a potential on a surface of the image bearing member on the upstream side in the rotational direction of a cleaning apparatus is a polarity opposite to that of a developer.

Image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus includes a holding unit configured to change a developing device to first and second orientations. Whether a developer in the developing device is unevenly distributed in a longitudinal direction of the developing device is detected based on a capacitance Cbetween first and second electrode members in the first orientation and a capacitance Cbetween the first and second electrode members in the second orientation.

Image forming apparatus having a developing device including two electrode members, and further including a detection mechanism for detecting a capacitance between the two electrode members

A color image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member for carrying an electrostatic latent image, a plurality of developing devices for developing the electrostatic latent image, a supporting member for moving the developing devices sequentially to a developing position opposing the image bearing member, and a detecting device for detecting developer remainder in the developing device. In addition, a determining portion determines the developer remainder. In the developing device in which the detecting operation is effected after the developing operation, the determining portion determines the developer remainder from the information relating to the detected developer remainder. In the developing device of the developing devices for which the detecting operation is effected before the developing operation, the determining portion determines the developer remainder from the information relating to the detected developer remainder and a deduced consumption amount.

Color image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member; developing devices, each of which includes a developer carrying member, having an electrode member, for carrying a developer, and a developer feeding member, having a core metal and a surface foam layer, for supplying the developer to the developer carrying member; a supporting member, supporting the developing devices, for sequentially rotating the developing devices to a developing position; and a controller for executing an operation for reducing non-uniform distributions of the developers in the developing devices on the basis of electrostatic capacities between the electrode members and the core metals, respectively.

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Kawasaki, Japan

Kouki Yano