Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.

Fujifilm Business Innovation Corp.

Norihiro Tamazawa

Yoshifumi Ozaki

Tomoyuki Yoshii

Yoshitaka Nakajima

Shinichi Kuramoto

Ayumi Noguchi

Shota Oba

Makoto Kanno

Seigo Shinozaki

Masanori Kato

Shigeru Inaba

Keisuke Kubo

Kenta Urayama

Shinichiro Fujimori

Kiyohito Horii

Shigemi Murata

Junichi Uchiyama

Ryota Tomishi

Takashi Ochi

Shinji Okuyama

Fumiyuki Honda

Shiho Matsuda

A developing device including a first transport path in which the developer to be supplied to the development-region passing body is transported at least in a first transport direction; a second transport path in which the developer to be sent to the first transport path is transported at least in a second transport direction; and a first connection portion through which a portion of the first transport path positioned short of a first-transport-direction-downstream end of the first transport path and a portion of the second transport path positioned short of a second transport-direction-upstream end of the second transport path are connected to one another. A first transport member in the first transport path has a helical reverse-transport blade that reverse-transports the developer in a reverse direction reverse to the first transport provided adjacent to the first connection portion.

Developing device and image forming apparatus having a reverse helical blade on a downstream end of a developer transport path

A developing device includes a transporting member that transports a developer in an axial direction while rotating, a developing unit that hands over the developer to an image holder, on which an electrostatic latent image is formed, while rotating, and develops the electrostatic latent image, a pumping unit that has a rotation member rotating in a circumferential direction, pumps the developer transported by the transporting member with a magnetic force, and supplies the pumped developer to the developing unit by releasing the developer in a tangential direction of the rotating rotation member, and a changing unit that changes a flowing direction of the developer, which is released in the tangential direction of the rotating rotation member and is to be supplied to the developing unit.

Developing device and image forming apparatus

A developing device includes a developing rotator configured to rotate through a developing region while carrying a magnetic developer, a supply transport member configured to rotate to transport the developer to be supplied to the developing rotator, a non-magnetic movement assist member arranged between the developing rotator and the supply transport member, and having a slope that receives the developer from the supply transport member and moves the developer to the developing rotator, a first adjusting member having a facing surface that faces, with distances, the slope of the movement assist member and a surface of the developing rotator at a part passing over the movement assist member, and configured to adjust a movement amount of the developer from the movement assist member to the developing rotator and a carrying amount of the developer on the surface of the developing rotator, and a second adjusting member having a distance from the surface of the developing rotator at a part passing over the first adjusting member, and configured to adjust the carrying amount of the developer on the surface of the developing rotator before the developer reaches the developing region. A first minimum distance between the slope of the movement assist member and the facing surface of the first adjusting member, a second minimum distance between the facing surface of the first adjusting member and the surface of the developing rotator, and a third minimum distance between the second adjusting member and the surface of the developing rotator are reduced in descending order.

A powder transport apparatus includes a housing and first and second transport members. The housing includes first and second transport paths that are separated by a partition wall extending in one direction. The first and second transport paths are connected by first and second connection ports. The first and second connection ports are separated in the one direction with the partition wall interposed therebetween. The first transport member is provided in the first transport path. The first transport member transports powder. The second transport member is provided in the second transport path. The second transport member transports the powder. A transport force of the second transport member at a portion of the second transport member where the second transport member faces the first connection port is smaller than a transport force of the second transport member at a portion where the second transport member faces the partition wall.

Powder transport apparatus

A powder transport apparatus includes a first transport path disposed in the first transport path, a second transport path connected to the first transport path through a first connection port and a junction port, a third transport path connected to the second transport path through a second connection port, a second transport member that is disposed in the second transport path and includes a first shaft provided with a first spiral blade that transports powder toward the first connection port, a second spiral blade that is provided in a portion of the first shaft between the first connection port and the junction port and that has a transport force smaller than a transport force of the first spiral blade in the one direction, and a third transport member disposed in the third transport path. The third transport member transports the powder toward the second connection port.

A developing device includes: a housing having a first transport path through which developer is supplied, a second transport path adjoining the first transport path with a first partition wall therebetween, and a first communication path communicating with the second transport path on a downstream side in a developer transport direction in the first transport path; a first transport member disposed in the first transport path and having an axially rotatable first rotary shaft and a first spiral blade projecting from an outer circumferential surface of the first rotary shaft; a second transport member disposed in the second transport path and having an axially rotatable second rotary shaft and a second spiral blade projecting from an outer circumferential surface of the second rotary shaft; and a first blade member projecting from the outer circumferential surface of the first rotary shaft, at a position facing the first communication path, the blade member discharging the developer onto the second transport path from above the first rotary shaft in the first transport path with the rotation of the first rotary shaft.

Developing device and image forming apparatus having developer replenishing blade

A developing device includes a developer carrier on which an attraction region is set, the attraction region being a region that attracts developer including toner and a carrier, and that carries, in the attraction region, the developer that is to be supplied to an image carrier on which an electrostatic latent image is formed; a regulation member that regulates the developer so that a predetermined amount of the developer is carried by the developer carrier; and a forming unit that is located upstream of the regulation member and that forms, in the attraction region, a first region that restricts a flow of developer supplied to the developer carrier and a second region that is located between the first region and the regulation member and that does not restrict a flow of the developer compared with the first region.

A developing device includes a development roller, a housing, a suction device, and a discharging device. The development roller rotates to pass a developer to an image carrier. The housing includes an opening, which allows the development roller to face the image carrier therethrough, and a flow-in path, which is a gap formed to allow air to flow therethrough between the development roller and an edge of the opening downstream in a rotation direction of the development roller. The suction device has a suction path having a distal end serving as a suction port that is open to an outside of the housing, and sucks air through the suction port. The discharging device includes a through-hole, which extends through the housing to connect an inside to an outside of the housing, and a discharge path, which extends from the through-hole to the suction port. The discharge path merges with the suction path.

A developing device includes a developer carrier that carries a developer to be supplied to an image carrier that forms an electrostatic latent image, a supply unit that supplies the developer containing toner and a carrier to the developer carrier by transporting the developer while agitating the developer along a circulation path formed through rotation of each of plural rotary members, and a delivery unit that receives a collected developer, which is the developer collected from the developer carrier, transports the collected developer by another rotary member different from the plural rotary members of the supply unit, and delivers the collected developer to the circulation path of the supply unit.

Developing device having a delivery unit to transport collected developer and image forming apparatus having the same

A developing device includes: a container for accommodating developer, the container having an exhaust port; and a merging section where airflows directed from the interior of the container to the exhaust port join together.

Developing device and image forming apparatus with exhaust port for discharging air

An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier that holds an image, a developer carrier that holds a developer to be supplied to the image carrier, a transport member that transports the developer in an axial direction of the developer carrier, and a restraint member that restrains the developer, which has scattered as a result of being transported by the transport member, from moving toward the developer carrier.

Image forming apparatus and developing device

A developing device includes a developer carrier that opposes an image carrier and rotates while carrying developer on a surface thereof; and a container that supports the developer carrier in a rotatable manner and contains the developer, the developer containing toner, first carrier subjected to frictional charging together with the toner, and second carrier having a diameter greater than a diameter of the first carrier and an electrical resistance lower than an electrical resistance of the first carrier.

Provided is a powder containing device including a powder container that contains powder, that has a first end which is closed, that has a second end which is opened, that includes a main body section and a tapered section which is disposed on the second end side from the main body section and has a diameter reduced as close to the second end side, and that has an inner circumferential surface on which a protruding ridge is formed to convey the powder to the second end side by rotating around a rotation axis extending in a direction in which the first end and the second end is connected, and a lid member that is provided with an outlet of the powder, is maintained in a non-rotating state, and causes the powder flowing from the opening to flow out from the outlet.

Powder containing device and image forming apparatus

A container for developer detachably mountable to an image forming apparatus body includes a container body, a discharge member, a resistive member, and a resistance reduction mechanism. The container body contains developer and is rotated when drive is transmitted from the image forming apparatus body. The discharge member supports the container body rotatable relative to the discharge member and has a discharge port through which the developer is discharged. The resistive member is brought into contact with the container body so as to apply resistance to the rotation of the container body. The resistance reduction mechanism changes a contact state between the resistive member and the container body so as to reduce the resistance between the resistive member and the container body when the container is mounted to the image forming apparatus body.

Image forming apparatus and container for developer

An image forming apparatus includes an accommodation container, a storage medium, and a controller. The accommodation container includes a rotational portion and outflow portion. The rotational portion accommodates a developer therein and has a helical-shaped transport section formed in an inner surface thereof. The outflow portion rotatably supports the rotational portion and has an outflow port through which the developer transported during rotation of the rotational portion flows out. The storage medium stores use state information of the developer accommodated in the rotational portion. The controller controls a driving source which drives the rotational portion. When a use state of the accommodation container for the developer is a use state which is set in advance, the controller intermittently drives the rotational portion by performing driving at a rotation angle of (n+&#xbd;)&#x3c0;&#xb1;18 degrees or less than 90 degrees and stopping.

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Kanagawa, Japan

Norihiro Tamazawa