Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha Corporation

Yoshiaki Sanada

Jun Yamaguchi

Takahiko Kimura

Naotaka Funayama

Tsutomu Nagata

Yasuyuki Ishiguro

Haruko Yoneda

Masatoshi Kaneshige

Hisashi Kunihiro

Hideji Saiko

Yoshinori Otsuka

Kouichi Mihara

Koichi Mihara

Fumito Mizoguchi

Masato Asanuma

Toshio Nishino

Syouichi Fujita

Itaru Kawabata

Hirofumi Sakita

Yoshiki Ichikawa

Hiroshi Tanisawa

Kouichi Takenouchi

Toshihiko Takaya

Eiji Sato

Akira Nakakuma

Shuuhei Yamamoto

Masahiro Tsuji

Takao Hiroyasu

Yoshiki Itikawa

Kohichi Mihara

In a developer-storing container of the present invention, an agitation blade used in a toner-storing section and an agitation blade used in a waste-toner-storing section are coupled by a rotor. The rotor is interdigitated to a bearing mounted on a partition wall. The partition wall is made to be a fixed wall so that precision of interdigitation of the agitation blade of the toner-storing section, the rotor, and the agitation blade of the waste-toner-storing section is improved. Consequently, a developer-storing container that is easy to assemble and in which precision of interdigitation is high is realized.

Developer storing container and connecting member

A packing case for an image forming apparatus that includes: a first packing memberfor packing an image forming apparatus main bodyincluding a reading sectionhaving a scanner unit, an image forming sectionhaving an image forming unit, and a sheet feed unitfor feeding a sheet to the image forming unit, and a sheet storage space, formed to be open to outside between the reading sectionand the image forming section, for storing a sheet transported from the image forming unit; and a second packing memberfor packing a toner cartridgeand capable of being inserted into and removed from the image forming apparatus main body, in which the second packing memberis inserted and fixed in the sheet storage space

Packing case and packing method for packing image forming apparatus, and image forming apparatus

A packing case for an image forming apparatus that includes: a first packing memberfor packing an image forming apparatus main bodyincluding a reading sectionhaving a scanner unit, an image forming sectionhaving an image forming unit, and a sheet feed unitfor feeding a sheet to the image forming unit, and a sheet storage space, formed to be open to outside between the reading sectionand the image forming section, for storing a sheet transported from the image forming unit; and a second packing memberfor packing a toner cartridgecapable of being inserted into and removed from the image forming apparatus main body, in which the second packing memberis inserted and fixed in the sheet storage space.

Toner cartridge

An image apparatus includes a cartridge with two separate accommodating portions. The first accommodating portion for accommodating unused developer and is formed in a housing. A second accommodating portion for accommodating transfer residual developer is arranged adjacent to the first accommodating portion. A conveying member extending over the first and second accommodating portions, when an amount of transfer residual developer to be stored in the second accommodating portion exceeds a predetermined level, conveys the transfer residual developer from the second accommodating portion to the first accommodating portion. Each one of the accommodating portions includes an agitator.

Image apparatus with developing cartridge having two accommodating portions

A process cartridge includes a toner unit including a toner containing space and a toner supply space. A development unit including rollers. There is a holding frame having a fixture section for the development unit and an accepting section for the toner unit. The process cartridge is constructed arrangement in which the toner is fixed in a predetermined position in the accepting section of the holding frame or which the toner unit is detachably installed in a predetermined position in the accepting section of the holding frame.

Detachable process cartridge for image forming apparatus

A toner cartridge includes: a toner storage chamber; a toner collecting chamber; a partitioning wall for separating these chambers; a cylindrical return pipe penetrating through the partitioning wall with a conveyer screw arranged therein and is configured so that when the amount of untransferred toner collected into the toner collecting chamber exceeds the height of the return pipe, the untransferred toner is conveyed by the rotation of the conveyer screw to be returned into the toner storage chamber.

Toner cartridge and image forming apparatus

Developing unit for an image forming apparatus

The length of a conveying sheet is set to be greater than the rotational radius of an agitating element so that the distal end of the conveying sheet will slide over the inner wall of the toner container. A slider element having a low frictional resistance is attached at the distal end of the conveying sheet. The slider element preferably has a low coefficient of dynamic friction and is preferably made of a soft resilient material having a thickness smaller than the conveying sheet. Cutouts or openings may be preferably formed at the distal part. A multiple number of ribs are attached to the wall surface of the toner container at the highest position at which the wall and the top plate meet. The ribs are arranged apart from each other in the direction parallel to the agitating shaft of the agitating element. Each rib is a plate-like element projected inward from the wall surface in the toner container with its width put in the direction of the spacing. Further the end portions of the ribs on the interior side of the toner container are adapted to form a curved surface smoothly connecting the top plate surface and the wall surface.

Toner supply device with rotatable agitating element

To solve problems that the amount of reuse toner increases with time recovery of reuse toner is efficiently achieved while forming an image of high quality. In a toner replenishing apparatus, toner recovered by a cleaning unit is conveyed via conveying device and contained in a recovery toner container. When an amount of the recovery toner exceeds a predetermined capacity of the recovery toner container, the recovery toner flows into a fresh toner container over an upper edge of a partition wall. Fresh toner and recovery toner are replenished to a developing unit via a fresh toner replenishing roller and a recovery toner replenishing roller, respectively, and the ratio between fresh toner and recovery toner is selected so that the fresh toner occupies a larger part than the recovery toner. This ratio is controlled on the basis of the cumulative rotation time of a photoconductor drum counted by a counting device.

Toner replenishing apparatus and image forming apparatus equipped with same

For realizing a satisfactory and stable developing process, the charge state of a developer and the density of toner particles contained in the developer is kept constant in the developing process. A developing roller to be driven rotationally is provided in a developing tank containing a developer. The developer is sucked magnetically using the magnetic force of a magnet provided in a developing sleeve composing the developing roller. The developer is then fed into a developing area opposed to a photosensitive member, then collected into the developing tank after the developing process is ended. The magnet is composed of an odd number of magnetic poles; developing pole, feeding pole, magnetic force distribution adjusting pole, developer sucking pole, developer separating pole, auxiliary collecting pole, and collecting pole. Between the sucking pole and the developing pole, an even number of poles are disposed. Between the developing pole and the separating pole are disposed an even number of poles. Consequently, the developer used for visualizing an image is separated while it is stuck on the developing sleeve when the developer is separated at the separating pole. When the developer is replaced, sticking of toner on the developing sleeve can be reduced significantly. In addition, the supplied developer is fixed in both toner density and charging level at the developing pole in developing.

Apparatus for controlling the movement of magnetized developer material

A developing apparatus comprises a development housing containing developer and disposed opposite to a carrier for carrying a latent image, and a developing roller rotatably provided in the development housing and rotatively driven in a predetermined direction. The developer in the development housing is carried by the developing roller and the developer carried by the developing roller is applied to the carrier through an opening formed in the development housing. A rotation speed F.beta. of the developing roller is higher than a movement speed F.alpha. of the carrier. A gap .beta. between an opening downstream side wall portion of the development housing and the developing roller is greater than a gap .alpha. between the opening downstream side wall portion and the carrier.

Efficient development of an electrostatic latent image

Impurities contained in a developer are captured and prevented from mixing into the developer again, thereby to avoid lowering of image quality due to the impurities. Such impurities include aggregates of the developer formed in a developing apparatus, insufficiently charged toner particles, defectively charged toner particles having an opposite polarity to a predetermined polarity, and defective carrier particles lacking in strength for being held by a developing magnet roller. A recess is provided between peaks of magnetism located in a lower portion of a developing magnet roller. The recess has an air pressure substantially equal to an air pressure (atmospheric pressure) in the developing apparatus, so that air in the developing apparatus and the recess does not flow only in one direction. Impurities contained in the developer circulating around the developing roller cannot be magnetically held in the lower half of the developing roller because of centrifugal force and gravity. Consequently, the impurities are separated and collected in the recess.

Developing apparatus

The invention is characterized by efficiently and quickly loosening an aggregation of toner material formed in a toner cartridge. A toner cartridge has an L-shaped toner agitating member disposed in a main body thereof having a discharge port for feeding toner at the front surface of the main body. Since the toner agitating member is supported so as to pivot like a conical pendulum, a support pin fixed to a bottom surface of the main body passes through a through hole having a greater diameter than that of the support pin. The support pin has an engagement portion attached thereto for prevention of disengagement of the toner agitating member therefrom. A plate-like portion of the toner agitating member defines an agitating plate, a distal end of which extends toward the discharge port of the main body. Shaking the toner cartridge causes the agitating member to rotate about the support pin and to pivot in a direction parallel to the axis of the support pin like a conical pendulum, thereby efficiently loosening the aggregated toner material.

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Ikoma, Japan

Yoshiaki Sanada