Brother Kogyo Kabushiki-kaisha

Yukiko Nakaya

Hiroki Mori

Mitsuru Horinoe

Yuichi Matsushita

Fan Xu

Tomoaki Hattori

Masahiro Ishii

Isao Kishi

Nao Itabashi

Fumikazu Sato

Hiroya Fukuta

Takeshi Fuwazaki

An arrangement of sealing members seals developer in a developer device. The sealing members minimize or eliminate developer from leaking around the sides of a developer carrier.

Developing device, process cartridge, and image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus includes a main body, image formation units disposed in the main body, a moving member disposed in the main body, the moving member including a surface facing each image formation unit, a pair of first stoppers disposed in each image formation unit, and a pair of second stoppers disposed in the main body in correspondence with each image formation unit, each second stopper being configured to prevent the developer on the moving member from entering the image formation unit.

Image forming apparatus, image formation process unit, and developing unit

A layer-thickness regulating member includes a thin plate member and a projection member provided on a free edge portion of the thin plate member. A leak preventing members include a first seal member and a second seal member. The first seal member includes a first downstream portion disposed adjacent to the projection member on a front surface of the thin plate member, and a first upstream portion extending upstream of the first downstream portion. The second seal member includes a second downstream portion, and a second upstream portion which extends upstream of the second downstream portion. The second upstream portion includes a covered portion covered with the first upstream portion, an opposed portion disposed adjacent to the covered portion and opposed to the adjacent portion of the projection member and an exposed portion extending upstream of the covered portion and the opposed portion.

Developing device, image carrier device, and image forming apparatus

A layer-thickness regulating member may include a thin plate member and a projection member. The projection member includes a first pressure contact portion that comes into pressure-contact with each of seal areas, a second pressure contact portion that comes into pressure-contact with each of side end areas, and a third pressure contact portion that comes into pressure-contact with a central area. A notched portion is formed at a position of the distal end of the thin plate member where each of the second pressure contact portions is formed, by cutting the thin plate member from an end edge of the distal end toward a downstream side of the rotation direction of the developing agent carrier.

A developer cartridge includes a developer cartridge case for accommodating a developer, a developing roller, a toner layer thickness control blade, and a side sealing member. The developing roller is supported by the developer cartridge case such that a circumferential surface thereof is exposed to an outside of the developer cartridge case along a width direction. The toner layer thickness control blade includes a blade body portion made of a metallic plate. A tip portion of the blade body portion is disposed at a sliding portion of the developing roller and the side sealing member so as to contact with the side sealing member. A frictional heat generated at the sliding portion is released to the outside of the developer cartridge case through the blade body portion in order restrain a leak of the developer as much as possible.

Image forming apparatus and developer cartridge

A developing agent leakage preventing member is provided that is attached to the developer housing and that has a housing attaching face which contacts with the developer housing, a front side face which opposes the housing attaching face, and two side faces each of which connects to each other end portions of the housing attaching face and the front side face in the longitudinal direction of the opening of the developer housing. At least one of the side faces of the developing agent leakage preventing member is formed as an inclined side face that is inclined in a predetermined direction relative to the housing attaching face when pressed from the front side face side. In a developing apparatus, developing agent (toner) leakage is avoided.

Developing apparatus, process cartridge, developer cartridge, and image forming apparatus including leakage preventing member

A developer cartridge includes a casing, a development roller, a support member, and at least one transmission gear. The development roller is rotatably disposed in the casing. The support member is provided as a separate member from the casing and is mounted on the casing. The at least one transmission gear is rotatably supported by the support member. The at least one transmission gear transmits a driving force to the development roller. The support member is configured to be dismounted from the casing together with the at least one transmission gear.

Developer cartridge and image forming apparatus

A developing device is provided with a case main body, a developing roller capable of rotating and supporting developer housed in the case main body, an adjustment member extending along a rotation axis direction of the developing roller, and a side seal member. The side seal member comprises a first seal member mounted on the case main body, and a second seal member mounted on the adjustment member. The first seal member and the second seal member are configured separately and make contact with one another.

Developing device having a side seal member located between a developing roller and a case main body

A developing device is provided that includes a developer containing case that contains a developer. The developer containing case includes a case main body and a supply roller that is rotatably supported on the case main body. The supply roller has a rotary shaft, a cylindrical roller main body that covers the rotary shaft, and a fixed member that is fixed to at least one of the rotary shaft and the roller main body. A gap is provided between an end surface of the roller main body and an inner surface of the case main body, and the fixed member partially occupies the gap.

Developing device and image forming apparatus

There is provided a developing device including: a casing; a developing roller held by the casing and carrying a developing agent; and a layer-thickness regulating blade for regulating a layer thickness of the developing agent carried on the developing roller, in which in the state where the developing roller is held by the casing, the tip end portion of the layer-thickness regulating blade abuts against the developing roller at a uniform pressure in the axial direction of the developing roller, and in the state where the developing roller is not held by the casing, the layer-thickness regulating blade is bent toward a disposed position of the developing roller.

A developing device is provided with a case main body, a developing roller coupled with the case main body, an axis direction seal member coupled with the case main body, and a side seal member coupled with the case main body. The axis direction seal member and the side seal member make contact with one another such that there is no gap between the axis direction seal member and the side seal member in a rotation axis direction of the developing roller. In a rotation direction of the developing roller, an upstream end of the side seal member is located downstream of an upstream end of a contact area between the axis direction seal member and the developing roller.

Developing device

An image forming apparatus includes: a plurality of development units having developing-agent carriers which are provided in correspondence to three or more developing agents, and developing electrostatic latent images on surfaces of image carriers to form developing-agent images on the image carriers; and a recovery unit that recovers the developing agent adhering to the developing-agent carrier during non-development operation. The recovery unit is provided for at least the development unit other than the development unit that transfers the developing-agent image first in sequence among the plurality of development units. When one of the plurality of development units performs development by the developing agent whose charge capability is higher than that of the developing agent of the development unit that transfers the developing-agent image later in sequence, the recovery unit starts recovery of the developing agent or performs recovery operation for improving recovery capability of the developing agent.

Image forming apparatus including developing units each having an agitation member

A color image forming apparatus may include photoconductors, developing rollers, and cases, each configured to hold developer to be supplied to a corresponding photoconductor from a corresponding developing roller, and each having an elongated opening in which the developing roller is disposed. Also included are a side seal member disposed at each end of the elongated opening in a longitudinal direction of the opening, each side seal member contacting a peripheral surface of the developing roller at each end of an axial direction of the developing roller, and a belt configured to move in a transporting direction parallel to an arrangement direction of the photoconductors, the belt being disposed below the developing rollers. The belt can be disposed to avoid contacting the photoconductors in an area defined by the side seal members being projected onto a plane on a surface of the belt parallel to an axis of the photoconductors.

Growing community of inventors

Konan, Japan

Yukiko Nakaya