The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Aug. 17, 1993
Filed:
Jul. 22, 1992
Toyoka Aimoto, Nara, JP;
Yasunobu Ohkawa, Nara, JP;
Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha, Osaka, JP;
Abstract
An image forming apparatus provides a mechanism for exhausting waste toner or developing powder and is constructed to have a sensor for sensing an amount of waste toner in a recovery vessel when the developing powder is sensed to be degraded and a determining unit for determining if the carried developing powder is overflown from the recovery vessel based on the sensed result. If it is determined that it is not overflown, the developing powder is recovered in the recovery vessel. Further, the unit for continuing the formation of an image is also provided. If the recovery vessel may provide a spared space for the waste toner after the developing powder is recovered in the recovery vessel, the formation of the image is continued.