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:
Jul. 16, 1996
Filed:
Aug. 03, 1994
Tomoe Aruga, Nagano, JP;
Kiyoharu Momose, Nagano, JP;
Junichi Okada, Nagano, JP;
Junichiro Shinozaki, Nagano, JP;
Yoshiro Koga, Nagano, JP;
Hiroshi Niki, Nagano, JP;
Toshiaki Ohno, Nagano, JP;
Seiko Epson Corporation, Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
An endless toner transport which connects a developing device with a cleaning device is disposed so as to pass through these devices in their respective longitudinal directions. The mixing of toner can be enhanced by returning recovered toner to the developing device and by supplying fresh toner to the cleaning device by using the toner transport itself, whereby the reuse of recovered toner and the reduction of the quantity of fresh toner used can be conducted more effectively. In the processes of transporting toner from the developing device to the cleaning device and from the cleaning device to the developing device, toner can effectively be stirred and mixed by utilizing oscillation or the like generated in the endless toner transport which can be in the form of a coil spring so that an additional stirring member is not required, thereby allowing the developing device, and hence the entire image forming apparatus, to be greatly reduced in size.