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:
May. 27, 1997
Filed:
Mar. 01, 1996
Shingo Mori, Osaka, JP;
Takashi Nagashima, Osaka, JP;
Hiroyuki Hamakawa, Osaka, JP;
Kiyoaki Miyamoto, Osaka, JP;
Yukihiro Aikawa, Osaka, JP;
Mita Industrial Company, Ltd., Osaka, JP;
Abstract
A developer unit of the present invention has an agitating paddle which agitates a developer containing a magnetic carrier and a non-magnetic toner, and a toner is supplied from the toner hopper according to an output of a toner concentration sensor. After an agitation is finished which is performed when the power is turned on, the agitating paddle is periodically operated to agitate the developer. During the agitation, a toner concentration controller shifts a reference level with which the output of the toner concentration sensor is compared from a predetermined level to a higher level and then stepwisely returns it to the predetermined level.