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:
Oct. 28, 1997
Filed:
Jul. 21, 1995
Yoshihiro Hattori, Toyokawa, JP;
Yoshinobu Hada, Hoi-Gun, JP;
Suguru Hamamichi, Toyokawa, JP;
Shinichi Yoshimoto, Toyokawa, JP;
Minolta Co., Ltd., Osaka, JP;
Abstract
A developer transporting device for electrophotographic copiers has a pair of walls, a rotating shaft supported between the pair of walls, a first transporting member provided on the rotating shaft, a rotating cylindrical screw concentrically sheathing the rotating shaft and having a second transporting member provided on an exterior surface thereof and apertures provided at both ends thereof, an inflow pipe mounted on one wall of the pair of walls and extending into one end of the cylindrical screw and provided with a developer inflow opening facing an aperture of the cylindrical screw, and an outflow pipe mounted on the other wall of the pair of walls and extending into the other end of the cylindrical screw and provided with a developer outflow opening facing an aperture of the cylindrical screw. Developer outside the cylindrical screw is transported from the outflow pipe to the inflow pipe by the second transporting member and developer in the cylindrical screw is transported from the inflow pipe to the outflow pipe by the first transporting member. Developer is thus circulated inside and outside the cylindrical screw in a manner to ensure proper mixing thereof. The cylindrical screw preferably includes interior and exterior surfaces which have different coefficients of friction for more effective transport of the developer.