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. 25, 2011
Filed:
Aug. 22, 2008
Tatsuya Kubo, Tokyo, JP;
Yoshitaka Fujinuma, Tokyo, JP;
Susumu Tateyama, Tokyo, JP;
Ricoh Company, Ltd., Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
A developing device, process cartridge, and image forming apparatus, have transport members with screw and shaft portions, transporting developer within the device in a longitudinal direction of a circulation path. A supply supplies new carrier to the device. A discharge aperture in a transport path wall of one transport member discharges developer outside the circulation path, when a surface of the developer transported by the one transport member exceeds a predetermined height. A bias path aperture in the transport path wall upstream of the discharge aperture has a bottom at a higher level than a bottom of the discharge aperture, and diverts developer at a level higher than the bottom of the discharge aperture to another transport member. An area in the longitudinal direction of the one transport member has no screw portion, and the discharge aperture is disposed opposite the area and has a length smaller than the area.