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. 14, 2014
Filed:
Jan. 18, 2012
Tomohiro Kubota, Osaka, JP;
Naoki Nakatake, Hyogo, JP;
Hirobumi Ooyoshi, Osaka, JP;
Tomofumi Yoshida, Osaka, JP;
Yoshiyuki Shimizu, Hyogo, JP;
Manabu Hamada, Osaka, JP;
Shoh Tsuritani, Osaka, JP;
Tomohiro Kubota, Osaka, JP;
Naoki Nakatake, Hyogo, JP;
Hirobumi Ooyoshi, Osaka, JP;
Tomofumi Yoshida, Osaka, JP;
Yoshiyuki Shimizu, Hyogo, JP;
Manabu Hamada, Osaka, JP;
Shoh Tsuritani, Osaka, JP;
Ricoh Company, Ltd., Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
A development device includes a development housing, a first developer conveyance member, a developer bearer, and a developer amount detector to detect an amount of developer in the development housing. The developer amount detector includes a light-emitting element, a right-receiving element, a first light guide including a first end from which light enters and a second end disposed inside the development housing, and a second light guide including a first end positioned inside the development housing across a predetermined distance from the second end of the first light guide and a second end from which the light exits. The second end of the first light guide and the first end of the second light guide are arranged in an axial direction of the first developer conveyance member with a light transmission path therebetween partly inside a locus of rotation of the first developer conveyance member.