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. 18, 2016
Filed:
Mar. 09, 2015
Teppei Kikuchi, Kanagawa, JP;
Hideki Kosugi, Kanagawa, JP;
Tatsuya Kubo, Kanagawa, JP;
Shinnosuke Koshizuka, Kanagawa, JP;
Kazunori Suzuki, Kanagawa, JP;
Atsushi Nakamoto, Kanagawa, JP;
Teppei Kikuchi, Kanagawa, JP;
Hideki Kosugi, Kanagawa, JP;
Tatsuya Kubo, Kanagawa, JP;
Shinnosuke Koshizuka, Kanagawa, JP;
Kazunori Suzuki, Kanagawa, JP;
Atsushi Nakamoto, Kanagawa, JP;
Ricoh Company, Ltd., Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
A developer container includes a container body, a rotary shaft, a rotary stirrer, and a flexible blade. The container body contains developer and has a discharge port. The rotary stirrer includes a rotary support and rotates about the rotary shaft to stir and transport the developer. The rotary support includes a base end rotatable integrally with the rotary shaft, a free end spaced away from an inner wall of the container body, and a holding surface provided at the free end or at a position shifted toward the rotary shaft away from the free end. The holding surface is parallel to or inclined relative to a rotation direction of the rotary support. The flexible blade includes a base end portion held on the holding surface and a distal end to contact the inner wall and transport the developer to the discharge port.