Developing device with structure to regulate discharging amount of developer
AssigneeHewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
InventorsJonghyun Park, Jonghwa Park, Hojin Jang
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A developing device includes a conveying member to circulate a developer in a housing, a developer discharge portion extending from one end portion of the housing to form a passage through which surplus developer is discharged from the housing, and a discharge regulation member located on an upstream side of the developer discharge portion with respect to a direction in which the developer is conveyed to the developer discharge portion by the conveying member to partially block a conveying path of the developer. The discharge regulation member includes a lower end portion and an upper end portion arranged apart from a bottom and an upper wall of the conveying path, respectively.
Claims16
A developing device comprising:
- a housing;
- a conveying member to circulate a developer in the housing;
- a developer discharge portion extending from one end portion of the housing to form a passage through which surplus developer is discharged from the housing;
- and
- a discharge regulation member located on an upstream side of the developer discharge portion, with respect to a conveying direction in which the developer is conveyed to the developer discharge portion by the conveying member, to partially block a conveying path of the developer, the discharge regulation member provided with a lower end portion and an upper end portion arranged apart from a bottom and an upper wall of the conveying path, respectively,
- wherein the lower end portion includes a first lower end portion arranged apart from the bottom of the conveying path and lower than a shaft of the conveying member, and a concave arc portion recessed upward from the first lower end portion such that the shaft passes through the concave arc portion, and is apart from the conveying member and radially extends at least to a position radially between the shaft and an outer circumference of a spiral portion of the shaft to have at least a portion of the lower end portion to be overlapped with the spiral portion of the shaft in a radial direction when viewed along an axial direction of the shaft.
A developing device comprising:
- an agitation chamber and a developing chamber separated by a partition wall and communicating with each other through first and second communication ports provided at both end portions of the partition wall;
- a developing roller installed in the developing chamber;
- a conveying member located in the agitation chamber and the developing chamber to circulate a developer;
- a developer discharge portion extending from either the agitation chamber or the developing chamber to form a discharge passage for surplus developer;
- and
- a discharge regulation member to partially block a conveying path of the developer by being located on an upstream side of the developer discharge portion with respect to a conveying direction in which the developer is conveyed to the developer discharge portion by the conveying member, the discharge regulation member to open a lower path of the conveying path and partially block, at least at a position apart from a shaft of the conveying member and radially between the shaft and an outer circumference of a spiral portion of the shaft, an upper path of the conveying path with respect to the shaft of the conveying member, wherein the discharge regulation member includes a lower end portion with a first lower end portion arranged apart from a bottom of the conveying path and lower than the shaft, and a concave arc portion recessed upward from the first lower end portion such that the shaft passes through the concave arc portion, and wherein at least a portion of the discharge regulation member overlaps with the spiral portion of the shaft in a radial direction when viewed along an axial direction of the shaft.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.