Developing device and image forming apparatus

Abstract

A developing device includes: a development-region passing body that passes a development region while holding a developer; a first transport path in which the developer to be supplied to the development-region passing body is transported at least in a first transport direction; a second transport path in which the developer to be sent to the first transport path is transported at least in a second transport direction; a first connection portion through which a portion of the first transport path positioned short of a first-transport-direction-downstream end of the first transport path and a portion of the second transport path positioned short of a second transport-direction-upstream end of the second transport path are connected to one another; and a first transport member having a rotating shaft on which a helical first forward-transport blade is provided, the helical first forward-transport blade rotating to forward-transport the developer in the first transport direction in the first transport path. The first transport member has a helical reverse-transport blade that reverse-transports the developer in a reverse direction reverse to the first transport direction, the reverse-transport blade is provided on at least a portion of part of the rotating shaft adjacent to the first connection portion, and a reverse-direction-downstream end of the reverse-transport blade reaches at least a first-transport-direction-upstream end of the first connection portion.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.