Method and apparatus for forming an electrostatic image
AssigneeToshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorToshimi Yamashita
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An image forming apparatus according to the present invention has a developing roller which supplies a developer to a developing target, a housing which contains the developer, a developer agitating member which is rotated about a rotation center defined at a predetermined position in the housing and below a rotation center of the developing roller in the vertical direction, a table-like area which is defined at a predetermined position in the housing and temporally supports the developer material moved between the developing roller and the developer agitating member, and a developing apparatus included of a projective member for controlling the amount of the developer which is supplied onto the outer circumference of the developing roller.
Claims13
An image forming apparatus comprising an image forming section for forming a latent image on an image carrier, and a developing apparatus for supplying a visualizing agent to the latent image formed on the image carrier, thereby to develop the latent image, said developing apparatus including:
- a housing for holding a toner fed to the latent image formed on the image carrier;
- a developing roller provided to be rotatable about a rotation center positioned below a rotation shaft of the image carrier in a vertical direction;
- a supporting member as a part of the housing for positioning the toner close to the developing roller;
- and
- an agitation member provided to be a rotatable in the housing and having sheet-like member having a free length which is defined to be longer than a distance between a rotation center of the sheet-like member and a wall surface of the housing, for feeding the toner in the housing to the supporting member for agitating the toner in the housing, as the agitation member is rotated along an inner wall of the housing,
- wherein the supporting member is positioned lower in a vertical direction, compared with a rotation center of the agitation member.
A method for forming an image with use of an image forming apparatus, comprising the steps of:
- forming a latent image on an image carrier;
- and
- feeding a visualizing agent to the latent image formed on the image carrier, thereby to develop the latent image, wherein the step of feeding the visualizing agent includes a housing for holding a toner fed to the latent image formed on the image carrier,
- a developing roller provided to be rotatable about a rotation center positioned below a rotation shaft of the image carrier in a vertical direction,
- a supporting member as a part of the housing, for positioning the toner close to the developing roller, and
- an agitation member provided to be a rotatable in the housing and having sheet-like member having a free length which is defined to be longer than a distance between a rotation center of the sheet-like member and a wall surface of the housing, for feeding the toner in the housing to the supporting member and for agitating the toner in the housing, as the agitation member is rotated along an inner wall of the housing,
- wherein the supporting member is positioned lower in a vertical direction, compared with a rotation center of the agitation member.
An image forming apparatus comprising:
- a photosensitive member on which a latent image corresponding to image information to be outputted is formed,
- a developing apparatus for supplying selectively a toner to the latent image formed on the photosensitive member, thereby to develop the latent image, said developing apparatus including
- a developing magnet internally provided with N and S poles arranged alternately,
- a sleeve formed to be rotatable on an outer circumference of the developing magnet, for supplying the toner to be supplied onto the latent image formed on the photosensitive member,
- a toner hopper as a part of a housing, provided below a rotation center of the sleeve in a vertical direction at a predetermined distance therefrom, and having a table for holding temporarily the toner which should be supplied to the sleeve, thereby to contain the toner,
- an agitation member formed to be rotatable in the toner hopper, as an elastic member having a longer free length than an inner diameter of the toner hopper, for feeding the toner in the toner hopper toward the sleeve and for agitating the toner, as the agitation member is rotated later in comparison with vicinity of a rotation center when the agitation member is rotated in the toner hopper, and
- a supporting member defined at a predetermined position in the housing, for temporarily supporting toner which is moved by the agitation member;
- and
- a transfer device for transferring a toner image formed on the photosensitive member by the developing apparatus, to a transfer target object.
An image forming apparatus comprising an image forming section for forming a latent image on an image carrier, and a developing apparatus for supplying a visualizing agent to the latent image formed on the image carrier, thereby to develop the latent image, said developing apparatus including:
- a housing for holding a toner fed to a latent image formed on an image carrier;
- a developing roller provided to be rotatable about a rotation center;
- a supporting member for temporarily supporting the toner in the housing;
- and
- an agitation member provided to be rotatable for feeding the toner in the housing to the supporting member and for agitating the toner in the housing, wherein
- a supporting member positioned lower in a vertical direction, compared with a rotation center of the agitation member.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.