Image forming apparatus including electrostatic conveyance of charged toner

An image forming apparatus comprising:

• a) an image carrier for forming a latent image;
• b) developing means for developing the latent image with charged toner, said developing means electrostatically conveying the charged toner along a conveying surface of a first conveyance board and causing said charged toner to fly from one end of said first conveyance board toward said image carrier, said first conveyance board including:
• 1) a substrate;
• 2) a plurality of electrodes arranged on said substrate in a direction of toner conveyance, with each electrode extending in a direction perpendicular to said direction of toner conveyance;
• and
• 3) a member formed on said substrate over said plurality of electrodes for forming the conveying surface;
• and
• c) means for applying to said electrodes, drive waveforms sequentially increasing in frequency toward one or more of said electrodes adjoining the one end of said first conveyance board.

An image forming apparatus comprising:

• a) an image carrier for forming a latent image;
• b) developing means for developing the latent image with charged toner, said developing means electrostatically conveying the charged toner along a conveying surface of a first conveyance board and causing said charged toner to fly from one end of said first conveyance board toward said image carrier, said conveyance board including:
• 1) a substrate;
• 2) a plurality of electrodes arranged on said substrate in a direction of toner conveyance, with each electrode extending in a direction perpendicular to said direction of toner conveyance;
• and
• 3) a member formed on said substrate over said plurality of electrodes for forming the conveying surface;
• and
• c) means for applying to said electrodes, drive waveforms sequentially increasing in crest value toward one or more of said electrodes adjoining the one end of said first conveyance board.

An image forming apparatus comprising:

• a) an image carrier for forming a latent image;
• and
• b) developing means for developing the latent image with charged toner, said developing means electrostatically conveying the charged toner along a conveying surface of a first conveyance board and causing said charged toner to fly from one end of said first conveyance board toward said image carrier, said first conveyance board including:
• 1) a substrate;
• 2) a plurality of electrodes arranged on said substrate in a direction of toner conveyance, with each electrode extending in a direction perpendicular to said direction of toner conveyance;
• and
• 3) a member formed on said substrate over said plurality of electrodes for forming the conveying surface;
• wherein said developing means includes at least second and third conveyance boards;
• and
• wherein an intermediate conveyance board, from among said first, second and third conveyance boards, has a conveying surface on both sides thereof.

A developing device configured to develop a latent image formed on an image carrier with charged toner, the device comprising:

• a first conveyance board having a conveying surface and configured to electrostatically convey said charged toner along said conveying surface toward one end of the first conveyance board and to cause said charged toner to fly toward said image carrier, said first conveyance board including:
• 1) a substrate;
• 2) a plurality of electrodes arranged on said substrate in a direction of toner conveyance, with each electrode extending in a direction perpendicular to said direction of toner conveyance;
• and
• 3) a member formed on said substrate over said plurality of electrodes for forming the conveying surface;
• wherein a distance between adjacent electrodes sequentially decreases toward the one end.

A developing device configured to develop a latent image formed on an image carrier with charged toner, the device comprising:

• a) a first conveyance board having a conveying surface and configured to electrostatically convey said charged toner along said conveying surface and to cause said charged toner to fly toward said image carrier, said first conveyance board including:
• 1) a substrate;
• 2) a plurality of electrodes arranged on said substrate in a direction of toner conveyance, with each electrode extending in a direction perpendicular to said direction of toner conveyance;
• and
• 3) a member formed on said substrate over said plurality of electrodes for forming the conveying surface;
• and
• b) at least second and third conveyance boards;
• wherein an intermediate conveyance board, from among said first, second and third conveyance boards, has a conveying surface on both sides thereof.

A toner feeding device configured to deposit charged toner to an image carrier or a recording medium, the device comprising:

• a first conveyance board having a conveying surface and configured to electrostatically convey said charged toner along said conveying surface toward one end of the first conveyance board and to cause said charged toner to fly toward said image carrier or recording medium, said first conveyance board including:
• 1) a substrate;
• 2) a plurality of electrodes arranged on said substrate in a direction of toner conveyance, with each electrode extending in a direction perpendicular to said direction of toner conveyance;
• and
• 3) a member formed on said substrate over said plurality of electrodes for forming the conveying surface;
• wherein a distance between adjacent electrodes sequentially decreases toward the one end.

An image forming apparatus configured to deposit charged toner on a recording medium to form a toner image, the apparatus comprising:

• means for causing a first conveyance board having a conveying surface to electrostatically convey said charged toner along said conveying surface toward one end of the first conveyance board and to cause said charged toner to fly toward said image carrier or recording medium, said first conveyance board including:
• 1) a substrate;
• 2) a plurality of electrodes arranged on said substrate in a direction of toner conveyance, with each electrode extending in a direction perpendicular to said direction of toner conveyance;
• and
• 3) a member formed on said substrate over said plurality of electrodes for forming the conveying surface;
• wherein a distance between adjacent electrodes sequentially decreases toward the one end.

An image forming apparatus configured to deposit charged toner on a recording medium to form a toner image, the apparatus comprising:

• means for causing a first conveyance board having a conveying surface to electrostatically convey said charged toner along said conveying surface toward one end of the first conveyance board and to cause said charged toner to fly toward said image carrier or recording medium, said first conveyance board including:
• 1) a substrate;
• 2) a plurality of electrodes arranged on said substrate in a direction of toner conveyance, with each electrode extending in a direction perpendicular to said direction of toner conveyance;
• and
• 3) a member formed on said substrate over said plurality of electrodes for forming the conveying surface;
• and
• means for applying to said electrodes, drive waveforms sequentially increasing in crest value toward one or more of said electrodes adjoining the one end of said conveyance board.

A powder jetting device configured to jet charged powder, the device comprising:

• means for causing a first conveyance board having a conveying surface to convey and to accelerate said charged powder along said conveying surface, and to jet said charged power from one end of said first conveyance board, said first conveyance board including:
• 1) a substrate;
• 2) a plurality of electrodes arranged on said substrate in a direction of powder conveyance, with each electrode extending in a direction perpendicular to said direction of powder conveyance;
• and
• 3) a member formed on said substrate over said plurality of electrodes for forming the conveying surface;
• wherein a distance between adjacent electrodes sequentially decreases toward the one end.

A classifying device configured to classify charged powder, the device comprising:

• means for causing a first conveyance board having a conveying surface to electrostatically convey and to accelerate said charged powder along said conveying surface, and to jet said charged powder from one end of said first conveyance board, said first conveyance board including:
• 1) a substrate;
• 2) a plurality of electrodes arranged on said substrate in a direction of powder conveyance, with each electrode extending in a direction perpendicular to said direction of powder conveyance;
• and
• 3) a member formed on said substrate over said plurality of electrodes for forming the conveying surface;
• wherein a distance between adjacent electrodes sequentially decreases toward the one end.

In a toner conveying device for electrostatically conveying toner, a conveyance board comprising:

• a first board comprising a substrate and a plurality of substantially parallel electrodes arranged at a preselected distance in a direction of toner conveyance, in which the toner is conveyed, and each extending in a direction crossing said direction of toner conveyance;
• and
• a second board comprising an insulative substrate and a surface layer formed on a surface of said insulative substrate and having low contact resistance with respect to the toner, said surface layer forming a conveying surface;
• wherein said first board and said second board are stacked on each other.

In a developing device for depositing toner on a latent image formed on an image carrier to thereby develop said latent image and including a toner conveying device for electrostatically conveying said toner, said toner conveying device comprising a conveyance board comprising:

• a first board comprising a substrate and a plurality of substantially parallel electrodes arranged at a preselected distance in a direction of toner conveyance, in which the toner is conveyed, and each extending in a direction crossing said direction of toner conveyance;
• and
• a second board comprising an insulative substrate and a surface layer formed on a surface of said insulative substrate and having low contact resistance with respect to the toner, said surface layer forming a conveying surface;
• wherein said first board and said second board are stacked on each other.

In an image forming apparatus comprising a developing device for depositing toner on a latent image formed on an image carrier to thereby develop said latent image, said developing device comprising a toner conveying device for electrostatically conveying said toner, said toner conveying device comprising:

• a first board comprising a substrate and a plurality of substantially parallel electrodes arranged at a preselected distance in a direction of toner conveyance, in which the toner is conveyed, and each extending in a direction crossing said direction of toner conveyance;
• and
• a second board comprising an insulative substrate and a surface layer formed on a surface of said insulative substrate and having low contact resistance with respect to the toner, said surface layer forming a conveying surface;
• wherein said first board and said second board are stacked on each other.

In an image forming apparatus for depositing toner on a latent image formed on an image carrier to thereby develop said latent image and comprising a toner conveying device for electrostatically conveying said toner, said toner conveying device comprising:

• a first board comprising a substrate and a plurality of substantially parallel electrodes arranged at a preselected distance in a direction of toner conveyance, in which the toner is conveyed, and each extending in a direction crossing said direction of toner conveyance;
• and
• a second board comprising an insulative substrate and a surface layer formed on a surface of said insulative substrate and having low contact resistance with respect to the toner, said surface layer forming a conveying surface;
• wherein said first board and said second board are stacked on each other.

In a toner feeding device for electrostatically conveying toner to developing means with a toner conveying device, said toner conveying device comprising:

• a first board comprising a substrate and a plurality of substantially parallel electrodes arranged at a preselected distance in a direction of toner conveyance, in which the toner is conveyed, and each extending in a direction crossing said direction of toner conveyance;
• and
• a second board comprising an insulative substrate and a surface layer formed on a surface of said insulative substrate and having low contact resistance with respect to the toner, said surface layer forming a conveying surface;
• wherein said first board and said second board are stacked on each other.

An image forming apparatus comprising:

• an image carrier for forming a latent image thereon;
• and
• developing means for developing the latent image with charged toner to thereby form a corresponding toner image;
• wherein said developing means electrostatically conveys the charged toner toward one end of a first conveyance board along a conveying surface of said first conveyance board and causes said charged toner to fly toward said image carrier from said one end, said developing means further comprises a second conveyance board whose conveying surface faces the conveying surface of said first conveyance board, and the surfaces conveying toner in a direction of toner conveyance face each other.