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US 7,031,644 B2Granted
Image forming apparatus
AssigneesKabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorsTakashi Ikeda, Susumu Nomura
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
In an image forming apparatus, the level of the rotational axis of a third mixer 26a that conveys and stirs recycle toner is set to be lower than the level of the rotational axis of a second mixer 25a at a communicating region with a second chamber 25 that is located on a downstream side of a recycle toner supply section 29.
Claims14
An image forming apparatus, comprising:
- a first chamber including a first mixer disposed in a first axial direction that coincides with an axial direction of an image carrying body which is disposed adjacent to the first chamber to carry an electrostatic latent image, the first mixer stirring and conveying a developer containing at least a toner in a first direction and supplying the toner to the image carrying body;
- a second chamber disposed opposite to the image carrying body with the first chamber interposed therebetween and including a second mixer disposed in parallel to the first mixer, the second mixer stirring and conveying the developer in a second direction different from the first direction;
- a third chamber disposed opposite to the image carrying body with the first chamber and the second chamber interposed therebetween and including a third mixer, the third mixer stirring and conveying the developer in the second direction;
- a recycle toner supply section that is disposed on an upstream side of the third chamber and is supplied with a recycle toner recovered from a surface of the image carrying body;
- and
- a fresh toner supply section that is disposed on an upstream side of the second chamber and is supplied with a fresh toner,
- wherein an upstream side of an axis of the third mixer is lower than an upstream side of an axis of the second mixer.
4 more elements
An image forming apparatus, comprising:
- a first chamber including a first mixer disposed in a first axial direction that coincides with an axial direction of an image carrying body which is disposed adjacent to the first chamber to carry an electrostatic latent image, the first mixer stirring and conveying a developer containing at least a toner in a first direction and supplying the toner to the image carrying body;
- a second chamber disposed opposite to the image carrying body with the first chamber interposed therebetween and including a second mixer disposed in parallel to the first mixer, the second mixer stirring and conveying the developer in a second direction different from the first direction;
- a third chamber disposed opposite to the image carrying body with the first chamber and the second chamber interposed therebetween and including a third mixer, the third mixer stirring and conveying the developer in the second direction;
- a recycle toner supply section that is disposed on an upstream side of the third chamber and is supplied with a recycle toner recovered from a surface of the image carrying body;
- and
- a fresh toner supply section that is disposed on an upstream side of the second chamber and is supplied with a fresh toner,
- wherein a downstream side of an axis of the third mixer is higher than a downstream side of an axis of the second mixer.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.