US 8,265,528 B2Granted

Developer electric field conveyer and developer feeder configuration for an image forming apparatus

AssigneeBrother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

InventorTomitake Aratachi

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Abstract

A developing apparatus is accommodated within a laser printer. The developing apparatus includes a developing casing and a toner electric field transport body. The toner electric field transport body includes a transport wiring substrate and a transport-substrate support member. A plurality of transport electrodes are provided on the transport wiring substrate. The transport wiring substrate is supported by the transport-substrate support member in a state in which the transport wiring substrate is deformed in a tubular shape. In some examples, a tensile fixing means may fix the transport wiring substrate to the transport-substrate support member. Further, the transport wiring substrate is supported by the transport-substrate support member such that margin areas of the transport wiring substrate, which are opposite end portions of the transport wiring substrate with respect to a sub-scanning direction and in which the transport electrodes are not formed, are separated from a toner transport path.

Claims15

Dependent claims

An image forming apparatus comprising:

an electrostatic latent-image carrying body which has a latent-image forming surface formed in parallel with a predetermined main scanning direction and configured such that an electrostatic latent image in the form of an electric potential distribution is formed thereon, and which is configured such that the latent-image forming surface can move along a sub-scanning direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction;
and
a developer supply apparatus disposed to face the electrostatic latent-image carrying body, and configured to supply a developer in the form of fine particles onto the latent-image forming surface in a state in which the developer is charged, wherein the developer supply apparatus includes:
a developer containing casing configured to be able to contain the developer therein and which includes an opening portion at a position facing the electrostatic latent-image carrying body;
a plurality of transport electrodes arranged along the sub-scanning direction such that their longitudinal direction intersects with the sub-scanning direction, the transport electrodes being capable of transporting the developer in a predetermined developer transport direction when a traveling-wave voltage is applied to the transport electrodes;
a flexible insulating substrate on which the transport electrodes are provided along the sub-scanning direction between margin areas, which are end portions thereof with respect to the sub-scanning direction, and which is accommodated within the developer containing casing such that a predetermined gap is formed between the insulating substrate and an inner wall surface of the developer containing casing;
a substrate support member located in the developer containing casing, the substrate support member including an external surface extending in the main scanning direction and supporting the insulating substrate thereon in such a manner that the transport electrodes face the latent-image forming surface via the opening portion with a predetermined developing gap formed therebetween;
and
means for tensilely and elastically fixing the insulating substrate to the substrate support member in such a manner as to impart a predetermined tension along the sub-scanning direction to the insulating substrate, wherein the means for tensilely and elastically fixing the insulating substrate to the substrate support member is attached to the substrate support member.

6 more elements

A developer electric field transport apparatus configured to transport a charged developer in the form of fine particles along a predetermined developer transport direction by means of an electric field, the developer electric field transport apparatus comprising:

a plurality of transport electrodes arranged along a moving direction of a developer carrying body having a developer carrying surface which carries a thin layer of the developer, the transport electrodes being configured such that their longitudinal direction intersects with the moving direction, and the transport electrodes can transport the developer in the predetermined developer transport direction when a traveling-wave voltage is applied to the transport electrodes;
a flexible insulating substrate on which the transport electrodes are provided along the moving direction between margin areas which are end portions thereof with respect to the moving direction;
a substrate support member including an external surface extending in a main scanning direction and supporting the insulating substrate thereon;
and
means for tensilely and elastically fixing the insulating substrate to the substrate support member in such a manner as to impart a predetermined tension along a direction perpendicular to the main scanning direction to the insulating substrate, wherein the means for tensilely and elastically fixing the insulating substrate to the substrate support member is attached to the substrate support member.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 12/843,340Filed 26 Jul 2010 · continuation
Priority: JP 2006-2128564 Aug 2006
Published: US 2010/0290819 A118 Nov 2010
Granted: 11 Sep 2012
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification3 codes

G03G 15/0818
On a donor element, e.g. belt, roller: characterised by the structure of the donor member, e.g. surface properties
G03G 2215/0653
Electrodes in donor member surface: microelectrodes in donor member surface, e.g. floating
G03G
Electrography

Family

PCT/JP2007/065567Parent of this continuation · filed 2 Aug 2007
Application12/365,680Parent of this continuation · filed 4 Feb 2009
US 2010/0290819 A1Pre-grant publication · published 18 Nov 2010
US 7,792,471 B2Parent of this continuation
US 2009/0136269 A1Published application
US 8,265,528 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.