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US 9,804,532 B2Granted
Developing device having passage of floating toner, and image forming apparatus including the same
AssigneeKYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
InventorMitsuhiro Goda
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A developing device includes a developing roller, a housing, and a film member. A side opening provided in the housing communicates with a suction device at an end in a rotation axis direction of the developing roller. A downstream cover portion of the housing covers the developing roller from a downstream side in a rotation direction of the image carrying member. Concave portions of the downstream cover portion and a portion of a film member bonded to the downstream cover portion form ducts that communicate from openings facing the image carrying member to the side opening.
Claims3
A developing device comprising:
- a developing roller configured to rotate while facing a rotating photoconductor;
- a housing that is a mold member made of synthetic resin and covers the developing roller;
- and
- a film member, wherein
- the housing includes:
- a side opening that is an opening provided at an end of the housing in a rotation axis direction of the developing roller and communicates with a suction device;
- and
- a downstream cover portion covering the developing roller from a downstream side in a rotation direction of the image carrying member,
- the downstream cover portion includes:
- a plurality of facing openings that are openings formed at a plurality of locations along the rotation axis direction of the developing roller in an end surface of the downstream cover portion that faces the image carrying member;
- and
- a plurality of concave portions formed along a plurality of paths that extend from the plurality of facing openings to the side opening,
- the film member is bonded to a surface of the downstream cover portion to overlap the concave portions,
- the concave portions of the downstream cover portion and a portion of the film member stretched over the concave portions form a plurality of ducts that communicate from the plurality of facing openings to the side opening and are separated from an inner space of the housing,
- the ducts include a first duct and a second duct that are separated from each other,
- the first duct is formed so as to communicate from a first facing opening to the side opening, the first facing opening being one of the plurality of facing openings included in the downstream cover portion at an end thereof close to the side opening in the rotation axis direction of the developing roller,
- the second duct is formed so as to communicate from a second facing opening to the side opening, the second facing opening being one of the plurality of facing openings included in the downstream cover portion at an end thereof opposite to the side opening in the rotation axis direction of the developing roller, and
- the first duct forms a passage that is at least partially smaller in cross sectional area than a passage of the second duct.
15 more elements
An image forming apparatus comprising:
- an image carrying member on whose surface an electrostatic latent image is formed while rotating;
- a suction device configured to suck air;
- and
- a plurality of developing devices, each developing device comprising:
- a developing roller configured to rotate while facing a rotating photoconductor;
- a housing that is a mold member made of synthetic resin and covers the developing roller;
- and
- a film member, wherein
- the housing includes:
- a side opening that is an opening provided at an end of the housing in a rotation axis direction of the developing roller and communicates with a suction device;
- and
- a downstream cover portion covering the developing roller from a downstream side in a rotation direction of the image carrying member,
- the downstream cover portion includes:
- a plurality of facing openings that are openings formed at a plurality of locations along the rotation axis direction of the developing roller in an end surface of the downstream cover portion that faces the image carrying member;
- and
- a plurality of concave portions formed along a plurality of paths that extend from the plurality of facing openings to the side opening,
- the film member is bonded to a surface of the downstream cover portion to overlap the concave portions, and
- the concave portions of the downstream cover portion and a portion of the film member stretched over the concave portions form a plurality of ducts that communicate from the plurality of facing openings to the side opening and are separated from an inner space of the housing;
- a plurality of image carrying members that respectively correspond to the plurality of developing devices;
- and
- an intermediate transfer belt to which toner images are transferred from the plurality of image carrying members, wherein
- in each of the plurality of developing devices, the film member bonded to an outer surface of the downstream cover portion is formed along the intermediate transfer belt.
19 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.