DEVELOPING DEVICE, PROCESS CARTRIDGE, IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS, AND TONER

• Main Authors: YOSHIDA KEIICHI, HATTORI YOSHIO, MASUDA KATSUMI, SUZUKI YUJI
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 07.06.2007
• Subjects: CINEMATOGRAPHY; ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY; MAGNETIC OR ELECTROSTATIC SEPARATION OF SOLID MATERIALS FROM SOLIDMATERIALS OR FLUIDS; MAGNETIC OR ELECTROSTATIC SEPARATION OF SOLID MATERIALS FROMSOLID MATERIALS OR FLUIDS; MAGNETOGRAPHY; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHOTOGRAPHY; PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL; PHYSICS; SEPARATION; SEPARATION BY HIGH-VOLTAGE ELECTRIC FIELDS; SEPARATION OF SOLID MATERIALS USING LIQUIDS OR USING PNEUMATICTABLES OR JIGS; TRANSPORTING

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a developing device constituted so as to prevent toner scattering through a filter while maintaining the function of pressure release by using an appropriate filter depending on the air flow within a main body of an image forming apparatus. SOLUTION: The developing device 5 which is mounted on the image forming apparatus equipped with a fan and develops the latent image formed on an image carrier to visualize the image has: a developer carrier 51 which carries the developer and faces the image carrier 2; a case 50 which covers a portion of the developer carrier and houses the developer; an opening 50a for pressure relief which is disposed in the case to reduce the internal pressure; and the filter which is disposed in the opening. The filter is an electrostatic charging filter. The filter is disposed in a position facing the transfer surface of a transfer image carrier 3 carrying the unfixed image transferred from the image carrier 1. The influence of the pressure gradient generated by the air flow within the main part of the image forming apparatus is suppressed by such configuration and the toner scattering through the interior of the filter can be reliably prevented. COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT