Patents Examined by Quna M. Grainger
  • Patent number: 6360066
    Abstract: A developing apparatus is equipped with a development casing, a development roller, and developer stirring shafts that rotate together with the development roller. In this developing apparatus, the developer stirring shafts are disposed adjacent to each other and are also disposed substantially in parallel with the development roller. Each developer stirring shaft has a rotational axis that rotates together with the development roller and has a plurality of stirring vanes of an approximately elliptic shape laid out at a predetermined angle with respect to the rotational axis. The rotational axis is provided substantially in parallel with the development roller. The stirring vanes are disposed substantially in parallel with each other, with the opposing stirring vanes between the adjacent developer stirring shafts having mutually different installation positions in the axial direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2002
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroshi Kawahito, Keiji Kato, Toshio Nishino, Yasuyuki Ishiguro, Jun Yamaguchi, Tsutomu Nagata