Abstract: A layer-thickness restriction member, including: an abutting surface that is for abutting against a developer-bearing body in order to restrict a layer thickness of developer borne by the developer-bearing body; and a flash that is located on a side close to a non-abutting surface that is located on an opposite side from the abutting surface in a thickness direction of the layer-thickness restriction member.

Abstract: In a container is adapted to be coupled with another container, a first wall member defines a first storage space adapted to store developing agent for forming an image on a recording medium. A first coupler is adapted to be coupled with a second coupler provided with the first another container. A first communicator is operable to communicate the first storage space with a second storage space provided with the first another container by way of the first coupler and the second coupler, when the container is coupled with another container.

Abstract: A development cartridge includes a developer carrier which carries toner, a toner supply member supplying the toner to the developer carrier and a regulation member regulating an amount of toner on the developer carrier. A development chamber encloses the developer carrier and the toner supply member. A transport section is connected to upper and lower portions of the development chamber to transport the toner from the lower portion of the development chamber to the upper portion of the development chamber. A transport member is disposed inside the transport section and transports the toner while agitating the toner. An amount of toner passing per unit time from the development chamber to the transport section is larger than an amount of toner passing per unit time from the transport section to the development chamber. A toner transport speed of the transport member is controlled in accordance with a process speed.

Abstract: A developing device includes: a developer carrier that carries toner thereon; a toner supply member that supplies toner to the developer carrier; a development chamber having the developer carrier and the toner supply member; a replaceable toner cartridge that supplies toner to the development chamber and collects toner from the development chamber; and a contact member that is in contact with the toner supply member to form a nip portion. At the time of replacement to the toner cartridge that contains new toner therein, the new toner is supplied from the toner cartridge into the development chamber and is made to pass through a nip portion between the toner supply member and the contact member within the development chamber, and then nip-passed toner is collected from the development chamber into the toner cartridge.

Abstract: A developing device includes a developing agent carrying body that carries toner, a toner supply member that supplies toner to the developing agent carrying body, a regulating member that regulates an amount of toner present on the developing agent carrying body, a developing chamber having the developing agent carrying body, the toner supply member and the regulating member, and a replaceable toner cartridge that supplies toner to the developing chamber and collects the toner from the developing chamber. When the toner cartridge is replaced with a toner cartridge storing new toner, the new toner is supplied to the developing chamber from the toner cartridge. The new toner and the toner remaining in the developing chamber are agitated to form agitated toner, and the agitated toner is collected in the toner cartridge from the developing chamber.

Abstract: A developing cartridge includes: a developer carrier which carries toner; a toner supply member which supplies the toner to the developer carrier; a regulation member which regulates an amount of toner on the developer carrier; a developing chamber which has the developer carrier and the toner supply member; a transport section which is connected to an upper portion and a lower portion of the developing chamber and transports the toner from the lower portion of the developing chamber to the upper portion of the developing chamber; and a transport member which is disposed inside the transport section and transports the toner while agitating the toner. A capacity of the transport section is larger than a capacity of the developing chamber.

Abstract: A developing device includes a housing that forms a development chamber therein and a developer containing portion that forms a developer containing chamber therein and contains a one-component developer. A first transport path supplies a developer from the developer containing chamber to an upper side of the development chamber. A second transport path collects a developer from a lower side of the development chamber to the developer containing chamber. A developer carrier is disposed in the development chamber and carries a developer thereon. A developer supply member is disposed in the development chamber and supplies a developer to the developer carrier. A regulating member is in contact with the developer carrier and regulates a developer on a surface of the developer carrier. Stirring of the developer in the development chamber is performed by driving the first transport path and the second transport path to transport the developer.

Abstract: A developing device includes: a replaceable toner cartridge; a development chamber; a first transport path which connects the toner cartridge to the development chamber; a first transport unit which transports toner from the toner cartridge to the development chamber through the first transport path; a second transport path which connects the development chamber to the toner cartridge; and a second transport unit which discharges the toner within the development chamber to the toner cartridge through the second transport path at the time of replacement of the toner cartridge.

Abstract: A development cartridge includes: a developer carrier which carries toner; a toner supply member which supplies the toner to the developer carrier; a regulation member which regulates an amount of toner on the developer carrier; a development chamber which has the developer carrier and the toner supply member; a transport section which is connected to an upper portion and a lower portion of the development chamber to transport the toner from the lower portion of the development chamber to the upper portion of the development chamber; a transport member which is disposed inside the transport section and transports the toner while agitating the toner; an input member which inputs a print image; and a control member which controls a toner transport speed of the transport member in accordance with the print image.

Abstract: A charging roller, adapted to face an image carrier at a predetermined charging gap and charge the image carrier in a non-contact state, including: a conductive shaft, provided with a pair of annular concave portions formed on an outer circumferential surface at both ends thereof; a conductive layer, formed on the outer circumference surface at a center portion of the conductive shaft defined between the pair of concave portions; and an insulating layer, formed on the outer circumferential surface at outer portions of the conductive shaft from the pair of annular concave portions.

Abstract: A developing device includes a container that contains toner particles that are for developing a latent image borne by an image bearing body, and a toner-particle bearing roller that has a helical groove portion on a surface thereof that is for bearing the toner particles, the helical groove portion having an inclination with respect to an axial direction and a circumferential direction of the toner-particle bearing roller and being formed having a uniform pitch in the axial direction.

Abstract: A charging roller is provided. The charging roller is configured to face an image carrier at a predetermined charging gap and charge the image carrier in a non-contact state. A conductive shaft is provided with a pair of annular concave portions formed on an outer circumferential surface at both ends thereof. A conductive layer is formed on the outer circumference surface at a center portion of the conductive shaft defined between the pair of concave portions. An insulating layer is formed on the outer circumferential surface at outer portions of the conductive shaft from the pair of annular concave portions. A depth of the concave portions is larger than a thickness of the conductive layer.

Abstract: A developing device that can be mounted to and dismounted from a mounting and dismounting section provided in an image forming apparatus main unit, the developing device includes: a developing device main unit; a positioning member for positioning the developing device main unit with respect to the mounting and dismounting section by engaging the mounting and dismounting section when the developing device is mounted to the mounting and dismounting section, the positioning member being fixed on a one end side in a longitudinal direction of the developing device main unit; a coupling member that is to be coupled to the mounting and dismounting section when the developing device is mounted to the mounting and dismounting section, the coupling member being attached to the other end side in the longitudinal direction of the developing device main unit in such a manner that its relative position to the developing device main unit can be changed; and an element capable of communication in a noncontacting manner with

Abstract: The invention provides an image formation apparatus that includes: a containing section that contains a developer, the containing section having an opening; a developer carrier that is exposed at the opening and carries a developer, the developer carrier being capable of rotating, the developer carrier rotating on the basis of either a first speed mode or a second speed mode so as to develop a latent image that is formed on an image carrier, the first speed mode having a faster speed of rotation of the developer carrier, the second speed mode having a slower speed of rotation of the developer carrier; a replenishing member that replenishes a developer into the containing section; a detecting member that detects whether the height of a developer that is contained in the containing section is at a replenishment start level at which replenishment performed by the replenishing member should be started or not and further detects whether the height of a developer that is contained in the containing section is at a

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: an image bearing body for bearing a latent image; a plurality of attach/detach sections to each of which a developer container for containing developer used for developing the latent image can be attached; and a container attachment mechanism for allowing a developer container containing developer of a certain color to be attached to any of the plurality of attach/detach sections, and a developer container containing developer of a color other than the certain color to be attached only to a predetermined attach/detach section of among the plurality of attach/detach sections.

Abstract: A developing device includes a housing, a developer bearing roller, a first seal member, a second seal member, a second seal supporting member, and an urging member. The housing has an opening and is adapted to contain a developer. The developer bearing roller is arranged facing the opening and adapted to bear the developer. The first seal member abuts against the developer bearing roller along an axial direction thereof to prevent the developer from spilling. The second seal member abuts against an end, in the axial direction, of the developer bearing roller along a circumferential direction thereof to prevent the developer from spilling. The second seal supporting member supports an end, in a longitudinal direction, of the second seal member, and is attached to the housing such that a boundary section between the second seal member and the second seal supporting member faces the housing.

Abstract: A developer cartridge, including: a container for containing developer; a shutter that is supported so that the shutter can linearly move relative to the container, and that opens and closes by moving linearly; a handle member that is supported so that the handle member can rotationally move relative to the container, and that includes a handle; and a conversion mechanism by which rotational-movement force that rotationally moves the handle member is converted into linear-movement force that linearly moves the shutter.

Abstract: An electrostatic latent image is formed on an image carrier. A developer includes a container containing toner, a first roller facing the image carrier and rotated to cause the toner to adhere onto the image carrier to develop the electrostatic latent image as a toner image, a second roller supplying the toner from the container to the first roller, and a control member extending in an axial direction of the first roller and brought into contact with the first roller. A tip end edge of the control member is situated in an upstream side of a contact line that extends in the axial direction so as to include at least one contact point between the control member and the first roller, relative to a rotating direction of the first roller. A distance between the tip end edge and the contact line is not constant relative to the axial direction.

Abstract: A layer thickness regulating member is reattached to a developing device by a simple method. A method for reattaching a layer thickness regulating member has a step of removing the layer thickness regulating member from a developing device provided with the layer thickness regulating member, for regulating a layer thickness of a developer borne on a developer bearing body, that contacts the developer bearing body at a contacting section, a step of adjusting a length of the layer thickness regulating member reattached to the developing device, based on information indicating the length from the front end of the layer thickness regulating member to the contacting section, which is an information that is stored in the developing device, and a step of reattaching the layer thickness regulating member for which the length is adjusted to the developing device.

Abstract: A developing device that can suppress occurrence of fogging is achieved. The developing device is provided with: a developer bearing member for bearing a developer; and a charging member for charging the developer borne by the developer bearing member. The charging member has: a first layer that is placed in contact with the developer bearing member and that contains a conductive agent; and a second layer that is positioned on a side opposite from the developer bearing member with respect to the first layer, and that contains a conductive agent at a density that is greater than the density of the conductive agent contained in the first layer.