Abstract: A developing device includes a developer holder that holds a developer containing toner and carrier and being supplied to an image holder forming an electrostatic latent image; a first member that is provided on a downstream side of a developing position that is a position where the developer held by the developer holder is supplied to the image holder; and a second member that is provided between the developer holder, the image holder, and the first member, that has a surface facing the developer holder, and to which an intermediate potential as a potential between a potential applied to the developer holder and a potential applied to the first member is applied.

Abstract: A developing device includes a developer carrier configured to rotate while carrying a magnetic developer on a surface of the developer carrier by a magnetic force, and a facing component that faces the developer carrier, is disposed at a position where the facing component frictionally slides against the developer moving along with rotation of the developer carrier, and is made of a material having the same polarity as the developer in terms of chargeability.

Abstract: A developing device includes: a housing unit that has an opening and houses a developer; a conveying member that is installed within the housing unit and conveys the developer; a first rotating member that has an outer peripheral surface to which the developer conveyed by the conveying member adheres; a regulating unit that protrudes above a movement path of the developer that adheres to the outer peripheral surface and moves due to rotation of the first rotating member, and regulates movement of some of the developer on the outer peripheral surface; and a second rotating member that is installed in the opening and has supplied thereto the developer that has moved through a gap between the first rotating member and the regulating unit.

Abstract: A container for developer detachably mountable to an image forming apparatus body includes a container body, a discharge member, a resistive member, and a resistance reduction mechanism. The container body contains developer and is rotated when drive is transmitted from the image forming apparatus body. The discharge member supports the container body rotatable relative to the discharge member and has a discharge port through which the developer is discharged. The resistive member is brought into contact with the container body so as to apply resistance to the rotation of the container body. The resistance reduction mechanism changes a contact state between the resistive member and the container body so as to reduce the resistance between the resistive member and the container body when the container is mounted to the image forming apparatus body.

Abstract: Provided is a bypass switch with the closing time shortened. A bypass switch using a vacuum valve having a fixed contact and a movable contact includes: an insulating rod having one end side connected to the movable contact; a closing spring fitted to the other end side of the insulating rod, and having a closing function to close the contacts and a contact-pressing function to apply pressure to the contacts; and an operation unit having a latch function to keep a contact-opened state, and connected to the other end side of the insulating rod, wherein the insulating rod, the closing spring, and the operation unit are arranged in series along the axial direction of the vacuum valve.

Abstract: A transporting member includes multiple helical blades that helically extend around a rotation shaft and that have an upstream-side blade and a downstream-side blade, an end portion of the upstream-side blade and an end portion of the downstream-side blade overlapping in a direction perpendicular to an axial direction of the rotation shaft, the multiple helical blades transporting an object in the axial direction via rotation of the rotation shaft; a gap portion that divides the upstream-side blade and the downstream-side blade, the upstream-side blade and the downstream-side blade being arranged at a certain angular interval in a circumferential direction of the rotation shaft; and a regulating portion that regulates an amount of the object that passes through a space between the upstream-side blade and the downstream-side blade in a direction in which the object is transported.

Abstract: A powder storage device includes a powder container that has an opening at one end, stores powder therein, and has, on an inner peripheral surface, a rib configured to transport the powder toward the opening with rotation of the powder container, a lid member that is configured to cover the opening, has an outflow opening through which the powder flows, and is held in a non-rotatable state, and a driving-force transmission member interposed between the powder container and the lid member and having a driving-force receiving portion penetrating the lid member in a rotation axis direction, the driving-force transmission member transmitting a rotating force to the powder container.

Abstract: A container for developer detachably mountable to an image forming apparatus body includes a container body, a discharge member, a resistive member, and a resistance reduction mechanism. The container body contains developer and is rotated when drive is transmitted from the image forming apparatus body. The discharge member supports the container body rotatable relative to the discharge member and has a discharge port through which the developer is discharged. The resistive member is brought into contact with the container body so as to apply resistance to the rotation of the container body. The resistance reduction mechanism changes a contact state between the resistive member and the container body so as to reduce the resistance between the resistive member and the container body when the container is mounted to the image forming apparatus body.

Abstract: A container for developer detachably mountable to an image forming apparatus body includes a rotating body that contains developer and is rotated about a rotational center when drive is transmitted from the apparatus body, a discharge member that supports the rotating body such that the rotating body is rotatable relative to the discharge member and has a discharge port through which the developer is discharged, an anti-leakage member that is disposed in one of the rotating body and the discharge member and suppresses leakage of the developer, and a compressing portion that has a first side and a second side farther from the rotational center than the first side, is disposed in the other of both, and is pressed against the anti-leakage member to compress the anti-leakage member such that a compressing amount is larger on the second side than on the first side.

Abstract: A container for developer detachably mountable to an image forming apparatus body includes a rotating body that contains developer and is rotated about a rotational center when drive is transmitted from the apparatus body, a discharge member that supports the rotating body such that the rotating body is rotatable relative to the discharge member and has a discharge port through which the developer is discharged, an anti-leakage member that is disposed in one of the rotating body and the discharge member and suppresses leakage of the developer, and a compressing portion that has a first side and a second side farther from the rotational center than the first side, is disposed in the other of both, and is pressed against the anti-leakage member to compress the anti-leakage member such that a compressing amount is larger on the second side than on the first side.

Abstract: A developing device is provided. A rotating shaft of a first transporting member is positioned exactly below a developer carrier. A second virtual tangent to the first transporting member that extends vertically on a side of the first transporting member opposite an image carrier is farther from the image carrier than a first virtual tangent to the developer carrier that extends vertically on a side of the developer carrier opposite the image carrier. A distance between the two virtual tangents is shorter than a distance between the first virtual tangent and a developer container. A developer guiding member that guides a developer toward a downstream side in a direction of transport by the first transporting member is provided on a downstream side in a direction of rotation of the developer carrier with respect to the image carrier, with a gap provided with respect to the developer carrier.

Abstract: Provided is a bypass switch with the closing time shortened. A bypass switch using a vacuum valve having a fixed contact and a movable contact includes: an insulating rod having one end side connected to the movable contact; a closing spring fitted to the other end side of the insulating rod, and having a closing function to close the contacts and a contact-pressing function to apply pressure to the contacts; and an operation unit having a latch function to keep a contact-opened state, and connected to the other end side of the insulating rod, wherein the insulating rod, the closing spring, and the operation unit are arranged in series along the axial direction of the vacuum valve.

Abstract: A developing device includes a developer container; a developer carrier; a first transport member having a rotation shaft and a transport blade; a second transport member having a rotation shaft and a transport blade; a partition member; a guide member; a first inflow portion; a second inflow portion; and a movement portion. The rotation shaft of the first transport member is located within a projection area of the developer carrier projected from above. A second imaginary tangent line extending vertically and touching an outer end of the transport blade of the first transport member is farther from the image carrier than a first imaginary tangent line extending vertically and touching an outer surface of the developer carrier. A first distance between the first and second imaginary tangent lines is smaller than a second distance between a rotation center of the image carrier and an inner surface of the developer container.

Abstract: According to one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a powder storage device including: a powder container that stores a powder, the powder container including an opening at one end, being horizontally installed and including a protruding line provided on an inner circumferential surface of the powder container; and a lid member that covers the opening, the lid member including an outflow opening for the powder and being held in an irrotational state, wherein the protruding line is capable of transporting the powder to the opening due to rotation of the powder container, a structure for scooping the powder transported through the rotation of the powder container toward near a rotation shaft is not provided, and the powder is made to flow out through the outflow opening.

Abstract: A powder storage device includes a powder container that has an opening at one end, stores powder therein, and has, on an inner peripheral surface, a rib configured to transport the powder toward the opening with rotation of the powder container, a lid member that is configured to cover the opening, has an outflow opening through which the powder flows, and is held in a non-rotatable state, and a driving-force transmission member interposed between the powder container and the lid member and having a driving-force receiving portion penetrating the lid member in a rotation axis direction, the driving-force transmission member transmitting a rotating force to the powder container.

Abstract: A powder container device includes a powder container that contains powder and has an opening at one end, the powder container being installed in a substantially horizontal orientation and having a projection on an inner peripheral surface of the powder container, the projection transporting the powder toward the opening when the powder container rotates; and a lid member that covers the opening and has an outlet through which the powder flows, the lid member being held in a non-rotatable manner. The powder container device does not have a structure for scooping the powder, which has been transported by the rotation of the powder container, toward a rotational axis, and discharges the powder through the outlet.

Abstract: A developing device is provided. A rotating shaft of a first transporting member is positioned exactly below a developer carrier. A second virtual tangent to the first transporting member that extends vertically on a side of the first transporting member opposite an image carrier is farther from the image carrier than a first virtual tangent to the developer carrier that extends vertically on a side of the developer carrier opposite the image carrier. A distance between the two virtual tangents is shorter than a distance between the first virtual tangent and a developer container. A developer guiding member that guides a developer toward a downstream side in a direction of transport by the first transporting member is provided on a downstream side in a direction of rotation of the developer carrier with respect to the image carrier, with a gap provided with respect to the developer carrier.

Abstract: A developing device includes a developer container; a developer carrier; a first transport member having a rotation shaft and a transport blade; a second transport member having a rotation shaft and a transport blade; a partition member; a guide member; a first inflow portion; a second inflow portion; and a movement portion. The rotation shaft of the first transport member is located within a projection area of the developer carrier projected from above. A second imaginary tangent line extending vertically and touching an outer end of the transport blade of the first transport member is farther from the image carrier than a first imaginary tangent line extending vertically and touching an outer surface of the developer carrier. A first distance between the first and second imaginary tangent lines is smaller than a second distance between a rotation center of the image carrier and an inner surface of the developer container.

Abstract: A developing device includes: a first transport member that transports developer in a developer container; a second transport member that transports the developer in a direction opposite to a direction of transport by the first transport member; an inflow portion provided at a downstream end in the direction of transport by the second transport member and on an outer side with respect to an end of a developer carrying body, the inflow portion allowing the developer to flow from a second housing into a first housing; a high-speed transport portion provided in a range corresponding to the inflow portion and that transports the developer at a higher speed; and a regulating member provided at a position corresponding to a downstream end of the high-speed transport portion in the direction of transport by the first transport member and that regulates a height of a mound of developer in the first housing.

Abstract: A developing device includes: a first transport member that transports developer in a developer container; a second transport member that transports the developer in a direction opposite to a direction of transport by the first transport member; an inflow portion provided at a downstream end in the direction of transport by the second transport member and on an outer side with respect to an end of a developer carrying body, the inflow portion allowing the developer to flow from a second housing into a first housing; a high-speed transport portion provided in a range corresponding to the inflow portion and that transports the developer at a higher speed; and a regulating member provided at a position corresponding to a downstream end of the high-speed transport portion in the direction of transport by the first transport member and that regulates a height of a mound of developer in the first housing.