Abstract: A belt includes a laminate including a back surface layer disposed on a back surface side and a tension member layer including a tension member. The belt includes a sensor provided in the laminate and configured to detect a state of the belt, and a passive RFID also provided in the laminate, including an IC chip and an antenna, and configured to transmit state information on the belt detected by the sensor to an outside.

Abstract: Toner cartridge and image forming apparatus are provided capable of reducing rotation torque on startup even if a toner is solidified. The toner cartridge includes a toner stirring member having a rotating shaft and a stirring blade; a toner discharge member having a spiral-shaped conveyance blade attached to a conveyance shaft; a second gear having a bearing projection protruding radially inwardly from an inner peripheral surface of an annular base part, which is rotatably supported in contact with an outer peripheral surface of the rotating shaft; an abutment member protruding from the outer peripheral surface of the rotating shaft, against which the bearing projection abuts under rotation of the second gear; first and third gears for transmitting rotation of the second gear to the conveyance shaft; and a rotationally driving section for imparting a rotating force to the second gear.

Abstract: Provided is a mirror unit comprising a movable mirror that pivots back and forth between an observation position and a withdrawn position; a movable mirror drive section that accumulates bias force using drive force of a drive force source, and causes the movable mirror to pivot from one of the observation position and the withdrawn position to the other by releasing the accumulated bias force; an attachment drive section that accumulates bias force using the drive force of the drive force source, and drives a working section other than the movable mirror by releasing the accumulated bias force; and an interlocking section that interlocks with the movable mirror and the attachment drive section, accumulates bias force in the attachment drive section while the movable mirror drive section releases bias force, and releases bias force from the attachment drive section while the movable mirror drive section accumulates bias force.

Abstract: Toner cartridge and image forming apparatus are provided capable of reducing rotation torque on startup even if a toner is solidified. The toner cartridge includes a toner stirring member having a rotating shaft and a stirring blade; a toner discharge member having a spiral-shaped conveyance blade attached to a conveyance shaft; a second gear having a bearing projection protruding radially inwardly from an inner peripheral surface of an annular base part, which is rotatably supported in contact with an outer peripheral surface of the rotating shaft; an abutment member protruding from the outer peripheral surface of the rotating shaft, against which the bearing projection abuts under rotation of the second gear; first and third gears for transmitting rotation of the second gear to the conveyance shaft; and a rotationally driving section for imparting a rotating force to the second gear.

Abstract: A rotary-type toner supply device includes a toner container and a scraping member. The toner container has a peripheral wall section which is shaped so as to surround a side face of an imaginary column K1 along the side face and has a toner discharge port formed therein, and contains toner in space surrounded by the peripheral wall. The scraping member is contained in the space so as to freely rotate around a central axis S of the imaginary column K1, and has first and second curved parts, each of the first and second curved parts extending along a portion of a half cycle or more of a spiral on the side face of the imaginary column K1.

Abstract: A toner supplying device and an image forming apparatus that supply toner stably and do not impose a stress on toner, regardless of a remaining amount of toner stored in a storage container of the toner supplying device are provided. Two flexible sheets constituting a toner scooping blade are bonded to each other with a double-sided adhesive tape that functions as a spacer and an adhesive member sandwiched therebetween at an end fixed to a blade support neck and the other end in contact with an inner wall of the toner storage container. Whereby, a gap is formed between the two flexible sheets.

Abstract: A toner cartridge comprising: a cartridge body that has a toner discharge port on an one end side in its longitudinal direction; a shutter for opening and closing the toner discharge port; a screw-shaped shaft for conveying a toner in the cartridge body to the toner discharge port; a paddle member for conveying the toner in the cartridge body toward the screw-shaped shaft; and a toner inflow block member coupled to a portion of the paddle member.

Abstract: A toner cartridge comprises a toner cartridge body, a screw shaft, a paddle member, and a toner inflow block piece coupled to a part of the paddle member. The toner cartridge body comprises a toner storage section where the paddle member is disposed and a toner conveying passage The toner conveying passage, where the screw shaft is stored is adjacent to and communicates with the toner storage section. The toner inflow block piece is disposed at an end on a toner discharge port side of an agitating blade of the paddle member so as to project in a direction perpendicular to a rotary shaft of the screw shaft and has a cutout recess for the rotary shaft of the screw shaft to fit in.

Abstract: A rotary-type toner supply device includes a toner container and a scraping member. The toner container has a peripheral wall section which is shaped so as to surround a side face of an imaginary column K1 along the side face and has a toner discharge port formed therein, and contains toner in space surrounded by the peripheral wall. The scraping member is contained in the space so as to freely rotate around a central axis S of the imaginary column K1, and has first and second curved parts, each of the first and second curved parts extending along a portion of a half cycle or more of a spiral on the side face of the imaginary column K1.

Abstract: Provided is a mirror unit comprising a movable mirror that pivots back and forth between an observation position and a withdrawn position; a movable mirror drive section that accumulates bias force using drive force of a drive force source, and causes the movable mirror to pivot from one of the observation position and the withdrawn position to the other by releasing the accumulated bias force; an attachment drive section that accumulates bias force using the drive force of the drive force source, and drives a working section other than the movable mirror by releasing the accumulated bias force; and an interlocking section that interlocks with the movable mirror and the attachment drive section, accumulates bias force in the attachment drive section while the movable mirror drive section releases bias force, and releases bias force from the attachment drive section while the movable mirror drive section accumulates bias force.

Abstract: A toner cartridge comprising: a cartridge body that has a toner discharge port on an one end side in its longitudinal direction; a shutter for opening and closing the toner discharge port; a screw-shaped shaft for conveying a toner in the cartridge body to the toner discharge port; a paddle member for conveying the toner in the cartridge body toward the screw-shaped shaft; and a toner inflow block member coupled to a portion of the paddle member.

Abstract: A toner cartridge comprising a toner cartridge body, a screw shaft, a paddle member, and a toner inflow block piece coupled to a part of the paddle member, wherein the toner cartridge body includes therein a toner storage section being a large-capacity space where the paddle member is disposed and most of the toner is stored; and a toner conveying passage being a small-capacity space where the screw shaft is disposed, the toner conveying passage being adjacent to and communicating with the toner storage section and having a toner discharge port disposed on an one end side in a longitudinal direction of the toner conveying passage, the toner inflow block piece is disposed at a block position where an inflow of the toner in the toner conveying passage toward the toner discharge port is blocked while the toner cartridge body is yet to be attached to an image forming apparatus, and rotates together with the paddle member so as to be away from the block position while the toner cartridge body is attached to the im

Abstract: A toner supplying device and an image forming apparatus that supply toner stably and do not impose a stress on toner, regardless of a remaining amount of toner stored in a storage container of the toner supplying device are provided. Two flexible sheets constituting a toner scooping blade are bonded to each other with a double-sided adhesive tape that functions as a spacer and an adhesive member sandwiched therebetween at an end fixed to a blade support neck and the other end in contact with an inner wall of the toner storage container. Whereby, a gap is formed between the two flexible sheets.

Abstract: A shutoff lid of a toner hopper is formed with locking elements for locking the lid and a fixing element for fixing the locking elements. In the front face of a bottle slider, a pair of projected abutments abutting the fixing element are arranged on the left and right sides and a pair of switching portions for moving the locking elements are formed. The rear face of the fixing element is shaped with a stepped face which corresponds to the projected abutments. As the bottle slider moves forwards, each projected abutment abuts the stepped face of the fixing element and moves the fixing element, to thereby cancel restraint of the fixing element on the locking elements. A further advancement of the bottle slider causes the locking elements to move and release the locked state. If a projected abutment does not match the fixing element, the fixing element cannot be moved thus making release of the lock impossible.

Abstract: A developing apparatus comprises a development housing containing developer and disposed opposite to a carrier for carrying a latent image, and a developing roller rotatably provided in the development housing and rotatively driven in a predetermined direction. The developer in the development housing is carried by the developing roller and the developer carried by the developing roller is applied to the carrier through an opening formed in the development housing. A rotation speed F.beta. of the developing roller is higher than a movement speed F.alpha. of the carrier. A gap .beta. between an opening downstream side wall portion of the development housing and the developing roller is greater than a gap .alpha. between the opening downstream side wall portion and the carrier.

Abstract: A developer processing apparatus includes a rotary member provided rotatably in a container containing the developer, a sealing member provided at the rotary member and being brought into pressure contact with a portion supporting the rotary member and a sealing layer provided at the portion where the sealing member is brought into pressure contact, and formed of a material having lower hardness than the sealing member.

Abstract: A developing device incorporating a developer supply unit and a developer discharge section, in which a supply developer including a mixture of toner and carrier is successively supplied to a developer container from the developer supply unit and a deteriorated developer in the developer container is discharged through the developer discharge section. The developer supply unit has a sponge roller for selectively attracting toner to a surface thereof, a magnet roller for selectively attracting carrier to a surface thereof, and a member for scraping and bringing the toner and carrier attracted to these rollers into the developer container. The developer including toner and carrier in a predetermined ratio is thus stably supplied to the developer container. In another example of the developer supply unit, agitating of the developer is performed while shovelling the developer deposited in a lower part of the unit by a transport screw.

Abstract: A developing unit for use in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, which includes a rotation shaft rotatably supported through the wall of the developer tank in such a manner that the gap between the rotation shaft and the supporting wall is sealed with a main sealing member mounted on a bushing holding member, and that the gap between the rotation shaft and the bushing is sealed with a sub-sealing member.