Developer container, developer supply device, and image forming apparatus
US7580658B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 12, 2008 |
| Grant date | Aug 25, 2009 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 12, 2028 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG03G2215/0668
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A toner bottle stores toner in a cylindrical section having an inner circumferential surface provided with a plurality of protruding portions raised inward the cylindrical section. When the cylindrical section is driven to rotate on its central axis, the toner is discharged from the cylindrical section via an outlet. When cross-sections perpendicular to the central axis of the cylindrical section are projected from a longitudinal direction of the cylindrical section, the cylindrical section has an inner circumference provided with one or more regions where the protruding portions are not projected. This prevents the toner from making contact with the protruding portions. Therefore, the toner can be conveyed while suppressing the generation of frictional heat by reducing the resistance between the toner and the protruding portions.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.