Patent ID: 9261813
Filing Date: 2016-02-16
CPC Classification: G03G

Claim Text:
1. A developing apparatus, comprising: a developer carrying member provided in a rotatable manner so as to face an image bearing member on which a latent image is formed, and configured to carry developer including toner and magnetic carrier so as to develop the latent image; a regulating member configured to regulate the developer carried on the developer carrying member, the regulating member having a distal end portion facing the developer carrying member, with the distal end portion being positioned below a rotation center of the developer carrying member in a gravity direction; a first chamber configured to supply the developer to the developer carrying member; a second chamber provided adjacent to the first chamber, and configured to collect the developer directly from the developer carrying member; a partition wall separating the first chamber and the second chamber, with the developer being circulated between the first chamber and the second chamber through openings formed in both end portions of the partition wall; a first conveying screw provided in a rotatable manner in the first chamber, the first conveying screw conveying the developer in the first chamber in an axial direction of the developer carrying member; and a second conveying screw provided in a rotatable manner in the second chamber, the second conveying screw conveying the developer in the second chamber in a direction opposite to a direction in which the developer is conveyed by the first conveying screw, wherein the first conveying screw being provided at a position overlapping with a vertical line passing through a portion of the regulating member, with the portion of the regulating member being closest to the developer carrying member, a rotation direction of the first conveying screw being defined so that a periphery of the first conveying screw is moved in the same direction as a peripheral surface of the developer carrying member at a position at which the first conveying screw faces the developer carrying member, and the vertical line overlapping with a part of a rotation region of the first conveying screw in which the periphery of the first conveying screw is moved in a downward direction.