Patent ID: 7466944

Claim:
A developing device comprising: a developing container adapted to accommodate developer; a rotatable developer-bearing member disposed in the developing container and supporting the developer for developing electrostatic images; a first chamber provided in the developing container for supplying the developer to the developer-bearing member; a second chamber provided in the developing container below the first chamber; a partition disposed between the first chamber and the second chamber; a first communicating portion disposed at one end of the first chamber and the second chamber in the longitudinal direction and connecting the first chamber and the second chamber; a second communicating portion disposed at the other end of the first chamber and the second chamber in the longitudinal direction and connecting the first chamber and the second chamber; a first carrying member disposed in the first chamber and configured to carry the developer in the first chamber in a first carrying direction from the first communicating portion to the second communicating portion; and a second carrying member disposed in the second chamber and configured to carry the developer in the second chamber in a second carrying direction from the second communicating portion to the first communicating portion, wherein a bottom portion of the first chamber is inclined such that an end of the bottom portion to the downstream in the first carrying direction is higher than the other end at a position where the bottom portion faces the developer-bearing member.