Patent ID: 7593671

Claim:
A developing device comprising: a developer bearing member configured to carry a developer to a development area so that the developer on the developer bearing member faces a latent image carrier for development process; a developer supplying conveyer configured to supply the developer to the developer bearing member while conveying the developer in a widthwise direction; a developer receiving conveyer configured to receive the developer from the developer bearing member after development while conveying the developer in the widthwise direction; a developer agitating conveyer configured to receive the developer from the developer receiving conveyer and the developer supplying conveyer and configured to supply the developer to the developer supplying conveyer while agitating and conveying the developer in the widthwise direction, wherein the developer supplying conveyer or the developer receiving conveyer has at least one dividing position, the dividing position is a position at which the conveying direction of the developer reverses, and a position which is arranged so that if the dividing position is projected to the developer bearing member along a plane which is perpendicular to the widthwise direction of the developer bearing member, the projected position on the developer bearing member is within an area in which the developer is borne on the developer bearing member.