Patent ID: 8238802

Claim:
A developing unit comprising: a developer receiving vessel that comprises a developer receiving chamber and a retainer receiving chamber, the developer receiving chamber receiving a developer, the retainer receiving chamber supporting a developer retainer and being connected to the developer receiving chamber, the developer retainer rotating while retaining the developer on a surface of the developer retainer; and a developer conveyance member that is disposed in the developer receiving chamber and conveys the developer in the developer receiving chamber toward the developer retainer, the developer conveyance member comprising: a rotary shaft that extends along the developer conveyance member; a first conveyance member that extends from one axial end of a predetermined overlapping range on an axially inner side of the rotary shaft to the other axial end of the rotary shaft and that has flexibility, the first conveyance member being supported on the rotary shaft and bent in contact with a wall surface of the developer receiving chamber with rotation of the rotary shaft while conveying the developer toward the developer retainer, the first conveyance member comprising a first overlapping portion corresponding to the overlapping range; and a second conveyance member that extends from the other axial end of the overlapping range to the one axial end of the rotary shaft and that has flexibility, the second conveyance member being supported on the rotary shaft and bent in contact with the wall surface of the developer receiving chamber with rotation of the rotary shaft while conveying the developer toward the developer retainer, the second conveyance member comprising a second conveyance member body supported on the rotary shaft and located out of the overlapping range, and a second overlapping portion extending from the second conveyance member body to the other axial end of the overlapping range, the second overlapping portion being designed to be unfixable relative to the rotary shaft and disposed adjacent to an upstream side of the first overlapping portion in a rotation direction.