US 11,874,616 B2
Developer conveying mechanism, and developing device and image forming apparatus provided therewith
Geki Son, Osaka (JP)
Assigned to KYOCERA DOCUMENT SOLUTIONS INC., Osaka (JP)
Filed by KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc., Osaka (JP)
Filed on Feb. 10, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/167,632.
Claims priority of application No. 2022-022743 (JP), filed on Feb. 17, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2023/0259051 A1, Aug. 17, 2023
Int. Cl. G03G 15/08 (2006.01); G03G 15/01 (2006.01)
CPC G03G 15/0898 (2013.01) [G03G 15/0121 (2013.01); G03G 15/0817 (2013.01); G03G 15/0881 (2013.01); G03G 15/0886 (2013.01); G03G 15/0887 (2013.01); G03G 2215/067 (2013.01); G03G 2215/0692 (2013.01)] 9 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A developer conveying mechanism, comprising:
a pipe-shaped conveying path that conveys developer and includes a discharge port formed in part of a side surface thereof;
a shutter that is slidably attached along an outer circumferential surface of the pipe-shaped conveying path, and that is selectively arranged at a closing position overlapping with the discharge port and an opening position retreated from the discharge port;
a seal member that is fixed to a seal affixing surface of the shutter, the seal affixing surface being opposite to the discharge port; and
a biasing member that biases the shutter toward the closing position,
wherein
the shutter includes the seal affixing surface, which is a flat surface, and a pair of engagement portions that are opposite to each other across the seal affixing surface in a circumferential direction of the pipe-shaped conveying path; and
the pipe-shaped conveying path includes a pair of guide ribs that are opposite to each other across the discharge port in the circumferential direction of the pipe-shaped conveying path, and with which the pair of engagement portions slidably engage.