Image forming apparatus

Claim 2

An image forming apparatus including an image carrier and forming an image on a recording medium by utilizing a developing agent, said apparatus compris­ing: means (16, 17) for forming an electrostatic latent image on the image carrier (15); means (18) for developing the electrostatic latent image with the developing agent and simultaneously removing, from the image carrier, the developing agent left over from a previous image forming operation; and means (19) for transferring the developed image on the image carrier to the recording medium; characterized by further comprising: means (20) arranged between the transferring means (19) and the developing and removing means (20), for distributing the developing agent remaining on the image carrier, said distributing means including a bundle (160) of electrically conductive fibers in contact with the image carrier, means (113) for applying a predeter­mined voltage to the fiber bundle so that the developing agent remaining on the image carrier is attracted to the fiber bundle, and means (161) for pressing the fiber bundle against the image carrier.

Claim 3

An apparatus according to claim 1, character­ized in that said distributing means (20) includes means (204) for retaining the fiber bundle (160), and said fiber bundle is in the form of a brush extending from the retaining means, and has a free end separate from the retaining means and a contact portion situated between the free end and the retaining means and in con­tact with the image carrier surface.

Claim 4

An apparatus according to claim 2, character­ized in that said pressing means includes a pressure member (161) located on the opposite side of the fiber bundle (160) to the image carrier (15) and in contact with the fiber bundle.

Claim 5

An apparatus according to claim 3, character­ized in that said pressure member (161) is fixed to the retaining means (204), and extends along the fiber bundle from the retaining means so as to project beyond the free end of the fiber bundle.

Claim 6

An apparatus according to claim 4, character­ized in that said pressure member (161) has an insulat­ing material.

Claim 7

An apparatus according to claim 4, character­ized in that said pressure member (161) has an elastic material.

Claim 8

An apparatus according to claim 2, character­ized in that said fiber bundle (160) has a first lateral face including said contact portion and opposed to the image carrier (15) and a second lateral face opposed to the first lateral face, and said pressing means includes a planar pressure member (161) contacting the second lateral face to press the fiber bundle against the image carrier (15).

Claim 9

An apparatus according to claim 7, character­ized in that said pressure member (161) has means for covering the second lateral face and a peripheral edge portion protruding from the second lateral face.

Claim 10

An apparatus according to claim 7, character­ized in that said image carrier (15) includes a rotat­able cylinder and a photoconductive layer formed on the outer circumferential surface of the cylinder, and said free end of said fiber bundle (160) extends in the axial direction of the cylinder.

Claim 11

An apparatus according to claim 9, character­ized in that said fiber bundle (160) is arranged so that the direction of extension of the fiber bundle from the retaining means (204) to the contact portion is at a predetermined angle to a tangent which touches the photoreceptor layer at the point (P) of contact between the fiber bundle and the photoreceptor layer.

Claim 12

An apparatus according to claim 10, character­ized in that said predetermined angle is about 45° or less.

Claim 13

An apparatus according to claim 9, character­ized in that said retaining means (204) of said distributing means (20) includes a retaining member (162) extending in the axial direction of the cylinder and fixed to the casing.

Claim 14

An apparatus according to claim 12, character­ized in that said retaining member (162) is formed of an electrically conductive material and is connected to the voltage applying means (13).

Claim 15

An image forming apparatus including an image carrier and forming an image on a recording medium by utilizing a developing agent, said apparatus compris­ing: means (16, 17) for forming an electrostatic latent image on the image carrier (15); means (20) for developing the electrostatic latent image with the developing agent and simultaneously removing, from the image carrier, the developing agent left over from a previous image forming operation; and means (19) for transferring the developed image on the image carrier to the recording medium; characterized by further comprising: means (20) arranged between the transferring means (19) and the developing and removing means (20), for distributing the developing agent remaining on the image carrier, said distributing means including a bundle (160) of electrically conductive fibers in contact with the image carrier, means (113) for applying a predeter­mined voltage to the fiber bundle so that the developing agent remaining on the image carrier is attracted to the fiber bundle, and means (161) for preventing the devel­oping agent attracted to the fiber bundle from scatter­ing from the fiber bundle toward any other objects than the image carrier, said fiber bundle having a predetermined developing agent retaining capacity and being adapted to release that portion of the attracted developing agent which corresponds to an excess of the amount of the attracted developing agent over the retaining capacity.

Claim 16

An image forming apparatus including an image carrier and forming an image on a recording medium by utilizing a developing agent, said apparatus compris­ing: means (16, 17) for forming an electrostatic latent image on the image carrier (15); means (20) for developing the electrostatic latent image with the developing agent and simultaneously removing, from the image carrier, the developing agent left over from a previous image forming operation; and means (19) for transferring the developed image on the image carrier to the recording medium; characterized by further comprising: means (20) arranged between the transferring means (19) and the developing and removing means (20), for distributing the developing agent remaining on the image carrier, said distributing means including a bundle (160) of electrically conductive fibers in contact with the image carrier, means (113) for applying a predeter­mined voltage to the fiber bundle so that the developing agent remaining on the image carrier is attracted to the fiber bundle, and means (161) for preventing the devel­oping agent attracted to the fiber bundle from scatter­ing from the fiber bundle toward any other objects than the image carrier, said fiber bundle having a predetermined developing agent retaining capacity and being adapted to release that portion of the attracted developing agent which corresponds to an excess of the amount of the attracted developing agent over the retaining capacity.

Claim 17

An apparatus according to claim 14, character­ized in that said scattering preventing means includes means for pressing the fiber bundle (160) against the image carrier surface so as to prevent the fiber bundle from disjointing.