Developing agent recycling apparatus and image forming apparatus using it

Claim 2

A developing agent reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said filter has a mesh.

Claim 3

A developing agent reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said magnetic field generating means has magnet rollers.

Claim 4

A developing agent reproducing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said reproducing means further has rotatable sleeves arranged around said magnet rollers.

Claim 5

A developing agent reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the opposite magnetic poles of said pair of magnetic field generating members are opposed to each other when the magnetic toner is reproduced, and the same magnetic poles of said pair of magnetic field generating members are opposed to each other when the magnetic toner is not reproduced.

Claim 6

A developing agent reproducing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said reproducing means further comprises a first sleeve for bearing the mixture thereon, and a second sleeve for bearing the magnetic toner flying from a surface of said first sleeve, and wherein said filter is arranged at an upstream side of said first sleeve and at a downstream side of said second sleeve in a gravity acting direction.

Claim 7

A developing agent reproducing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said first and second sleeves are rotated when the opposite magnetic poles of said pair of magnet rollers are opposed to each other, and are stopped when the same magnetic poles of said pair of magnet rollers are opposed to each other.

Claim 8

A developing agent reproducing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said switching means has a solenoid for driving at least one of said pair of magnet rollers, and wherein the opposite magnetic poles of said pair of magnet rollers are opposed to each other when said solenoid is energized and the same magnetic poles of said pair of magnet rollers are opposed to each other when said solenoid is disenergized.

Claim 9

A developing agent reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said second position is a position where same magnetic poles of said pair of magnetic field generating members are opposed to each other.

Claim 10

An image forming apparatus for forming a toner image on a recording material, comprising: an image bearing member; image forming means for forming a toner image on said image bearing member, said image bearing means including a developing portion for supplying magnetic toner to said image bearing member; cleaning means for removing the residual matter remaining on said image bearing member after the toner image was transferred to a recording material, from said image bearing member; reproducing means for reproducing magnetic toner from the residual matter removed from said image bearing member, said reproducing means including a pair of magnetic field generating members, and a filter for regularing a shifting movement of foreign matters other than the magnetic toner from one of said pair of magnetic field generating means to the other; and a switching means for changing the configuration of a magnetic field generated by said pair of magnetic field generating members, said switching means switching a relative position between said pair of magnetic field generating members between a first position where opposite magnetic poles of said pair of magnetic field generating members are opposed to each other and a second position different from said first position.

Claim 11

An image forming apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said filter has a mesh.

Claim 12

An image froming apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said magnetic field generating means has magnet rollers.

Claim 13

An image forming apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said reproducing means further has rotatable sleeves arranged around said magnet rollers.

Claim 14

An image forming apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the opposite magnetic poles of said pair of magnetic field generating members are opposed to each other when the magnetic toner is reproduced, and the same magnetic poles of said pair of magnetic field generating members are opposed to each other when the magnetic toner is not reproduced.

Claim 15

An image forming apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said reproducing means further comprises a first sleeve for bearing the mixture thereon, and a second sleeve for bearing the magnetic toner flying from a surface of said first sleeve, and wherein said filter is arranged at an upstream side of said first sleeve and at a downstream side of said second sleeve in a gravity acting direction.

Claim 16

An image forming apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said first and second sleeves are rotated when the opposite magnetic poles of said pair of magnet rollers are opposed to each other, and are stopped when the same magnetic poles of said pair of magnet rollers are opposed to each other.

Claim 17

An image forming apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said switching means has a solenoid for driving at least one of said pair of magnet rollers, and wherein the opposite magnetic poles of said pair of magnet rollers are opposed to each other when said solenoid is energized and the same magnetic poles of said pair of magnet rollers are opposed to each other when said solenoid is disenergized.

Claim 18

An image forming apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising convey means for conveying the magnetic toner reproduced by said reproducing means to said developing portion.

Claim 19

An image forming apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said second position is a position where same magnetic poles of said pair of magnetic field generating members are opposed to each other.