| 摘要 |
<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent recovered toner from being used in development again, in an image forming apparatus constituted so that the residual toner on an image carrier after transfer is recovered and returned to a development device. <P>SOLUTION: The image forming apparatus is equipped with the development device 4 which supplies toner (t) stored in a developer storage tank 41 to a latent image formed on the image carrier 1 by a developer carrier so as to form a toner image on the image carrier; a transfer device 5 which transfers the toner image to a transfer medium 6; and a recovery device 7 which recovers the toner remaining on the image carrier after transfer. The image forming apparatus is provided with a returning device 8, which conveys the recovered toner (ta) recovered by the recovery device and returns it into the developer storage tank, and a separating and supplying means, which separates the toner stored in the developer storage tank from the recovered toner and supplies only the stored toner, to the latent image formed on the image carrier by the developer carrier. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT |
