TONER TRANSPORT SYSTEM FOR ELECTROGRAPHIC IMAGING

摘要

A toner powder transport system provides continual magnetic controlled movement of magnetically attractable toner powder from a toner reservoir to an imaging styli array plus return of unused toner powder to the toner reservoir. A nonrotatable cylindrical member carries the imaging styli array. A rotating magnetic means within the nonrotatable cylinder causes toner brought to the nonrotatable cylinder to move around the nonrotatable cylinder and over the styli array. A magnetic transport means is disposed between the toner reservoir and the nonrotatable cylinder for bringing toner powder from the toner reservoir for magnetic transfer to the nonrotatable cylinder and magnetically removes unused toner powder from the nonrotatable cylinder for return by the magnetic transport means to the toner reservoir. A protuberance at the surface of the nonrotatable cylindrical member serves to reduce the magnetic field acting on the toner at the point of its transfer to the magnetic transport means for return to the toner reservoir.