A developing device includes a case, a developer holder, a suction duct and a carrier catcher. The case accommodates a developer containing a toner and a carrier. The developer holder is disposed so as to face an image holder disposed outside the case and supplies the developer to the image holder. The suction duct sucks and collects a scattered toner floating in a space around the developer holder. The carrier catcher is formed in a vertical direction and disposed on a lower surface of a path of the suction duct.

A developing device includes a developing roller to rotate in a predetermined direction of rotation and opposed to or in contact with an image bearer to form a development range, a cover to cover the developing roller downstream from the development range in the predetermined direction of rotation, a sheet member cantilevered by the cover to contact the developing roller with a flat face of the sheet member while trailing along the predetermined direction of rotation at a position downstream from the development range. The cover includes a large gap portion to form a first gap in a first predetermined range in the predetermined direction of rotation and a small gap portion disposed adjacent to and downstream from the large gap portion in the predetermined direction of rotation to form a second gap smaller than the first gap in a second predetermined range in the predetermined direction of rotation.

An imaging system includes a developing roller connected to a supply channel to supply a developing agent and to transfer toner in the developing agent to a photosensitive drum at a supply position, a regulation member located adjacent to the developing roller at an upstream side of the supply position to restrict a thickness of the developing agent; and a casing that forms a release chamber in the periphery of the developing roller between an upstream side of the regulation member and a downstream side of the supply position. The release chamber includes an outlet to discharge scattered toner to an inlet of the supply channel.

The developing roller includes an electro-conductive substrate and a covering layer on the electro-conductive substrate, the covering layer including a matrix and an electro-conductive particle dispersed in the matrix, an arithmetic mean value of the current value is 300 pA or less and the standard deviation of the current value is 0.1-fold or less of the current value, a standard deviation of a potential is 3.0 V or more, and an arithmetic mean value of a volume resistivity is 10.sup.10 .Math.cm or less, and a standard deviation of the volume resistivity is 1-fold or more of the arithmetic mean value of the volume resistivity.

A toner transporting device includes a bearing, an opposing section, a flange, and an engaging section. The bearing has an inner ring supporting a shaft, rolling elements disposed on an outer periphery of the inner ring, and an outer ring disposed around the rolling elements to surround the inner ring. The opposing section is disposed facing a first side of the inner and outer rings. The flange is provided at a second edge at a second side of the outer ring, extends in a direction of the shaft, and covers at least a part of a second end surface at the second side of the inner ring. The engaging section serves as a first edge at the first side of the outer ring, extends out relative to a first end surface at the first side of the inner ring, and engages with the opposing section in a relatively movable manner.

A developing device includes a latent image carrier to form an electrostatic latent image is formed on a surface of the latent image carrier, a developing agent carrier to carry a developing agent including toner on a surface of the developing agent carrier, the developing agent carrier facing the latent image carrier, and a roll-shaped member facing the developing agent carrier to form a first gap and facing the latent image carrier to form a second gap, to form a suction air flow through the first gap and the second gap, to suction toner particles scattered to the first gap between the roll-shaped member and the developing agent carrier and the second gap between the roll-shaped member and the latent image carrier.

An image forming apparatus cartridge includes a coupling member having an axis about which the coupling member is rotatable. The coupling member includes a first end portion operatively connected to a developer roller and a developer supplying roller and a second end portion for receiving a rotational force. The coupling member is movable between a first position in which the axis of the coupling member is substantially parallel to and offset from the axis of the developer roller, a second position in which the axis of the coupling member is inclined with respect to the position of the axis when the coupling member is in the first position, and a third position in which the axis of the coupling member is inclined with respect to the position of the axis when the coupling member is in the first position in a direction opposite to the direction the coupling member is inclined when in the second position.

A print agent application assembly is disclosed. The print agent application assembly may include a first roller to remove print agent from a surface of a print agent transfer roller. The print agent application assembly may include a second roller having an absorbent element to engage the first roller as the second roller rotates relative to the first roller, the absorbent element to absorb print agent from the first roller. The print agent application assembly may include a wiper assembly. The wiper assembly may include a wiper element to scrape print agent from the surface of the first roller as the first roller rotates, and an engagement element to engage with and compress a portion of the absorbent element of the second roller as the second roller rotates relative to the wiper assembly. A method and a roller cleaning assembly are also disclosed.

A developing device usable with an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, the apparatus including a driving shaft rotatable by a motor and having a rotating force applying portion, and a movable member, the developing device being mountable to the movable member, and the developing device being movable in a direction substantially perpendicular to an axial direction of the driving shaft in response to movement of the movable member in one direction with the developing device mounted to the movable member, the developing device includes i) a developing roller for developing an electrostatic latent image formed on an electrophotographic photosensitive drum, the developing roller being rotatable about an axis; and ii) a coupling member for transmitting a rotating force to the developing roller, the coupling member including, a rotating force receiving portion engageable with the rotating force applying portion to receive a rotating force from the driving shaft.

A developing device usable with an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, the apparatus including a driving shaft rotatable by a motor and having a rotating force applying portion, and a movable member, the developing device being mountable to the movable member, and the developing device being movable in a direction substantially perpendicular to an axial direction of the driving shaft in response to movement of the movable member in one direction with the developing device mounted to the movable member, the developing device includes i) a developing roller for developing an electrostatic latent image formed on an electrophotographic photosensitive drum, the developing roller being rotatable about an axis; and ii) a coupling member for transmitting a rotating force to the developing roller, the coupling member including, a rotating force receiving portion engageable with the rotating force applying portion to receive a rotating force from the driving shaft, and a rotating force transmitting portion for transmitting the rotating force received through the rotating force receiving portion to the developing roller, the coupling member being capable of taking a rotational force transmitting angular position for transmitting the rotational force for rotating the developing roller to the developing roller, a pre-engagement angular position which is taken before the coupling member is engaged with the rotating force applying portion and in which the coupling member is inclined away from the rotational force transmitting angular position, and a disengaging angular position which is taken for the coupling member to disengage from the driving shaft and in which the coupling member is inclined away from the rotational force transmitting angular position in a direction opposite to the pre-engagement angular position; wherein in response to a movement of the developing device when the movable member moves in the one direction, the coupling member moves from the pre-engagement angular position to the rotational force transmitting angular position to be opposed to the driving shaft, and wherein when the movable member makes a further movement in the one direction from a position where the coupling member is opposed to the driving shaft, in response to the further movement, the coupling member is disengaged from the driving shaft by moving from the rotational force transmitting angular position to the disengaging angular position.