Developer transporting apparatus, image forming apparatus, and image forming method

1. A powder transporting apparatus comprising:

a drop path through which a powder drops;

a transporting path that is connected to the drop path, and through which a powder flowing thereinto from the drop path is transported;

a transporting member that includes a spiral portion disposed within the transporting path, the spiral portion rotating to transport the powder residing within the transporting path; and

an aggregation preventing member including:

a contact portion that is in contact with the transporting member, and that moves vertically in conjunction with the rotation of the spiral portion; and

a scrub-off portion that is disposed between an inner wall surface of the transporting path and the transporting member, and that moves along the inner wall surface in conjunction with the movement of the contact portion, at least part of the aggregation preventing member being disposed at a connecting portion between the drop path and the transporting path,

wherein the aggregation preventing member moves vertically with having a fixed portion, and

the fixed portion, the scrub-off portion and the contact portion are arranged in sequence in a transporting direction of the powder residing with the transporting path.

2. The powder transporting apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein

the scrub-off portion comprises strip-like scrub-off portions facing each other across the transporting member, and is disposed in such a manner as to enter the transporting member and the inner wall surface of the transporting path.

3. The powder transporting apparatus as claimed in claim 2 , wherein

the scrub-off portion has a projecting portion projecting towards the inner wall surface.

4. The powder transporting apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein

the aggregation preventing member comprises:

a fixed portion that fixes the aggregation preventing member to the transporting path; and

a plate spring portion that extends upwards from the fixed portion, that is elastically deformable, and that is able to connect the fixed portion and the scrub-off portion.

5. The powder transporting apparatus as claimed in claim 3 , wherein

the aggregation preventing member comprises:

a fixed portion that fixes the aggregation preventing member to the transporting path; and

a plate spring portion that extends upwards from the fixed portion, that is elastically deformable, and that is able to connect the fixed portion and the scrub-off portion.

6. The powder transporting apparatus as claimed in claim 4 , wherein

the drop path has a divergent shape having width becoming larger as the divergent shape extends downwards from a drop port from which the powder flows into the drop path, and

the plate spring portion is disposed in a position which is deviated from a point below the drop port in a direction along with the drop path.

7. The powder transporting apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein

the transporting path has a convergent shape having width becoming smaller as the convergent shape extends towards a bottom portion side thereof in accordance with an external shape of the transporting member, and

the contact portion has narrower shape than the width of the transporting path in a moving range of the contact member.

8. The powder transporting apparatus as claimed in claim 6 , wherein

the transporting path has a convergent shape having width becoming smaller as the convergent shape extends towards a bottom portion side thereof in accordance with an external shape of the transporting member, and

the contact portion has narrower shape than the width of the transporting path in a moving range of the contact member.

9. An image forming apparatus comprising:

a recovery unit that recovers a powder that has not been transferred on to a medium on which an image is to be recorded by an image forming operation;

a drop path through which the recovered powder so recovered drops;

a transporting path that is connected to the drop path, and through which the recovered powder flowing thereinto from the drop path is transported;

a transporting member that includes a spiral portion disposed within the transporting path, the spiral portion rotating to transport the recovered powder within the transporting path; and

an aggregation preventing member including:

a contact portion that is in contact with the transporting member, and that moves vertically in conjunction with the rotation of the spiral portion the spiral portion; and

a scrub-off portion that is disposed between an inner wall surface of the transporting path and the transporting member, and that is linked with the contact portion in such a manner as to move along the inner wall surface in conjunction with the movement of the contact portion, at least part of the aggregation preventing member being disposed at a connecting portion between the drop path and the transporting path,

wherein the aggregation preventing member moves vertically with having a fixed portion; and

the fixed portion, the scrub-off portion and the contact portion are arranged in sequence in a transporting direction of the powder residing with the transporting path.

10. An image forming method comprising:

recovering a powder that has not been transferred on to a medium on which an image is to be recorded by an image forming operation through a drop path so as the recovered powder drops; and

transporting the recovered powder through a transporting path so as the recovered powder flows into the transporting path from the drop path,

wherein, the transporting path contains a transporting member that includes a spiral portion that rotates to transport the recovered powder within the transporting path,

the transporting path contains an aggregation preventing member including a scrub-off portion and a contact portion,

the scrub-off portion disposed between an inner wall surface of the transporting path and the transporting member, and is linked with the contact portion in such a manner as to move along the inner wall surface in conjunction with a movement of the contact portion, at least part of the aggregation preventing member being disposed at a connecting portion between the drop path and the transporting path,

the aggregation preventing member moves vertically with having a fixed portion, and

the fixed portion, the scrub-off portion and the contact portion are arranged in sequence in a transporting direction of the powder residing with the transporting path.