Liquid toner developing apparatus having metal blade with insulating coating in contact with developing roller

Abstract

Imaging apparatus including an imaging surface having a latent image with image areas at a first electrical potential and background areas at a second electrical potential and a developer. The developer includes a moving developer electrode electrified to a third electrical potential intermediate the first and second electrical potentials and has sequential surface portions closely spaced from the imaging surface to form a development region. The latent image is developed at the development region with liquid toner including carrier liquid and charged toner particles. Toner particles are also attracted to the developer surface and a resilient metal blade is urged against and in contact with the developer surface after it passes the development region and is operative to remove toner particles from the developer surface. The blade is coated with an insulating coating over at least a portion of the blade not contacting the developer surface. The developer electrode may be coated with an insulating coating and the blade may be electrified to a voltage having a polarity the same as that of the toner particles.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.