Development device and image forming apparatus having same
AssigneeKyocera Mita Corporation
InventorShinichi Uchida
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A development device 4a is separated into a toner agitating portion 21 and a toner supply portion 22 by a boundary wall 23 in which a first opening 28 and a second opening 29 are formed. Inside the toner agitating portion 21, an agitation paddle 24 is rotatably supported, and inside the toner supply portion 22, components such as a development roller 25, a toner supply roller 16, and a regulation member 27 made of metal for regulating the thickness of a thin toner layer formed on the development roller 25 and for electrically charging toner are provided. A groove 27a is formed in the regulation member 27 all along the length thereof.
Claims12
A development device using a single-component developer, comprising:
- a case for storing toner therein;
- a toner carrier for carrying the toner stored in the case;
- and
- a regulation member in which a groove is continuously formed substantially all along a length thereof so as to be substantially parallel to a direction of the length thereof, and that is pressed against the toner carrier so as to regulate a thickness of a toner layer formed on the toner carrier,
- wherein,
- the regulation member includes a pair of mutually-parallel flat portions which are formed on both sides of the groove so as to be continuous with each other with different fold lines in between in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the length of the regulation member;
- and
- the groove is concave toward the toner carrier.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.