Bridgestone Corporation

Western Digital Technologies, Inc.

Yasushi Inoue

Yoshitomo Masuda

Takahiro Kawagoe

Yuko Maeda

Shigeru Kijima

Gaku Yakushiji

Hiroshi Kaneda

Tadashi Nakajima

Teruhiro Nakamiya

Taro Miyamoto

Minoru Satoyoshi

A hard disk drive suspension includes a suspension tail configured to electrically connect to a read-write transducer at a distal end and extending in a proximal direction toward a tapered tip at a proximal end, where the tapered tip comprises a decreasing taper that narrows in the proximal direction. Hence, structural overlap among adjacent suspension tails in misalignment scenarios and consequent marginalized electrical connections between the suspension tail and a corresponding flexible printed circuit are inhibited. The most proximal electrical pads of the suspension tail may be configured with a different aspect ratio, or in a fewer number of lines, from other adjacent electrical pads, thereby fitting within the narrowest portion of the tapered tip.

Hard disk drive suspension tail having narrowing tip

The invention provides a charging roller for electrically charging a photoconductor by placing the roller in contact with the photoconductor and applying voltage between them. The roller has an elastic shaft and an outermost layer of less than 30 .mu.m thick containing an aqueous fluorocarbon resin. The charging roller is effective for providing a constant supply of electric charge to the photoconductor and preventing residual toner from depositing onto the roller.

Charging member and device

Disclosed is an electric charging member for charging a body to be charged by bringing the electric charging member in contact with the body to be charged and applying a voltage between the electric charging member and the body to be charged, including: an elastic layer; and a covering layer formed on the outer side of the elastic member directly or through another layer; wherein the covering layer is formed of a coating having a storage modulus (G') in a range of 1.times.10.sup.7 dyn/cm.sup.2 or less, and also having tan .delta., expressed by a ratio (G'/G') of a loss modulus (G') to the storage modulus (G'), in a range of 0.01 to 0.4. The electric charging member is allowed to suppress occurrence of compressive deformation and to reduce noise due to electrification.

Electric charging member and electric charging apparatus

The invention provides a charging member for electrically charging an object by placing the member in contact with the object and applying voltage between them. The member includes a shaft and an elastic layer and a conductive layer successively formed around the shaft, and has a capacitance of up to 1.times.10.sup.-9 F. and preferably a surface roughness of up to 20 .mu.m on JIS ten point mean roughness scale. The charging member is effective for suppressing charging noise.

A charging device for electrically charging a photoconductor drum includes a charging member adapted to be placed in contact with the drum and an element for applying voltage between the charging member and the drum. The charging member has a microhardness of 1-65 degrees at its surface in contact with the drum or at least a surface layer of the charging member in contact with the drum is formed of a polyurethane which is prepared from liquid MDI as an isocyanate component and a polyol.

Growing community of inventors

Kodaira, Japan

Yasushi Inoue