The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
May. 30, 2000
Filed:
Apr. 20, 1999
Kazuyuki Sugihara, Yokohama, JP;
Tomoji Ishikawa, Yokohama, JP;
Yoshiyuki Kimura, Tokyo, JP;
Kenji Maeda, Isehara, JP;
Ricoh Company, Ltd., Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member, a developing device to develop a latent image on a surface of the image bearing member, a developer bearing member including a magnet therein, which bears developer on a surface thereof by a magnetic force of the magnet and carries the developer towards a developing position facing the image bearing member by being rotated, a limiting member that is placed facing the developer bearing member so as to limit a thickness of a layer of the developer borne on the developer bearing member, and a developing device casing. The limiting member is provided with a magnetizable member having a protruding portion protruding toward the developer bearing member at a part that does not face the magnet and a recessed part at a part that faces the magnet, in which the magnetizable member is disposed upstream of the limiting member in a developer conveying direction of the developer bearing member and is placed such that the protruding portions are nearer to the surface of the developing roller than the limiting member and the recessed part is more distant from the surface of the developing roller than the limiting member. The limiting member is made of a non-magnetizable material.