DEVELOPING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS AND PROCESS CARTRIDGE INCORPORATING SAME
First Claim
1. A developing device comprising:
- a developer bearer to carry developer including magnetic carrier and toner to a development range where the developer bearer faces a latent image bearer;
a magnetic field generator provided inside the developer bearer to generate a magnetic flux on the surface of the developer bearer;
a casing including an opening to partly expose a surface of the developer bearer in the development range; and
a lateral end cover to cover an axial end portion of the exposed surface of the developer bearer,the lateral end cover including a wide portion extending more to an axial inner side of the developer bearer than a downstream portion of the lateral end cover positioned downstream from the wide portion in a direction of rotation of the developer bearer,wherein a downstream end of the wide portion is downstream from an upstream end of the development range in the direction of rotation of the developer bearer.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A developing device includes a developer bearer, a magnetic field generator provided inside the developer bearer, a casing including an opening to partly expose a surface of the developer bearer, and a lateral end cover to cover an axial end portion of the exposed surface of the developer bearer. The lateral end cover includes a wide portion extending more to an axial inner side of the developer bearer than a downstream portion of the lateral end cover positioned downstream from the wide portion in a direction of rotation of the developer bearer. A downstream end of the wide portion is downstream from an upstream end of the development range in the direction of rotation of the developer bearer.
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Citations
13 Claims
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1. A developing device comprising:
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a developer bearer to carry developer including magnetic carrier and toner to a development range where the developer bearer faces a latent image bearer; a magnetic field generator provided inside the developer bearer to generate a magnetic flux on the surface of the developer bearer; a casing including an opening to partly expose a surface of the developer bearer in the development range; and a lateral end cover to cover an axial end portion of the exposed surface of the developer bearer, the lateral end cover including a wide portion extending more to an axial inner side of the developer bearer than a downstream portion of the lateral end cover positioned downstream from the wide portion in a direction of rotation of the developer bearer, wherein a downstream end of the wide portion is downstream from an upstream end of the development range in the direction of rotation of the developer bearer. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A developing device comprising:
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a developer bearer to carry developer including magnetic carrier and toner to a development range where the developer bearer faces a latent image bearer; a magnetic field generator provided inside the developer bearer to generate a magnetic flux on the surface of the developer bearer; a casing including an opening to partly expose a surface of the developer bearer in the development range; and a cover means to cover to an axial end portion of the exposed surface of the developer bearer, the axial end portion adjacent to the development range and astride a development pole center where density of the magnetic flux in a direction normal to the surface of the developer bearer is greatest, wherein, on an upstream side of the development pole center and downstream from an upstream end of the development range in a direction of rotation of the developer bearer, the cover means covers an area extending more to an axial inner side of the developer bearer than a downstream side of the development pole center.
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13. A method of attaching a lateral end cover to a developing device,
the lateral end cover to cover an axial end portion of an exposed surface of a developer bearer, the lateral end cover including a wide portion extending more to an axial inner side of the developer bearer than a downstream portion of the lateral end cover positioned downstream from the wide portion in a direction of rotation of the developer bearer, the wide portion including an inclined side inclined relative to an axial direction of the developer bearer such that an upstream end of the inclined side in the direction of rotation of the developer bearer is shifted to the axial inner side from a downstream end of the inclined side in the direction of rotation of the developer bearer, the downstream portion including an axial inner side parallel to the direction of rotation of the developer bearer, the method comprising: -
aligning a point of intersection between the inclined side and the axial inner side with a development pole center where density of the magnetic flux in a direction normal to the surface of the developer bearer is greatest; and attaching the lateral end cover to the development device.
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Specification