Sealing ribs for a developer unit of a dual component development electrophotographic image forming device

摘要

A developer unit for a dual component development electrophotographic image forming device includes a housing having a reservoir for storing a developer mix that includes toner and magnetic carrier beads. An axial sealing rib projects from an inner side of the housing toward the outer surface of a sleeve of a magnetic roll. The axial sealing rib extends along an axial length of the sleeve. A distal end of the axial sealing rib is positioned in close proximity to and spaced from the outer surface of the sleeve. The axial sealing rib is positioned to impede the flow of developer mix in the reservoir in a direction counter to an operative rotational direction of the sleeve.

主权项

1. A developer unit for a dual component development electrophotographic image forming device, comprising:
a housing having a reservoir for storing a developer mix that includes toner and magnetic carrier beads; a magnetic roll that includes a stationary core and a sleeve positioned around the core, the sleeve is rotatable relative to the core about an axis of rotation, the core includes at least one permanent magnet having a plurality of circumferentially spaced magnetic poles, an outer surface of the sleeve is positioned to carry developer mix attracted from the reservoir to the outer surface of the sleeve by the at least one permanent magnet in an operative rotational direction of the sleeve; and a first axial sealing rib projecting from an inner side of the housing toward the outer surface of the sleeve, the first axial sealing rib extends along an axial length of the sleeve, a distal end of the first axial sealing rib is positioned in close proximity to and spaced from the outer surface of the sleeve, the first axial sealing rib is positioned to impede the flow of developer mix in the reservoir in a direction counter to the operative rotational direction, the first axial sealing rib is positioned at a point between two of the plurality of circumferentially spaced magnetic poles where magnetic field lines of the plurality of circumferentially spaced magnetic poles have a primarily tangential orientation relative to the outer surface of the sleeve.