Patent ID: 7362991
Filing Date: 2008-04-22
Classification: G03G

Abstract:
1. An image forming apparatus comprising: an image bearing member bearing an electrostatic image thereon; said image bearing member having a circular arc configuration in a developing region; a developer carrying member carrying thereon a developer and carrying the developer to said developing region for developing said electrostatic image, said developer carrying member being rotatably supported and disposed at developer carrying member supporting positions in areas outside of an area opposed to a maximum electrostatic image forming width in a rotation axial direction of said image bearing member so as to be in non-contact with said image bearing member in said developing region, and said developer carrying member being designed to be flexed by a force acting in an operative state so that in an area inside said developer carrying member supporting positions, the surface of said developer carrying member may go away from the surface of said image bearing member, wherein said image bearing member and said developer carrying member are disposed so that a rotation axis of said image bearing member and a straight line passing through centers of cross-sectional shapes of said developer carrying member in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axial direction of said developer carrying member at both end portions of the area opposed to the maximum electrostatic image forming width may be in a skew relationship so that in said operative state, a value of a difference between a closest distance between said image bearing member and said developer carrying member at a central portion of said maximum electrostatic image forming width and a closest distance between said image bearing member and said developer carrying member at said both end portions thereof may become smaller than a value of a component of a flexure amount of said developer carrying member in the area opposed to said maximum electrostatic image forming width, in a direction of said closest distance.