Patent ID: 7139517

Claim:
A method of developing a latent image formed on an image carrier having a photoconductive layer on a surface thereof with a developer including toner grains and magnetic carrier grains, said method comprising: providing a developer carrier including a magnet, said developer carrier facing said image carrier to form a developing zone; causing the developer to deposit on said developer carrier and move through said developing zone; causing the carrier grains to gather and rise along magnetic lines of force of said magnet in a form of brush chains; causing, when the carrier grains with the toner grains deposited thereon gather and rise in the form of brush chains, said toner grains to part from said carrier grains in accordance with relative displacement of said carrier grains and become free toner grains; and developing the latent image with said free toner grains wherein h is a height of the developer on the developer carrier at a zero point at which the magnetic force exerted on the developer by the magnet is zero, L is a distance between the zero point and the image carrier, and L/h is at least 1.5.