Patent ID: 7493065

Claim:
An image forming apparatus comprising: a latent image carrier which carries an electrostatic latent image; a developing agent housing part which holds a liquid developing agent; a developing roller which contacts the latent image carrier to supply the liquid developing agent to the latent image carrier to develop the electrostatic latent image; a wire bar which comprises a rod-like member which has a shape of a cylinder and a wire which is wound around the rod-like member, contacts the liquid developing agent held inside the developing agent housing part while the wire bar rotates to carry the liquid developing agent thereon, and contacts the developing roller to apply the liquid developing agent to the developing roller, each end of the wire being fixed to the rod-like member; and a regulator member whose central portion is flat and which contacts a surface of the wire at the flat central portion under pressure to restrict an amount of the liquid developing agent carried on the wire, wherein the wire bar is so arranged that an axis-to-axis distance between a rotation axis of the wire bar and that of the developing roller is shorter than a sum of a radius of the wire bar and that of the developing roller, a width in a rotation axis direction of the regulator member is longer than a width in the rotation axis direction of a wound area of the wire, each end of the regulator member which is located on the outer side to the wire and a curved surface of the rod-like member are spaced apart from each other, and a distance between each end of the regulator member and the curved surface of the rod-like member is shorter than a distance between the central portion of the regulator member and the curved surface of the rod-like member, and a step is formed at the boundary between the central portion of the regulator member and each end of the regulator member, the steps fitting with the ends of the wire in the rotation axis direction, so that the regulator member presses the wire as if to wrap the wire.