Patent ID: 8583022

Claim:
A lubricant supplying device comprising: a solid lubricant; a lubricant applicator to scrape and supply a portion of the solid lubricant to a target; and a pressing mechanism to press the solid lubricant against the lubricant applicator, the pressing mechanism including: a bias device to provide a bias; and at least two pressing members to receive the bias from the bias device and symmetrically press the solid lubricant at two positions thereof about a contact center in a prescribed pressing direction, wherein an amount of pressure applied to the solid lubricant by said pressing mechanism increases until a thickness of the solid lubricant or a number of printed sheets reaches a prescribed level after the solid lubricant starts being consumed, wherein a direction of said bias is perpendicular to the prescribed pressing direction, wherein each of said at least two pressing members has a fulcrum and is freely swingable therearound, wherein each of said at least two pressing members, at an operating point, contacts a base of the lubricant supplying device via its contact section, wherein each of said at least two pressing members, at a power point, receives the bias of the bias device, wherein the location of said power point satisfies the following inequation when “A” is calculated by the following equality; Ae/As>Fs/Fe , and “ A ”=( X×Y )/ L 2 , wherein X represents a horizontal distance between the operation point and the fulcrum, Y represents a vertical distance between the power point and the fulcrum, L represents a distance between the operation point and the fulcrum, F represents a bias force of the bias device, and suffixes “s” and “e” represent initial and final values, respectively, and wherein the inequation is satisfied such that as the solid lubricant is consumed, a pressing force applied to the solid lubricant by said pressing mechanism increases.