Patent ID: 7235339

Claim:
A method of blending toners, comprising adding toner particles comprising a mixture of toner resin and colorants to the blending vessel of a blending machine; adding surface additive particles to the mixture of toner particles; and blending the toner particles and surface additive particles in the blending machine using a rotating blending tool comprising a center shank having a long axis, at least one end, and an end region proximate to the end plus a riser member fixedly mounted during rotation at the end region of the shank, said riser member having a forward region and a region near its trailing edge, wherein the riser member is thicker in the region near its trailing edge than in the forward region, wherein said riser member has an outside surface with a forward region angled outward from the long axis of the shank, and wherein the riser member has an inside surface that bulges inwardly toward the trailing edge in a shape that approximates the size and shape of powder accumulation that would occur if the riser member were a generally planar shape.