초록 ▼

An electrographic development apparatus has a sump for receiving developer material including carrier particles and toner particles. A ribbon blender in the sump mixes the toner particles and carrier particles, circulates them within the sump and assists in transporting of the materials to a magneti

An electrographic development apparatus has a sump for receiving developer material including carrier particles and toner particles. A ribbon blender in the sump mixes the toner particles and carrier particles, circulates them within the sump and assists in transporting of the materials to a magnetic brush where the toner particles can be transferred to an electrostatic image on a photoconductor. The improved ribbon blender has an elongate helical ribbon positioned within the sump and extends along the sump with adjacent convolutions of the ribbon being spaced from each other. A plurality of buckets are secured to the ribbon between adjacent convolutions of the ribbon. The buckets on one convolution of the ribbon are spaced from the buckets on adjacent convolutions of the ribbon. The buckets can be open radially outwardly relative to the axis of rotation of the ribbon blender, and additional buckets can face radially inwardly to enhance mixing of developer material by picking up the material and transporting it axially and then dropping it near the blender\s center line.

대표청구항 ▼

In a development station of an electrographic apparatus having a sump for receiving a supply of developer material and a ribbon blender for mixing the material in the sump, the ribbon blender being rotatable about an axis and having an elongate helical ribbon positioned within the sump and having a

In a development station of an electrographic apparatus having a sump for receiving a supply of developer material and a ribbon blender for mixing the material in the sump, the ribbon blender being rotatable about an axis and having an elongate helical ribbon positioned within the sump and having a plurality of convolutions axially spaced along the sump, the improvement comprising: a plurality of feed members adjacent the ribbon and extending generally axially relative to the ribbon, the feed members being spaced from each other along the ribbon and being spaced from feed members on adjacent convolutions of the ribbon.