INTERVAL GUARANTEE MEMBER, DEVELOPING DEVICE, AND PROCESS CARTRIDGE

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To suppress a developer from entering a contact part between an interval guarantee member and a developer carrier and to suppress the occurrence of a defective image by suppressing the fluctuations of a distance between an image carrier and the developer carrier, in a configuration where the interval guarantee member itself is not rotated.SOLUTION: An interval guarantee member 10m includes distance holding parts (10p11, 10p12, 10p21, and 10p22) coming into contact with an image carrier 7 and a developer carrier 10d, to hold the distance between the image carrier 7 and the developer carrier 10d, rotation inhibiting parts (10p11 and 10p21) regulating the movement of the interval guarantee member in the rotational direction X1 of the developer carrier 10d, and a scraping part arranged in a position being the upstream end of an area where the distance holding parts come into contact with the developer carrier or on the more upstream side than the upstream end, in the rotational direction X1 and coming into contact with the developer carrier 10d, to scrape the developer adhering to the developer carrier 10d. 【課題】 間隔保証部材自身が回転しない構成において、間隔保証部材と現像剤担持体との接触部に現像剤が侵入するのを抑制する。そして像担持体と現像剤担持体の距離の変動を抑え不良画像の発生を抑える。【解決手段】 間隔保証部材１０ｍは、像担持体７と現像剤担持体１０ｄとに接触することで、像担持体７と現像剤担持体１０ｄの距離を保持する距離保持部（１０ｐ１１、１０ｐ１２、１０ｐ２１、１０ｐ２２）と、間隔保証部材が現像剤担持体１０ｄの回転方向Ｘ１に移動するのを規制する回転阻止部（１０ｐ１１、１０ｐ２１）と、回転方向Ｘ１において、距離保持部が前記現像剤担持体と接触する領域の上流側端部となる位置または前記上流側端部よりもさらに上流側に配置され、現像剤担持体１０ｄと接触することで現像剤担持体１０ｄに付着した現像剤をかき取る掻き取り部と、を備える。【選択図】 図７