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US 12,585,223 B2Granted
Process cartridge and image forming apparatus
AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorsHideki Maeshima, Kuniaki Hirukawa, Shuichi Gofuku, Yoshihiro Mitsui
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A process cartridge includes a photosensitive drum, a rotatable developing roller, a rotatable toner supplying roller provided in contact with the developing roller, and a rotatable feeding member provided in the toner chamber and configured to feed the toner from the toner chamber. A coupling is configured to receive a driving force for rotating the feeding member, the developing roller, and the toner supplying roller. A plurality of gears are configured to transmit the driving force received by the coupling to at least one of the feeding member, the developing roller, and the toner supplying roller.
Claims30
A process cartridge comprising:
- (i) a photosensitive drum;
- (ii) a rotatable developing roller configured to develop an electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum;
- (iii) a rotatable toner supplying roller provided in contact with the developing roller, the toner supplying roller being configured to supply toner to the developing roller;
- (iv) a toner chamber configured to contain toner;
- (v) a developing chamber in which the toner supplying roller is positioned;
- (vi) a rotatable feeding member provided in the toner chamber and configured to feed the toner from the toner chamber to the developing chamber;
- (vii) a coupling configured to receive a driving force for rotating the feeding member, the developing roller, and the toner supplying roller;
- and
- (viii) a plurality of gears configured to transmit the driving force received by the coupling to at least one of the feeding member, the developing roller, and the toner supplying roller,
- wherein the process cartridge is configured such that, when the process cartridge is in an operational orientation and the coupling receives the driving force, (i) the developing roller is positioned above the toner chamber, (ii) a rotational direction of the developing roller is opposite to a rotational direction of the toner supplying roller, (iii) a part of a surface of the toner supplying roller rotates from a first position at which the part of the surface of the toner supplying roller contacts a surface of the developing roller to a second position where the part of the surface of the toner supplying roller separates from the surface of the developing roller, with the first position being above the second position, (iv) the feeding member feeds toner upward from the toner chamber to the developing chamber, and (v) a speed of the surface of the toner supplying roller is greater than a speed of the surface of the developing roller.
7 more elements
A process cartridge comprising:
- (i) a photosensitive drum;
- (ii) a rotatable developing roller configured to develop an electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum;
- (iii) a rotatable toner supplying roller provided in contact with the developing roller, the toner supplying roller configured to supply toner to the developing roller;
- (iv) a toner chamber configured to contain toner;
- (v) a developing chamber in which the toner supplying roller is positioned;
- (vi) a rotatable feeding member provided in the toner chamber and configured to feed the toner from the toner chamber to the developing chamber;
- (vii) a coupling configured to receive a driving force for rotating the feeding member, the developing roller, and the toner supplying roller;
- and
- (viii) a plurality of gears including a first gear and a second gear engaged with each other, the first gear being configured to transmit the driving force received by the coupling to the second gear, and the second gear being configured to transmit the driving force to the developing roller;
- wherein the process cartridge is configured such that, when the process cartridge is in an operational orientation and the coupling receives the driving force, (i) the developing roller is positioned above the toner chamber, (ii) a rotational direction of the developing roller is opposite to a rotational direction of the toner supplying roller, (iii) a part of a surface of the toner supplying roller rotates from a first position at which the part of the surface of the toner supplying roller contacts a surface of the developing roller to a second position where the part of the surface of the toner supplying roller separates from the surface of the developing roller, with the first position being above the second position, (iv) the feeding member feeds toner upward from the toner chamber to the developing chamber, and (v) a speed of the surface of the toner supplying roller is greater than a speed of the surface of the developing roller.
7 more elements
A process cartridge comprising:
- (i) a photosensitive drum;
- (ii) a rotatable developing roller configured to develop an electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum;
- (iii) a rotatable toner supplying roller provided in contact with the developing roller, the toner supplying roller being configured to supply toner to the developing roller;
- (iv) a toner chamber configured to contain toner;
- (v) a developing chamber in which the toner supplying roller is positioned;
- (vi) a rotatable feeding member provided in the toner chamber and configured to feed the toner from the toner chamber to the developing chamber;
- (vii) a coupling operatively connected to the developing roller, the toner supplying roller, and the feeding member, the coupling being configured to receive a driving force for rotating the feeding member, the developing roller, and the toner supplying roller;
- and
- (viii) a plurality of gears including a first gear coaxial with the toner supplying roller and a second gear coaxial with the developing roller, the first and second gears being configured to transmit the driving force received by the coupling to the developing roller,
- wherein the process cartridge is configured such that, when the process cartridge is in an operational orientation and the coupling receives the driving force, (i) the developing roller is positioned above the toner chamber, (ii) a rotational direction of the developing roller is opposite to a rotational direction of the toner supplying roller, (iii) a part of a surface of the toner supplying roller rotates from a first position at which the part of the surface of the toner supplying roller contacts a surface of the developing roller to a second position where the part of the surface of the toner supplying roller separates from the surface of the developing roller, with the first position being above the second position, (iv) the feeding member feeds toner upward from the toner chamber to the developing chamber, and (v) a speed of the surface of the toner supplying roller is greater than a speed of the surface of the developing roller.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.