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US 2003/0142994 A1Published application
Process cartridge and electrophotographic image forming apparatus
AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorsKinya Harada, Kouji Hashimoto, Tachio Kawai
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A process cartridge detachably mountable to a main assembly of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus includes first and second end covers, first and second bottom-surface portions to be guided by first and second main assembly guide portions, first, second, and third portions to be positioned by first, second, and third main assembly positioning portions, and a driving force receiving portion partly exposed through the first end cover between the first and third portions to be positioned and engaging with a main assembly driving force transmitting portion to rotate a process-cartridge developing member when the process cartridge is mounted to the apparatus.
Claims22
A process cartridge detachably mountable to a main assembly of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, comprising:
- an electrophotographic photosensitive drum;
- a developing member for developing an electrostatic latent image formed on said electrophotographic photosensitive member;
- a first end cover portion provided at one longitudinal end of said photosensitive drum;
- a second end cover portion provided at the other longitudinal end of said photosensitive drum;
- a first portion to be guided provided on a bottom surface of said process cartridge so as to be guided by a first main assembly guide portion provided in the main assembly of the apparatus when said process cartridge is mounted to the main assembly of the apparatus;
- a second portion to be guided provided on a bottom surface of said process cartridge so as to be guided by a second main assembly guide portion provided in the main assembly of the apparatus when said process cartridge is mounted to the main assembly of the apparatus;
- a first portion to be positioned which is coaxial with said photosensitive drum and which is provided projected longitudinally outwardly of said photosensitive drum from said first end cover portion, said first portion to be positioned being positioned by a first main assembly positioning portion provided in the main assembly of the apparatus when said process cartridge is mounted to the main assembly of the apparatus;
- a second portion to be positioned which is coaxial with said photosensitive drum and which is provided projected longitudinally outwardly of said photosensitive drum from said second end cover portion, said second portion to be positioned being positioned by a second main assembly positioning portion provided in the main assembly of the apparatus when said process cartridge is mounted to the main assembly of the apparatus;
- a third portion to be positioned provided projected longitudinally outwardly of said photosensitive drum from said first end cover portion at a position downstream of said first portion to be positioned with respect to a mounting direction in which said process cartridge is mounted to the main assembly of the apparatus, said third portion to be positioned being positioned by a third main assembly positioning portion provided in the main assembly of the apparatus when said process cartridge is mounted to the main assembly of the apparatus;
- and
- a driving force receiving portion provided partly exposed through said first end cover portion between said first portion to be positioned and said third portion to be positioned with respect to the mounting direction, said driving force receiving portion, when said process cartridge is mounted to the main assembly of the apparatus, engaging in the mounting direction with a main assembly driving force transmitting portion provided in the main assembly of the apparatus to receive a driving force for rotating said developing member from the main assembly driving force transmitting portion.
8 more elements
An electrophotographic image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording material, to which a process cartridge is detachably mountable to the main assembly of the apparatus, said apparatus comprising:
- (a) a first main assembly guide portion and a second main assembly guide portion;
- (b) a first main assembly positioning portion, a second main assembly positioning portion and a third main assembly positioning portion;
- (c) a mounting portion for detachably mounting a process cartridge, said process cartridge including,
- an electrophotographic photosensitive member;
- a developing member for developing an electrostatic latent image formed on said electrophotographic photosensitive member;
- a first end cover portion provided at one longitudinal end of said photosensitive drum;
- a second end cover portion provided at the other longitudinal end of said photosensitive drum;
- a first portion to be guided provided on a bottom surface of said process cartridge so as to be guided by the first main assembly guide portion provided in the main assembly of the apparatus when said process cartridge is mounted to the main assembly of the apparatus;
- a second portion to be guided provided on a bottom surface of said process cartridge so as to be guided by the second main assembly guide portion provided in the main assembly of the apparatus when said process cartridge is mounted to the main assembly of the apparatus;
- a first portion to be positioned which is coaxial with said photosensitive drum and which is provided projected longitudinally outwardly of said photosensitive drum from said first end cover portion, said first portion to be positioned being positioned by the first main assembly positioning portion provided in the main assembly of the apparatus when said process cartridge is mounted to the main assembly of the apparatus;
- a second portion to be positioned which is coaxial with said photosensitive drum and which is provided projected longitudinally outwardly of said photosensitive drum from said second end cover portion, said second portion to be positioned being positioned by the second main assembly positioning portion provided in the main assembly of the apparatus when said process cartridge is mounted to the main assembly of the apparatus;
- a third portion to be positioned provided projected longitudinally outwardly of said photosensitive drum from said first end cover portion at a position downstream of said first portion to be positioned with respect to a mounting direction in which said process cartridge is mounted to the main assembly of the apparatus, said third portion to be positioned being positioned by the third main assembly positioning portion provided in the main assembly of the apparatus when said process cartridge is mounted to the main assembly of the apparatus;
- and
- a driving force receiving portion provided partly exposed through said first end cover portion between said first portion to be positioned and said third portion to be positioned with respect to the mounting direction, said driving force receiving portion, when said process cartridge is mounted to the main assembly of the apparatus, engaging in the mounting direction with a main assembly driving force transmitting portion provided in the main assembly of the apparatus to receive a driving force for rotating said developing member from the main assembly driving force transmitting portion.
11 more elements
A process cartridge detachably mountable to a main assembly of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, comprising:
- an electrophotographic photosensitive drum;
- a developing member for developing said electrostatic latent image formed on an electrophotographic photosensitive member;
- a first end cover portion provided at one longitudinal end of said photosensitive drum;
- a second end cover portion provided at the other longitudinal end of said photosensitive drum;
- a first portion to be guided provided on a bottom surface of said process cartridge so as to be guided by a first main assembly guide portion provided in the main assembly of the apparatus when said process cartridge is mounted to the main assembly of the apparatus;
- a second portion to be guided provided on a bottom surface of said process cartridge so as to be guided by a second main assembly guide portion provided in the main assembly of the apparatus when said process cartridge is mounted to the main assembly of the apparatus;
- a first portion to be positioned which is coaxial with said photosensitive drum and which is provided projected longitudinally outwardly of said photosensitive drum from said first end cover portion, said first portion to be positioned being positioned by a first main assembly positioning portion provided in the main assembly of the apparatus when said process cartridge is mounted to the main assembly of the apparatus;
- a second portion to be positioned which is coaxial with said photosensitive drum and which is provided projected longitudinally outwardly of said photosensitive drum from said second end cover portion, said second portion to be positioned being positioned by a second main assembly positioning portion provided in the main assembly of the apparatus when said process cartridge is mounted to the main assembly of the apparatus;
- a third portion to be positioned provided projected longitudinally outwardly of said photosensitive drum from said first end cover portion at a position downstream of said first portion to be positioned with respect to a mounting direction in which said process cartridge is mounted to the main assembly of the apparatus, said third portion to be positioned being positioned by a third main assembly positioning portion provided in the main assembly of the apparatus when said process cartridge is mounted to the main assembly of the apparatus;
- and
- a driving force receiving portion provided partly exposed through said first end cover portion between said first portion to be positioned and said third portion to be positioned with respect to the mounting direction, said driving force receiving portion, when said process cartridge is mounted to the main assembly of the apparatus, engaging in the mounting direction with a main assembly driving force transmitting portion provided in the main assembly of the apparatus to receive a driving force for rotating said developing member from the main assembly driving force transmitting portion,
- wherein said driving force receiving portion includes a helical gear, and said third portion to be positioned is in the form of a circular column and is disposed at a position out of a movement path along which said driving force receiving portion moves to engage with the main assembly driving force transmitting portion,
- wherein said third portion to be positioned is in the form of a circular column and is disposed below a movement path along which said driving force receiving portion moves to engage with the main assembly driving force transmitting portion, and
- wherein said first portion to be positioned and said second portion to be positioned include bearings for rotatably supporting a drum shaft of said photosensitive drum.
11 more elements
An electrophotographic image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording material, to which a process cartridge is detachably mountable to the main assembly of the apparatus, said apparatus comprising:
- (a) a first main assembly guide portion and a second main assembly guide portion;
- (b) a first main assembly positioning portion, a second main assembly positioning portion and a third main assembly positioning portion;
- (c) a mounting portion for detachably mounting a process cartridge, said process cartridge including,
- an electrophotographic photosensitive member;
- a developing member for developing an electrostatic latent image formed on said electrophotographic photosensitive member;
- a first end cover portion provided at one longitudinal end of said photosensitive drum;
- a second end cover portion provided at the other longitudinal end of said photosensitive drum;
- a first portion to be guided provided on a bottom surface of said process cartridge so as to be guided by the first main assembly guide portion provided in the main assembly of the apparatus when said process cartridge is mounted to the main assembly of the apparatus;
- a second portion to be guided provided on a bottom surface of said process cartridge so as to be guided by the second main assembly guide portion provided in the main assembly of the apparatus when said process cartridge is mounted to the main assembly of the apparatus;
- a first portion to be positioned which is coaxial with said photosensitive drum and which is provided projected longitudinally outwardly of said photosensitive drum from said first end cover portion, said first portion to be positioned being positioned by the first main assembly positioning portion provided in the main assembly of the apparatus when said process cartridge is mounted to the main assembly of the apparatus;
- a second portion to be positioned which is coaxial with said photosensitive drum and which is provided projected longitudinally outwardly of said photosensitive drum from said second end cover portion, said second portion to be positioned being positioned by the second main assembly positioning portion provided in the main assembly of the apparatus when said process cartridge is mounted to the main assembly of the apparatus;
- a third portion to be positioned provided projected longitudinally outwardly of said photosensitive drum from said first end cover portion at a position downstream of said first portion to be positioned with respect to a mounting direction in which said process cartridge is mounted to the main assembly of the apparatus, said third portion to be positioned being positioned by the third main assembly positioning portion provided in the main assembly of the apparatus when said process cartridge is mounted to the main assembly of the apparatus;
- and
- a driving force receiving portion provided partly exposed through said first end cover portion between said first portion to be positioned and said third portion to be positioned with respect to the mounting direction, said driving force receiving portion, when said process cartridge is mounted to the main assembly of the apparatus, engaging in the mounting direction with a main assembly driving force transmitting portion provided in the main assembly of the apparatus to receive a driving force for rotating said developing member from the main assembly driving force transmitting portion,
- wherein said driving force receiving portion includes a helical gear, and said third portion to be positioned is in the form of a circular column and is disposed at a position out of a movement path along which said driving force receiving portion moves to engage with the main assembly driving force transmitting portion,
- wherein said third portion to be positioned is in the form of a circular column and is disposed below a movement path along which said driving force receiving portion moves to engage with the main assembly driving force transmitting portion, and
- wherein said first portion to be positioned and said second portion to be positioned include bearings for rotatably supporting a drum shaft of said photosensitive drum.
14 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.