Image forming apparatus, process cartridge mountable within it and method for attaching photosensitive drum to process cartridge
AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorsYoshiya Nomura, Hiroo Kobayashi, Akira Higeta, Hironobu Isobe, Kazuo Shishido, Minoru Sato, Shigeo Miyabe, Koji Miura
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In order to prevent the eccentricity of a rotary shaft for rotatably supporting an image bearing member used with an image forming apparatus when the image bearing member is rotated, a projection is provided on an outer peripheral surface of the rotary shaft fitted into a fitting hole formed in a casing for securing the rotary shaft.
Claims31
A process cartridge mountable within an image forming apparatus, comprising:
- a frame;
- a fitting hole formed in said frame;
- an image bearing member;
- process means acting on said image bearing member;
- a support shaft fitted into said fitting hole for rotatably supporting said image bearing member;
- and
- a projection formed on at least one of an outer peripheral surface of said support shaft and an inner surface of said fitting hole.
An image forming apparatus within which a process cartridge can be mounted for forming an image on a recording sheet, comprising:
- mounting means capable of mounting a process cartridge including a frame, a fitting hole formed in said frame, an image bearing member, process means acting on said image bearing member, a support shaft fitted into said fitting hole for rotatably supporting said image bearing member via said frame, and at least one projection formed on at least one of an outer peripheral surface of said support shaft and an inner surface of said fitting hole;
- driving force transmitting means for transmitting a driving force to said image bearing member of said process cartridge mounted on said mounting means;
- and
- convey means for conveying a recording sheet.
A method for assembling a photosensitive drum to a process cartridge, wherein said process cartridge includes a frame, a fitting hole formed in said frame, and a photosensitive drum, said method comprising the steps of:
- forcibly fitting a support shaft into said fitting hole, at least one of an outer surface of said support shaft and an inner surface of said fitting hole having at least one projection;
- and
- rotatably supporting said photosensitive drum by said support shaft.
A process cartridge mountable within an image forming apparatus having a first driving force transmitting gear for rotating an image bearing drum, comprising:
- an image bearing drum having a second gear which is meshed with said first gear when the process cartridge is mounted within said image forming apparatus;
- a support shaft for rotatably supporting said drum;
- and
- a casing having a fitting hole for nonrotatably receiving said support shaft;
- wherein a plurality of projections are formed on at least one of an outer peripheral surface of said support shaft and an inner surface of said fitting hole, said projections being adapted to prevent the eccentricity of said support shaft fitted into said fitting hole when said first gear is rotated to drive said second gear of the process cartridge mounted within said image forming apparatus.
A supporting device for rotatably supporting an image bearing member within a process cartridge having a fitting hole, said supporting device, comprising:
- a first portion rotatably supporting the image bearing member;
- and
- a second portion engaging the fitting hole of the process cartridge and having at least one projection formed on a peripheral surface thereof.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.