Structure for mounting a rotary member and image forming apparatus using same structure

A method of mounting a plurality of rotary parts, comprising the steps of:

• providing a first sheet member formed with a plurality of spaced projecting parts on one side thereof;
• supporting said first sheet member on the side thereof opposed to said projecting parts so that said projecting parts face upwardly;
• providing a plurality of rotating members each formed with an axial base on one side thereof for coupling with a projecting part formed on said first sheet member and one of an axial bore or an axial shaft on the other side of said rotating member;
• mounting a rotating member on each projecting part by its axial base;
• providing a second sheet member formed with a projecting part or a burring part positioned to oppose each projecting part of said first sheet member and selected to couple with the axial bore or axial shaft, respectively, on the other side of said rotary member;
• and
• mounting said second sheet member on the mounted rotary members and so securing said sheet members together.

An image forming apparatus, comprising:

• a frame;
• an image forming unit mounted on said frame and having a rotatably supported photosensitive drum;
• an exposing unit mounted on said frame for forming a latent image on said photosensitive drum by exposing said photosensitive drum to light;
• and
• a driving unit for rotatably driving said photosensitive drum, further comprising:
• at least two sheet members disposed in spaced opposition to each other;
• a first support structure formed in one of said sheet members;
• a second support structure formed in the other of said sheet members and facing said first support structure, each of said first and second support structures being one of a burring part and a projecting part;
• and
• a rotary member formed with one an axial shaft or an axial bore on each side thereof, said rotary member being positioned between said sheet members and rotatably supported by said first and second support structures;
• one of said first and second sheet members forming a part of said frame and engaging said image forming unit to at least in part position said image forming unit.

A gear engaging and driving structure, comprising:

• a pair of spaced supports;
• a driving member;
• a driven member, said driving and driven members being coaxially rotatably mounted between said spaced supports and each including an interconnecting region lying at least in part in the same radially extended plane, the respective interconnecting portions of each of said driving and driven members each including at least one radially extending projection shaped to define a cavity therebetween;
• and
• a spring included within said cavity between said projections biasing said projections circumferentially apart, the interconnecting region of one of said driven and driving members being formed with at least one pair of first circumferentially spaced stop portions having the projection of the other of said driven and driving members therebetween, said spring biasing said projections apart until the projection of said other of said driven and driving members is engaged against a first of said first stop portions when said driving member is not externally driven, when said driving member is externally driven said projections being brought closer together against the bias force of said spring until the second of said first stop portions is engaged against the projection of said other of said driven and said driving members to permit said driving member to rotate said driven member.

An image forming apparatus, comprising:

• a force transmitting member producing a rotary driving force;
• a photosensitive drum;
• a developing roller;
• a feeding roller;
• a frame structure rotatably supporting said photosensitive drum, developing roller and feeding roller and supporting said force transmitting member;
• a plurality of gears operatively coupling said force transmitting member and said photosensitive drum, developing roller and feeding roller, said gears being positioned relative to each other so that the direction of force on the gear mounted to the photosensitive drum is angularly spaced from the directions of force on the respective gears operatively mounted to the developing roller and feeding roller, the direction of force on a gear being the direction of the pressure angle of a driving gear on a driven gear, whereby said forces are dispersed.