Process cartridge and image forming apparatus using such a process cartridge
AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorsKazuo Shishido, Shinichi Sasaki, Isao Ikemoto, Masahiko Yashiro, Toshiyuki Karakama, Atsushi Numagami
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention is characterized by that a first frame for containing developer used with a developing operation, a second frame for supporting a developing means for developing a latent image formed on an image bearing member, and a third frame for supporting the image bearing member are made of the same material.
Claims27
An electrophotographic process cartridge adapted to be removably inserted, in a direction transverse to an axial direction of a photosensitive drum of said process cartridge, into an image forming apparatus having a driving gear and an arrangement that guides said process cartridge to an operative position in the image forming apparatus and supports said process cartridge in the operative position, said process cartridge comprising:
- a rotatable photosensitive drum;
- a driven gear disposed coaxially with said photosensitive drum so as to cooperate with the driving gear of the image forming apparatus when said process cartridge is mounted in the image forming apparatus;
- a charging roller disposed adjacent said photosensitive drum;
- a developing roller disposed adjacent said photosensitive drum;
- a cleaning blade disposed adjacent said photosensitive drum;
- a casing having a front frame, relative to the insertion direction of said process cartridge, formed from a resin material, said photosensitive drum and said cleaning blade being disposed in said front frame and said front frame containing a waste toner reservoir that includes front frame reinforcing internal ribs;
- a middle frame, formed from the resin material that said front frame is formed, in which said developing roller is disposed;
- a rear frame, formed from the resin material that said front frame and said middle frame are formed, which includes a developer reservoir and a grip portion that is grippable by an operator when inserting said process cartridge into and removing said process cartridge from the image forming apparatus;
- a light passing opening through which latent image forming light is passed to said photosensitive drum;
- and an image transfer opening through which developed images are transferred from said photosensitive drum to a transfer material;
- and
- outwardly protruding guide members disposed on said casing at opposite sides of said front frame so as to cooperate with the arrangement of the image forming apparatus when said process cartridge is mounted in the image forming apparatus.
An electrophotographic image forming apparatus, to which a process cartridge is adapted to be removably inserted in a direction transverse to an axial direction of a photosensitive drum of the process cartridge, having a driving gear and an arrangement that guides the process cartridge to an operative position in said image forming apparatus and supports the process cartridge in the operative position, said image forming apparatus comprising:
- mounting means for mounting a process cartridge having a rotatable photosensitive drum;
- a driven gear disposed coaxially with the photosensitive drum so as to cooperate with said driving gear of said image forming apparatus when the process cartridge is mounted in said image forming apparatus;
- a charging roller disposed adjacent the photosensitive drum;
- a developing roller disposed adjacent the photosensitive drum;
- a cleaning blade disposed adjacent the photosensitive drum;
- a casing having a front frame, relative to the insertion direction of the process cartridge, formed from a resin material, the photosensitive drum and the cleaning blade being disposed in the front frame and the front frame containing a waste toner reservoir that includes front frame reinforcing internal ribs;
- a middle frame, formed from the resin material that the front frame is formed, in which the developing roller is disposed;
- a rear frame, formed from the resin material that the front frame and the middle frame are formed, which includes a developer reservoir and a grip portion that is grippable by an operator when inserting the process cartridge into and removing the process cartridge from said image forming apparatus;
- a light passing opening through which latent image forming light is passed to the photosensitive drum;
- and an image transfer opening through which developed images are transferred from the photosensitive drum to a transfer material;
- and outwardly protruding guide members disposed on the casing at opposite sides of the front frame so as to cooperate with said arrangement of said image forming apparatus when the process cartridge is mounted in said image forming apparatus;
- and
- convey means for conveying the transfer material.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.