Process cartridge with portions to be supported and regulated during insertion of the cartridge into an electrophotographic image forming apparatus

An electrophotographic image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording material, to which apparatus a process cartridge is detachably mountable, said electrophotographic image forming apparatus comprising:

• (1) a supporting member;
• (2) a movable member for moving said supporting member in a horizontal direction and upward and downward directions;
• (3) an operating member for moving said movable member;
• (4) a regulating portion;
• and
• (5) a process cartridge including:
• an electrophotographic photosensitive drum,
• process means actable on said electrophotographic photosensitive drum,
• a portion-to-be-supported for being supported by said supporting member when said process cartridge is mounted to a main assembly of the apparatus,
• a portion-to-be-regulated for being regulated by being contacted by said regulating portion to regulate movement of said process cartridge in the horizontal direction, when said supporting member is moved, by movement of said movable member by operation of said operating member and in the horizontal direction and the upward direction while supporting said process cartridge,
• wherein, when said supporting member is moved in the horizontal direction and upward direction while supporting said process cartridge, said portion-to-be-supported slides on said supporting member, and said portion-to-be-regulated slides on said regulating portion.

A process cartridge detachably mountable to a main assembly of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, wherein the electrophotographic image forming apparatus includes a supporting member, a movable member for moving the supporting member in a horizontal direction and in upward and downward directions, an operating member for moving the movable member, a regulating portion, a main assembly side positioning portion, and a main assembly side elastic member, said process cartridge comprising:

• an electrophotographic photosensitive drum;
• process means actable on said electrophotographic photosensitive drum;
• a portion-to-be-positioned provided on an upper side of process cartridge, in a state that process cartridge is set in the main assembly of the apparatus, at each of one and the other longitudinal ends of said electrophotographic photosensitive drum;
• a portion-to-be-supported for being supported by the supporting member when said process cartridge is mounted to the main assembly of the apparatus in a longitudinal direction of said electrophotographic drum;
• a portion-to-be-regulated, provided at a leading part of said process cartridge with respect to a mounting direction in which said process cartridge is mounted to the main assembly of the apparatus, for being regulated by being contacted by the regulating portion to regulate movement of said process cartridge in the longitudinal direction of said electrophotographic drum, when the supporting member is moved, by movement of the movable member by operation of the operating member and in the horizontal direction and the upward direction while supporting said process cartridge;
• a portion-to-be-urged for receiving a force from the main assembly side elastic member so as to be urged by the main assembly side positioning portion in a state that process cartridge is set in the main assembly of the apparatus, said portion-to-be-urged being provided on a lower surface of said process cartridge in the state that process cartridge is set in the main assembly of the apparatus, at each of one and the other ends of said process cartridge,
• wherein, when the supporting member is moved in the horizontal direction and upward direction while supporting said process cartridge, said portion-to-be-supported slides on the supporting member in the horizontal direction, and said portion-to-be-regulated slides on the regulating portion in the upward direction.

A color electrophotographic image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording material, to which apparatus a process cartridge is detachably mountable, said electrophotographic image forming apparatus comprising:

• (1) a supporting member;
• (2) a movable member for moving said supporting member in a horizontal direction and upward and downward directions;
• (3) an opening for permitting said process cartridge to pass when said process cartridge is mounted to or dismounted from a main assembly of the apparatus of said electrophotographic image forming apparatus;
• (4) an openable member for openably closing said opening in interrelation with said movable member;
• (5) an inside openable member, provided on said supporting member, for opening and closing a supporting portion for supporting said process cartridge in interrelation with an opening and closing operation of said openable member, wherein said inside openable member supports a part of said process cartridge when said openable member is moved to an opening position in interrelation with an opening operation, and said process cartridge is set on said supporting member;
• (6) a regulating portion;
• (7) a main assembly side positioning portion;
• (8) a main assembly side elastic member;
• and
• (9) a process cartridge including:
• an electrophotographic photosensitive drum,
• process means actable on said electrophotographic photosensitive drum,
• a portion-to-be-positioned provided on an upper side of said process cartridge, in a state that said process cartridge is set in said main assembly of the apparatus, at each of one and the other longitudinal ends of said electrophotographic photosensitive drum,
• a portion-to-be-supported for being supported by said supporting member when said process cartridge is mounted to said main assembly of the apparatus,
• a portion-to-be-regulated, provided at a leading part of said process cartridge with respect to a mounting direction in which said process cartridge is mounted to said main assembly of the apparatus, for being regulated by being contacted by said regulating portion to regulate movement of said process cartridge in the horizontal direction, when said supporting member is moved, by movement of the movable member by operation of the operating member and in the horizontal direction and the upward direction while supporting said process cartridge,
• a portion-to-be-urged for receiving a force from said main assembly side elastic member so as to be urged by said main assembly side positioning portion in a state that said process cartridge is set in said main assembly of the apparatus, said portion-to-be-urged being provided on a lower surface of said process cartridge in the state that said process cartridge is set in said main assembly of the apparatus, at each of one and the other ends of said process cartridge,
• wherein, when said supporting member is moved in the horizontal direction and upward direction while supporting said process cartridge, said portion-to-be-supported slides on said supporting member, and said portion-to-be-regulated slides on said regulating portion.

A process cartridge detachably mountable to a main assembly of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, wherein the electrophotographic image forming apparatus includes:

• a supporting member capable of supporting said process cartridge and movable relative to the main assembly between a mounting and demounting position in which said process cartridge is mountable to and demountable from the supporting member and a mounted position in which said process cartridge is positioned in an image forming position relative to the main assembly;
• and
• a regulating portion,
• said process cartridge comprising:
• an electrophotographic photosensitive drum;
• a portion-to-be-supported for being supported by the supporting member when said process cartridge is mounted to the supporting member along a longitudinal direction of said electrophotographic photosensitive drum;
• and
• a portion-to-be-regulated for contacting the regulating portion to regulate movement of said process cartridge in the longitudinal direction when the supporting member moves from the mounting and demounting position to the mounted position in a state that said supporting member supports said process cartridge,
• wherein, when the supporting member moves from the mounting and demounting position to the mounted position in a state that the supporting member supports said process cartridge, said portion-to-be-supported slides on the supporting member and said portion-to-be-regulated slides on the regulating portion.

An electrophotographic image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording material, wherein a process cartridge is detachably mountable to said apparatus, said apparatus comprising:

• (1) a supporting member capable of supporting said process cartridge and movable relative to a main assembly of said apparatus between a mounting and demounting position in which said process cartridge is mountable to and demountable from said supporting member and a mounted position in which said process cartridge is positioned in an image forming position relative to the main assembly;
• (2) a regulating portion;
• and
• (3) a process cartridge including:
• an electrophotographic photosensitive drum;
• a portion-to-be-supported for being supported by said supporting member when said process cartridge is mounted to said supporting member along a longitudinal direction of said electrophotographic photosensitive drum;
• and
• a portion-to-be-regulated for contacting said regulating portion to regulate movement of said process cartridge in the longitudinal direction when said supporting member moves from the mounting and demounting position to the mounted position in a state that said supporting member supports said process cartridge,
• wherein, when said supporting member moves from the mounting and demounting position to the mounted position in a state that said supporting member supports said process cartridge, said portion-to-be-supported slides on said supporting member and said portion-to-be -regulated slides on said regulating portion.