Process cartridge and electrophotographic image forming apparatus

• US 7,184,682 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2004
• Issued: 02/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Chadani, Kazuo, Kaneko, Tamotsu
• Primary Examiner(s): Chen; Sophia S.
• Application Number:
  US10/998,748
• Publication Number:
  US 20060024080A1
• Time in Patent Office: 819 Days
• Field of Search: 399/90, 399/111, 399/113
• US Class Current: 399/90
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 21/1825 Pivotable subunit connection
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 21/1885 position of the memory; memory housings; electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 21/1889 for auto-setting of process parameters, lifetime, usage
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2221/183 Process cartridge

Abstract

A process cartridge is detachably mountable to an electrophotographic image forming apparatus main assembly. The main assembly includes a main assembly electrical contact, first and second projections, main assembly positioning portions, and a force application member. The cartridge includes first and second frames, a first-frame drum, first and second portions, a second-frame developing roller, a second-frame force receiving portion, a regulating portion, a first-frame memory, a cartridge electrical contact, and a first-frame recess and a second-frame recess. When the cartridge is set in the main assembly, the cartridge electrical contact moves integrally with the main assembly electrical contact by the first frame recess engaging the first main assembly projection and the second frame recess engaging the second main assembly projection, upon the first frame rotating about the first portion and the second portion by the force receiving portion receiving the force from the force application member.

Claims

1. A process cartridge detachably mountable to a main assembly of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, the main assembly including a main assembly electrical contact, a first projection, a second projection, a movable supporting member supporting the main assembly electrical contact, the first projection, and the second projection, a force application member, a first main assembly positioning portion, and a second main assembly positioning portion, said process cartridge comprising:

a first frame;

a second frame rotatably connected with said first frame;

an electrophotographic photosensitive drum provided in said first frame;

a first portion to be positioned, being positioned to the first main assembly positioning portion when said process cartridge is set in the main assembly of the apparatus, said first portion to be positioned being projected outwardly from said first frame substantially coaxially with an axis of said electrophotographic photosensitive drum at one end of said first frame with respect to the direction of the axis of said electrophotographic photosensitive drum;

a second portion to be positioned, being positioned to the second main assembly positioning portion when said process cartridge is set in the main assembly of the apparatus, said second portion to be positioned being projected outwardly from said first frame substantially coaxially with the axis of said electrophotographic photosensitive drum at the other end of said first frame with respect to the direction of the axis of said electrophotographic photosensitive drum;

a developing roller, contactable to said electrophotographic photosensitive drum, provided in said second frame, and configured and positioned to develop an electrostatic latent image formed on said electrophotographic photosensitive drum;

a force receiving portion, provided in said second frame, and configured and positioned to receive a force from the force application member to space said electrophotographic photosensitive drum and said developing roller from each other;

a regulating portion configured and positioned to regulate the rotation of said first frame about said first portion to be positioned and said second portion to be positioned when said force receiving portion receives the force from the force application member, said regulating portion being provided in said first frame;

a memory element configured to store information relating to said process cartridge, said memory element being provided at a leading end of said first frame with respect to a mounting direction in which said process cartridge is mounted to the main assembly of the apparatus;

a cartridge electrical contact configured and positioned to make an electrical connection with the main assembly electrical contact when said process cartridge is set in the main assembly of the apparatus, said cartridge electrical contact being effective to transmit information from said memory element to the main assembly of the apparatus when said cartridge electrical contact is electrically connected with the main assembly electrical contact;

a first recess, provided in said first frame, and configured and positioned to position said cartridge electrical contact relative to the main assembly electrical contact when said process cartridge is being mounted to the main assembly of the apparatus, said first recess being engageable with the first projection when said process cartridge is being mounted to the main assembly of the apparatus; and

a second recess, provided in said first frame, and configured and positioned to position said cartridge electrical contact relative to the main assembly electrical contact when said process cartridge is being mounted to the main assembly of the apparatus, said second recess being engageable with the second projection when said process cartridge is being mounted to the main assembly of the apparatus,

wherein when said process cartridge is set in the main assembly of the apparatus, said cartridge electrical contact moves integrally with the main assembly electrical contact by said first recess engaging with the first projection and said second recess engaging with the second projection, upon said first frame rotating about said first portion to be positioned and said second portion to be positioned by said force receiving portion receiving the force from the force application member.

2. A process cartridge according to claim 1, further comprising:

a drum driving force receiving portion configured and positioned to receive a driving force for rotating said electrophotographic photosensitive drum from the main assembly of the apparatus when said process cartridge is set in the main assembly of the apparatus, said drum driving force receiving portion being provided adjacent one end of said process cartridge; and

a developing roller driving force receiving portion configured and positioned to receive a driving force for rotating said developing roller from the main assembly of the apparatus when said process cartridge is set in the main assembly of the apparatus, said developing roller driving force receiving portion being provided adjacent said one end of said process cartridge,

wherein said regulating portion is provided adjacent said one end of said process cartridge, and said cartridge electrical contact is disposed adjacent said one end of said process cartridge with respect to a longitudinal direction of said first frame, when said process cartridge is set in the main assembly of the apparatus.

3. A process cartridge according to claim 2, wherein said developing roller driving force receiving portion and said cartridge electrical contact are disposed inside said drum driving force receiving portion and said regulating portion with respect to the longitudinal direction of said first frame, and said drum driving force receiving portion is disposed at a longitudinal end of said first frame as seen from a downstream side of said process cartridge with respect to the mounting direction.

4. A process cartridge according to claim 3, wherein said first recess is disposed adjacent one end of said cartridge electrical contact with respect to the longitudinal direction of said first frame, and said second recess is disposed adjacent another end of said cartridge electrical contact with respect to the longitudinal direction of said first frame.

5. A process cartridge according to claim 1, 2, 3 or 4, wherein said regulating portion is provided also at the other end of said first frame with respect to the direction of the axis of said electrophotographic photosensitive drum.

6. A process cartridge according to claim 3, wherein said cartridge electrical contract is interposed between said first recess and said second recess with respect to the longitudinal direction of said first frame.

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

(a) a main assembly electrical contact;

(b) a first projection;

(c) a second projection;

(d) a movable supporting member supporting said main assembly electrical contact, said first projection and said second projection;

(e) a force application member;

(f) a first main assembly positioning portion; and

(g) a second main assembly positioning portion;

wherein the process cartridge comprises;

a first frame;

a second frame rotatably connected with the first frame;

an electrophotographic photosensitive drum provided in the first frame;

a first portion to be positioned, being positioned to the first main assembly positioning portion when the process cartridge is set in a main assembly of said apparatus, the first portion to be positioned being projected outwardly from the first frame substantially coaxially with an axis of the electrophotographic photosensitive drum at one end of the first frame with respect to the direction of the axis of the electrophotographic photosensitive drum;

a second portion to be positioned, being positioned to said second main assembly positioning portion when the process cartridge is set in the main assembly of said apparatus, the second portion to be positioned being projected outwardly from the first frame substantially coaxially with the axis of the electrophotographic photosensitive drum at the other end of the first frame with respect to the direction of the axis of the electrophotographic photosensitive drum;

a developing roller, contactable to the electrophotographic photosensitive drum provided in the second frame, configured and positioned to develop an electrostatic latent image formed on the electrophotographic photosensitive drum;

a force receiving portion, provided in the second frame, configured and positioned to receive a force from said force application member to space the electrophotographic photosensitive drum and the developing roller from each other;

a regulating portion configured and positioned to regulate the rotation of the first frame about the first portion to be positioned and the second portion to be positioned when the force receiving portion receives the force from said force application member, the regulating portion being provided in said first frame;

a memory element configured to store information relating to the process cartridge, the memory element being provided at a leading end of the first frame with respect to a mounting direction in which the process cartridge is mounted to the main assembly of said apparatus;

a cartridge electrical contact configured and positioned to make an electrical connection with the main assembly electrical contact when the process cartridge is set in the main assembly of said apparatus, the cartridge electrical contact being effective to transmit information from the memory element to the main assembly of said apparatus when the cartridge electrical contact is electrically connected with said main assembly electrical contact;

a first recess, provided in the first frame, configured and positioned to position the cartridge electrical contact relative to said main assembly electrical contact when the process cartridge is being mounted to the main assembly of said apparatus, the first recess being engageable with said first projection when the process cartridge is being mounted to the main assembly of said apparatus; and

a second recess, provided in said first frame, configured and positioned to position the cartridge electrical contact relative to said main assembly electrical contact when the process cartridge is being mounted to the main assembly of said apparatus, the second recess being engageable with the second projection when the process cartridge is being mounted to the main assembly of said apparatus,

wherein when the process cartridge is set in the main assembly of said apparatus, the cartridge electrical contact moves integrally with said main assembly electrical contact by the first recess engaging with said first projection and the second recess engaging with said second projection, upon the first frame rotating about the first portion to be positioned and the second portion to be positioned by the force receiving portion receiving the force from said force application member.

8. An apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a main assembly side regulating portion provided in the main assembly downstream of said supporting member with respect to a direction in which the process cartridge enters the main assembly of said apparatus, and when said supporting member is pushed by the process cartridge entering the main assembly of the apparatus, said supporting member contacts said main assembly side regulating portion to be regulated in a movement toward a rear side of the main assembly of said apparatus, and said supporting member is movable in a horizontal direction and in a direction perpendicular to the horizontal direction.

9. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said main assembly electrical contact includes a plurality of electroconductive members retractable along the entering direction.