Claims
- 1. A gear unit mountable to a frame of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording material, said image forming apparatus including an image bearing member, image fixing means for fixing on the recording material a toner image formed on the image bearing member and transferred to the recording material from the image bearing member, and feeding means for feeding the recording material, said gear unit comprising:
- an image bearing member driving gear for transmitting a driving force to the image bearing member;
- an image fixing means driving gear for transmitting a driving force to the image fixing means;
- a feed drive gear for transmitting a driving force to the feeding means; and
- a supporting member for supporting integrally said image bearing member driving gear via a gear shaft, said image fixing means driving gear, and said feed drive gear, wherein when said gear unit is mounted to the frame of the image forming apparatus, an end of the gear shaft supporting said image bearing member driving gear is inserted into a hole of the frame, so that the gear shaft is supported by said supporting member and the frame.
- 2. A unit according to claim 1, wherein a drive transmission direction of a gear train for transmitting a driving force from a motor to said image fixing means driving gear, and a drive transmission direction of a gear train for transmitting a driving force from the motor to said feed drive gear and said image bearing member driving gear, are opposite from each other.
- 3. A unit according to any one of claims 1 and 2, wherein said supporting member is mounted to the frame in the manner that said gears are interposed between the frame and said supporting member with said gears near the frame.
- 4. A unit according to claim 3, wherein said image bearing member driving gear is a helical gear, and a gear shaft for supporting double gears is inserted into a bore of the frame for positioning.
- 5. A unit according to claim 2, wherein the gear train for transmitting a driving force from the motor to a photosensitive drum as said image bearing member is a helical gear, and other gears are spur gears.
- 6. A unit according to claim 5, wherein said supporting member is mounted to the frame in such a manner that said gears are interposed between the frame and said supporting member with said gears near the frame.
- 7. A unit according to claim 6, wherein said image bearing member driving gear is a helical gear, and a gear shaft for supporting double gears is inserted into a bore of the frame for positioning.
- 8. A unit according to claim 1, wherein a gear train for transmitting a driving force from a motor to a photosensitive drum as said image bearing member is a helical gear, and other gears are spur gears.
- 9. A unit according to claim 8, wherein said supporting member is mounted to the frame in such a manner that said gears are interposed between the frame and said supporting member with said gears near the frame.
- 10. A unit according to claim 9, wherein said image bearing member driving gear is a helical gear, and a gear shaft for supporting double gears is inserted into a bore of the frame for positioning.
- 11. A unit according to claim 1, wherein said gear unit is mounted to the frame by fastening said supporting member on the frame by a screw.
- 12. An electrophotographic image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording material, said apparatus comprising:
- an image bearing member;
- image forming means for forming a toner image on said image bearing member;
- transfer means for transferring the toner image onto the recording material from said image bearing member;
- image fixing means for fixing on the recording material the toner image;
- feeding means for feeding the recording material; and
- a gear unit mountable to a frame of said image forming apparatus, said gear unit including an image bearing member driving gear for transmitting a driving force to said image bearing member; an image fixing means driving gear for transmitting a driving force to said image fixing means; a feed drive gear for transmitting a driving force to said feeding means; and a supporting member for integrally supporting said image bearing member driving gear via a gear shaft, said image fixing means driving gear and said feed drive gear, wherein when said gear unit is mounted to the frame of said image forming apparatus, an end of the gear shaft supporting said image bearing member driving gear is inserted into a hole of the frame, so that the gear shaft is supported by said supporting member and the frame.
- 13. An apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said supporting mender is mounted to the frame in the manner that said gears are interposed between the frame and said supporting member with said gears near the frame.
- 14. An apparatus according to claim 12 or 13, wherein said image bearing member driving gear is a helical gear, and a gear shaft for supporting double gears is inserted into a bore of the frame for positioning.
- 15. An apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said image forming apparatus is an electrophotographic copying machine.
- 16. An apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said image forming apparatus is a printer.
- 17. An apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said image forming apparatus is a facsimile machine.
- 18. An apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said gear unit is mounted to the frame by fastening said supporting member on the frame by a screw.
- 19. An electrophotographic image forming apparatus, for forming an image on a recording material, to which a process cartridge having an image bearing member and process means actable on the image bearing member is detachably mountable, said apparatus comprising:
- mounting means for detachably mounting the process cartridge;
- transfer means for transferring a toner image onto the recording material from the image bearing member contained in the process cartridge mounted on said mounting means;
- image fixing means for fixing on the recording material the toner image transferred onto the recording material;
- feeding means for feeding the recording material;
- a motor for driving the image bearing member in the process cartridge, said image fixing means, and said feeding means; and
- a gear unit mountable to a frame of said image forming apparatus, said gear unit including an image bearing member driving gear for transmitting a driving force from said motor to the image bearing member; an image fixing means driving gear for transmitting a driving force from said motor to said image fixing means; a feed driving gear for transmitting a driving force from said motor to said feeding means; and a supporting member for integrally supporting said image bearing member driving gear via a gear shaft, said image fixing means driving gear, and said feed driving gear, wherein when said gear unit is mounted to the frame of said image forming apparatus, an end of the gear shaft supporting said image bearing member driving gear is inserted into a hole of the frame, so that the gear shaft is supported by said supporting member and the frame.
- 20. An apparatus according to claim 19, wherein said supporting member is mounted to the frame in such a manner that said gears are interposed between the frame and said supporting member with said gears near the frame.
- 21. An apparatus according to claim 19 or 20, wherein said image bearing member driving gear is a helical gear, and a gear shaft for supporting double gears is inserted into a bore of the frame for positioning.
- 22. An apparatus according to claim 19, wherein said image forming apparatus is an electrophotographic copying machine.
- 23. An apparatus according to claim 19, wherein said image forming apparatus is a printer.
- 24. An apparatus according to claim 19, wherein said image forming apparatus is a facsimile machine.
- 25. An apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the process means has charging means, developing means or cleaning means, and the image bearing member is an electrophotographic photosensitive member.
- 26. An apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the process cartridge integrally has at least one of charging means, developing means and cleaning means as process means, and an electrophotographic photosensitive member as the image bearing member.
- 27. An apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the process cartridge integrally has at least one of developing means as process means and an electrophotographic photosensitive member as the image bearing member.
- 28. An apparatus according to claim 19, wherein said gear unit is mounted to the frame by fastening said supporting member on the frame by a screw.
- 29. A mounting method for a gear unit usable with an electrophotographic image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording material, the image forming apparatus including an image bearing member, an image fixing means for fixing on the recording material a toner image formed on the image bearing member and transferred to the recording material from the image bearing member, and feeding means for feeding the recording material, said method comprising the steps of:
- preparing a gear unit including an image bearing member driving gear for transmitting a driving force to the image bearing member; an image fixing means driving gear for transmitting a driving force to the image fixing means; a feed drive gear for transmitting a driving force to the feeding means; a supporting member for integrally supporting the image bearing member driving gear via a gear shaft, the image fixing means driving gear and the feed drive gear, wherein when the gear unit is mounted to a frame of the image forming apparatus, an end of the gear shaft supporting the image bearing member driving gear is inserted into a hole of the frame, so that the gear shaft is supported by the supporting member and the frame; and
- mounting said gear unit to the frame of the image forming apparatus so that the image bearing member driving gear, the image fixing means driving gear, and the feed drive gear are interposed between the frame and said supporting member with the image bearing member driving gear, the image fixing means driving gear, and the feed drive gear near to the frame.
- 30. A method according to claim 29, wherein, said image bearing member driving gear is a helical gear, and a gear shaft for supporting double gears is inserted into a bore of the frame for positioning.
- 31. A method according to claim 29, wherein the gear unit is mounted to the frame by fastening the supporting member on the frame by a screw.
- 32. A gear unit mountable to a frame of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording material, the image forming apparatus including a photosensitive drum as a toner image bearing member, an image fixing nip, formed by an interface of a pressure roller with a cylindrical film rotatably disposed against a heater, at which a toner image formed on the photosensitive drum and transferred to the recording material from the photosensitive drum is fixed on the recording material, and a feeding roller for feeding the recording material through the image forming apparatus, said gear unit comprising:
- a photosensitive drum driving gear for transmitting a driving force to the photosensitive drum;
- a pressure roller driving gear for transmitting a driving force to the pressure roller;
- a feed drive gear for transmitting a driving force to the feeding roller; and
- a single-piece supporting member on which said photosensitive drum driving gear, said pressure roller driving gear, and said feed drive gear are each axially mounted via gear shafts, wherein when said gear unit is mounted to the frame of the image forming apparatus by fastening said single-piece supporting member to the frame by a screw, an end of a one of the gear shafts by which said photosensitive drum driving gear is mounted is inserted into a hole of the frame, so that the gear shaft is supported by said single-piece supporting member and the frame.
- 33. A unit according to claim 32, wherein a drive transmission direction of a gear train for transmitting a driving force from a motor to said pressure roller driving gear, and a drive transmission direction of a gear train for transmitting a driving force from the motor to said feed drive gear and said photosensitive drum driving gear, are opposite from each other.
- 34. A unit according to claim 33, wherein the gear train for transmitting a driving force from the motor to the photosensitive drum is a helical gear, and other gears are spur gears.
- 35. A unit according to any one of claims 32 and 33, wherein said single-piece supporting member is mounted to the frame in such a manner that said gears are interposed between the frame and said single-piece supporting member with said gears near the frame.
- 36. A unit according to claim 35, wherein said photosensitive drum driving gear is a helical gear, and a gear shaft for supporting double gears is inserted into a bore of the frame for positioning.
- 37. A unit according to claim 32, wherein a gear train for transmitting a driving force from a motor to the photosensitive drum is a helical gear, and other gears are spur gears.
- 38. A unit according to claim 37 or 34, wherein said single-piece supporting member is mounted to the frame in such a manner that said gears are interposed between the frame and said supporting member with said gears near the frame.
- 39. A unit according to claim 38, wherein said photosensitive drum driving gear is helical, and a gear shaft for supporting double gears is inserted into a bore of the frame for positioning.
- 40. An electrophotographic image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording material, comprising:
- a photosensitive drum as a toner image bearing member;
- a charging roller for charging said photosensitive drum;
- a developer for forming a toner image on said photosensitive drum, once said photosensitive drum has been charged;
- a charged transfer roller for pressing the recording material against said photosensitive drum in order to transfer the toner image onto the recording material from said photosensitive drum;
- an image fixing nip, formed by the interface of a pressure roller with a cylindrical film rotatably disposed against a heater, at which the toner image is fixed on the recording material;
- a feeding roller for feeding the recording material through said image forming apparatus;
- a gear unit comprising a photosensitive drum driving gear for transmitting a driving force to said photosensitive drum, a pressure roller driving gear for transmitting a driving force to said pressure roller, a feed drive gear for transmitting a driving force to said feeding roller, and a single-piece supporting member on which said photosensitive drum driving gear, said pressure roller driving gear, and said feed drive gear are each axially mounted via gear shafts, said gear unit to be mounted to a frame of said image forming apparatus by fastening said single-piece supporting member to said frame by a screw such that an end of a one of the gear shafts by which said photosensitive drum driving gear is mounted is inserted into a hole of the frame, so that the gear shaft is supported by said single-piece supporting member and the frame.
- 41. An apparatus according to claim 40, wherein said single-piece supporting member is mounted to the frame in such a manner that said gears are interposed between the frame and said supporting member with said gears near the frame.
- 42. An apparatus according to claim 40 or 41, wherein said photosensitive drum driving gear is a helical gear, and a gear shaft for supporting double gears is inserted into a bore of the frame for positioning.
- 43. An apparatus according to claim 40, wherein said image forming apparatus is an electrophotographic copying machine.
- 44. An apparatus according to claim 40, wherein said image forming apparatus is a printer.
- 45. An apparatus according to claim 40, wherein said image forming apparatus is a facsimile machine.
- 46. An electrophotoqraphic image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording material, to which a process cartridge, having a photosensitive drum as a toner image bearing member and a processing mechanism actable on the photosensitive drum, is detachably mountable, comprising:
- a mounting interface at which the process cartridge is detachably mounted;
- a charged transfer roller for pressing the recording material against the photosensitive drum in order to transfer a toner image onto the recording material from the photosensitive drum contained in the process cartridge mounted to said mounting interface;
- a pressure roller interfacing with a cylindrical film, rotatably disposed against a heater, forming an image fixing nip at which the toner image is fixed on the recording material;
- a feeding roller for feeding the recording material through said image forming apparatus;
- a motor for driving the photosensitive drum, said pressure roller, and said feeding roller;
- a gear unit comprising a photosensitive drum driving gear for transmitting a driving force from said motor to the photosensitive drum, a pressure roller driving gear for transmitting a drive force from said motor to said pressure roller, a feed drive gear for transmitting a driving force from said motor to said feeding roller, and a single-piece supporting member on which said photosensitive drum driving gear, said pressure roller driving gear, and said feed drive gear are each axially mounted via gear shafts, said gear unit to be mounted to a frame of said image forming apparatus by fastening said single-piece supporting member to said frame by a screw such that an end of a one of the gear shafts by which said photosensitive drum driving gear is mounted is inserted into a hole of the frame, so that the gear shaft is supported by said single-piece supporting member and the frame.
- 47. An apparatus according to claim 46, wherein said single-piece supporting member is mounted to the frame in such a manner that said gears are interposed between the frame and said single-piece supporting member with said gears near the frame.
- 48. An apparatus according to claim 46 or 47, wherein said photosensitive drum driving gear is a helical gear, and a gear shaft for supporting double gears is inserted into a bore of said frame for positioning.
- 49. An apparatus according to claim 46, wherein said image forming apparatus is an electrophotographic copying machine.
- 50. An apparatus according to claim 46, wherein said image forming apparatus is a printer.
- 51. An apparatus according to claim 46, wherein said image forming apparatus is a facsimile machine.
- 52. An apparatus according to claim 46, wherein said processing mechanism comprises a charging roller for charging the photosensitive drum, a developer for forming the toner image on the photosensitive drum once the photosensitive drum is charged, or a cleaning blade and a receptor sheet which combine to remove residual toner from the photosensitive drum after the toner image is transferred to the recording material.
- 53. An apparatus according to claim 46, wherein said processing mechanism has at least one of a charging roller for charging the photosensitive drum, a developer for forming the toner image on the photosensitive drum once the photosensitive drum is charged, and a cleaning blade and a receptor sheet which combine to remove residual toner from the photosensitive drum after the toner image is transferred to the recording material.
- 54. An apparatus according to claim 46, wherein said processing mechanism comprises a developer for forming the toner image on the photosensitive drum as process means.
- 55. A mounting method for a gear unit usable with an electrophotographic image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording material, the image forming apparatus including a photosensitive drum as a toner image bearing member, an image fixing nip, formed by an interface of a pressure roller and a cylindrical film rotatably disposed against a heater, at which a toner image formed on the photosensitive drum and transferred to the recording material from the photosensitive drum is fixed on the recording material, and a feeding roller for feeding the recording material through the image forming apparatus, said method comprising the steps of:
- preparing said gear unit including a photosensitive drum driving gear for transmitting a driving force to the photosensitive drum, a pressure roller driving gear for transmitting a driving force to the pressure roller, a feed drive gear for transmitting a driving force to the feeding roller, and a single-piece supporting member on which said photosensitive drum driving gear, said pressure roller driving gear, and said feed drive gear are each axially mounted via gear shafts; and
- mounting said gear unit to a frame of the image forming apparatus by fastening said single-piece supporting member to the frame by a screw such that an end of a one of the gear shafts by which said photosensitive drum driving gear is mounted is inserted into a hole of the frame, so that the gear shaft is supported by said single-piece supporting member and the frame, and so that said gears are interposed between the frame and said single-piece supporting member with said gears near to the frame.
- 56. A method according to claim 55, wherein said photosensitive drum driving gear is helical, and a gear shaft for supporting double gears is inserted into a bore of the frame for positioning.
Priority Claims (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
5-123165 |
Apr 1993 |
JPX |
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Parent Case Info
This application is a continuation application of application No. 08/234,413, filed Apr. 28, 1994, now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (9)
Foreign Referenced Citations (4)
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May 1989 |
EPX |
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Jul 1992 |
EPX |
2197258 |
May 1988 |
GBX |
Non-Patent Literature Citations (1)
Entry |
Patent Abstracts of Japan, vol. 017, No. 99, Feb. 1993, for Kokai No. 4-292341, published Oct. 1992. |
Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
234413 |
Apr 1994 |
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