Claims
- 1. A process cartridge removably mountable to a main body of an image forming apparatus, said process cartridge comprising:
- a frame;
- a photosensitive member provided at said frame;
- process means provided at said frame to act on said photosensitive member;
- a conductive member arranged at one end of said photosensitive member in an axial direction thereof for contacting an electric contact of the image forming apparatus; and
- an opening portion for abutting against a shutter means of the image forming apparatus to open a laser beam path, said opening portion being provided on said frame at the other end of said photosensitive member in an axial direction thereof,
- wherein said process cartridge is removably mountable to the main body of the image forming apparatus in a direction intersecting with a longitudinal direction of said photosensitive member, and
- wherein said conductive member and said opening portion contact the electric contact and the shutter means, respectively, in the course of mounting said process cartridge to the main body.
- 2. A process cartridge according to claim 1, wherein said opening portion is positioned from a side end of said frame by an amount of approximately 5-6 mm.
- 3. A process cartridge according to claim 1, wherein said opening portion comprises a projection formed on said frame.
- 4. A process cartridge according to claim 1, wherein said opening portion comprises a projection formed on said frame at an upper portion thereof.
- 5. A process cartridge according to claim 1, wherein said opening portion is provided at substantially a leading portion of said process cartridge as said process cartridge is mounted to the image forming apparatus.
- 6. A process cartridge according to claim 1, wherein said conductive member is an earthing contact for earthing a photosensitive drum as said photosensitive member.
- 7. A process cartridge according to claim 1, wherein said process cartridge integrally incorporates therein an electrophotographic photosensitive member as said photosensitive member, and charger means, developing means or cleaning means as said process means, as a unit which can be removably mounted to the image forming apparatus.
- 8. A process cartridge according to claim 1, wherein said process cartridge integrally incorporates therein an electrophotographic photosensitive member as said photosensitive member, and at least one of charger means, developing means and cleaning means as said process means, as a unit which can be removably mounted to the image forming apparatus.
- 9. A process cartridge according to claim 1, wherein said process cartridge integrally incorporates therein an electrophotographic photosensitive member as said photosensitive member, and at least developing means as said process means, as a unit which can be removably mounted to the image forming apparatus.
- 10. An image forming apparatus having a main body to which a process cartridge can be removably mounted to form an image on a recording medium, said image forming apparatus comprising:
- an electric contact;
- mounting means capable of mounting a process cartridge including a frame, a photosensitive member provided at the frame, process means provided at the frame to act on the photosensitive member, a conductive member arranged at one end of the photosensitive member in an axial direction thereof for contacting said electric contact of said image forming apparatus, and an opening portion for abutting against a shutter means of said image forming apparatus to open a laser beam path, the opening portion being provided on the frame at the other end of the photosensitive member in the axial direction thereof;
- laser beam illuminating means for illuminating a laser beam onto the photosensitive member of the process cartridge mounted on said mounting means; and
- shutter means shiftable between a blocking position where the laser beam from said laser beam illuminating means is blocked and an open position where said shutter means is retracted from the blocking positions,
- wherein the process cartridge is removably mountable to said main body of said image forming apparatus in a direction intersecting with a longitudinal direction of the photosensitive member, and the opening portion of the process cartridge is abutted against said shutter means to open the laser beam path, and
- wherein said electric contact and said shutter means contact the conductive member and the opening portion, respectively, in the course of mounting the process cartridge to said main body.
- 11. An image forming apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said shutter means is shifted to the blocking position when the opening portion of the process cartridge is separated from said shutter means.
- 12. An image forming apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said shutter means comprises a shutter portion shiftable between the blocking position for blocking the laser beam and the open position retracted from the blocking position, and an abutment portion abutted against the opening portion.
- 13. An image forming apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said image forming apparatus is an electrophotographic copying machine.
- 14. An image forming apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said image forming apparatus is a laser beam printer.
- 15. An image forming apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said image forming apparatus is a facsimile machine.
- 16. A process cartridge comprising a casing containing a rotatable electrophotographic photosensitive drum, a driven gear coaxial with said photosensitive drum, a charging roller for charging said photosensitive drum, a developing roller for developing a latent image formed on said photosensitive drum and a cleaning blade for removing developer from said photosensitive drum, said casing having a first opening for allowing light to pass to said photosensitive drum for forming a latent image thereon and a second opening for transferring developed images from said photosensitive drum to a transfer material, said process cartridge being adapted to be removably inserted in a direction transverse to a rotational axis of said photosensitive drum into a cavity in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus that has an arrangement for guiding said process cartridge to an operative position in the apparatus and for supporting said process cartridge in the operative position with said driven gear engaged with a driving gear of the apparatus, wherein said photosensitive drum is mounted in said casing at a front portion thereof relative to the insertion direction, outwardly protruding guide members are provided on said casing at opposite sides of said front portion for cooperation with said guiding arrangement for effecting said guiding, and a rear portion of said casing relative to the direction of insertion is constructed so that said rear portion may be gripped by an operator for inserting said process cartridge into and removing said process cartridge from the apparatus;
- an earthing conductive member disposed at one side of said casing that is arranged to make sliding electrical contact with a contact member at a corresponding one side of the cavity as said process cartridge reaches the operative position upon insertion into the apparatus; and
- an abutment disposed at another side of said casing opposite said one side, which extends sideways from said casing and which is arranged to engage an actuating member, at a corresponding another side of the cavity, of a spring-loaded laser beam shutter mechanism as said process cartridge approaches the operative position upon insertion into the apparatus to urge the spring-loaded laser beam shutter mechanism to an open position,
- wherein, as said process cartridge approaches the operative position upon insertion into the image forming apparatus, said process cartridge receives, at one end thereof in a direction intersecting the insertion direction thereof, a mounting load due to friction between said earthing conductive member and the contact member, and receives at another end thereof in the direction intersecting the insertion direction thereof, a mounting load by the actuating member of the spring-loaded laser beam shutter mechanism acting on said abutment of said process cartridge.
- 17. A process cartridge according to claim 16, wherein said abutment extends outwardly approximately 5-6 mm from said casing.
- 18. A process cartridge according to claim 16 or 17, wherein said abutment is disposed above said rotational axis of said photosensitive drum.
- 19. A process cartridge according to claim 18, wherein said driven gear is a helical gear and is provided at said one side of said casing, opposite said another side at which said abutment is disposed.
- 20. A process cartridge according to claim 19, wherein said photosensitive drum has a spur gear provided at said another side of said casing for driving a transfer roller of the image forming apparatus for transferring developed images formed on said photosensitive drum.
- 21. A process cartridge according to claim 20, wherein said earthing conductive member is coaxial with said photosensitive drum.
- 22. A process cartridge according to claim 21, wherein said earthing conductive member is made of metal, and is provided integrally with a shaft of said photosensitive drum.
- 23. A process cartridge according to claim 22, further comprising a conductive piece contacting an inner surface of said photosensitive drum.
- 24. A process cartridge according to claim 23, further comprising a spring-loaded drum shutter for said second opening for protecting a transfer area of said photosensitive drum, and a shutter actuator mechanism for opening said spring-loaded drum shutter.
- 25. A process cartridge according to claim 24, wherein said shutter actuator mechanism includes an actuator element disposed to said one side of said casing for engaging with a member at the corresponding one side of the cavity of the apparatus.
- 26. A process cartridge according to claim 16 or 17, wherein said driven gear is a helical gear and is provided at said one side of said casing, opposite said another side at which said abutment is disposed.
- 27. A process cartridge according to claim 26, wherein said photosensitive drum has a spur gear provided at said another side of said casing for driving a transfer roller of the image forming apparatus for transferring developed images formed on said photosensitive drum.
- 28. A process cartridge according to claim 27, wherein said earthing conductive member is coaxial with said photosensitive drum.
- 29. A process cartridge according to claim 28, wherein said earthing conductive member is made of metal, and is provided integrally with a shaft of said photosensitive drum.
- 30. A process cartridge according to claim 29, further comprising a conductive piece contacting an inner surface of said photosensitive drum.
- 31. A process cartridge according to claim 30, further comprising a spring-loaded drum shutter for said second opening for protecting a transfer area of said photosensitive drum, and a shutter actuator mechanism for opening said spring-loaded drum shutter.
- 32. A process cartridge according to claim 31, wherein said shutter actuator mechanism includes an actuator element disposed to said one side of said casing for engaging with a member at the corresponding one side of the cavity of the apparatus.
- 33. A process cartridge according to claim 16, wherein said conductive member is coaxial with said photosensitive drum.
- 34. A process cartridge according to claim 16 or 33, wherein said conductive member is made of metal, and is provided integrally with a shaft of said photosensitive drum.
- 35. A process cartridge according to claim 34, further comprising a conductive piece contacting an inner surface of said photosensitive drum.
- 36. A process cartridge according to claim 35, further comprising a spring-loaded drum shutter for said second opening for protecting a transfer area of said photosensitive drum, and a shutter actuator mechanism for opening said spring-loaded drum shutter.
- 37. A process cartridge according to claim 36, wherein said shutter actuator mechanism includes an actuator element disposed to said one side of said casing for engaging with a member at the corresponding one side of the cavity of the apparatus.
- 38. A process cartridge according to claim 16, wherein said process cartridge is formed as a first unit and a second unit connected together for rocking movement with respect to each other.
- 39. A process cartridge according to claim 38, wherein said photosensitive drum, said charging roller, and said cleaning blade are housed in said first unit, and said developing roller is housed in said second unit.
- 40. A process cartridge according to claim 38, wherein said first unit and said second unit are disposed toward said front portion and said rear portion, respectively, of said process cartridge.
- 41. A process cartridge according to claim 39 or 40, wherein said abutment projects from an upper surface of said first unit in the axial direction of said photosensitive drum.
- 42. A process cartridge according to claim 16, further comprising a spring-loaded drum shutter for said second opening for protecting a transfer area of said photosensitive drum, and a shutter actuator mechanism for opening said spring-loaded drum shutter.
- 43. A process cartridge according to claim 42, wherein said shutter actuator mechanism includes an actuator element disposed to said one side of said casing for engaging with a member at the corresponding one side of the cavity of the apparatus.
- 44. A process cartridge according to claim 16, wherein said rear portion that is a grippable portion of said casing comprises a surface formation configured to facilitate gripping of the formation by a user, said surface formation having a center which is offset from a center plane of said process cartridge that bisects said photosensitive drum, the offset being towards said one side of said casing.
- 45. An electrophotographic image forming apparatus for use with a cartridge, said apparatus comprising:
- a cavity in which the cartridge can be removably disposed in an operative position;
- an arrangement for guiding the cartridge to the operative position and supporting the cartridge in the operative position;
- a driving gear for engaging and driving a driven gear of the cartridge for rotating a photosensitive drum of the cartridge;
- a laser light source for projecting a laser beam along a path through a first opening in a casing of the cartridge onto the photosensitive drum to form a latent image thereon;
- means for conveying a transfer material past a second opening in the casing of the cartridge for transferring developed images from the photosensitive drum to the transfer material;
- a contact member disposed at one side of said cavity and which is arranged to make sliding electrical contact with an earthing conductive member of the cartridge as the cartridge approaches the operative position upon insertion of the cartridge into said apparatus; and
- a spring-loaded laser beam shutter mechanism, which can block the path of the laser beam and which has an actuating member disposed at a side of said cavity opposite said one side, which is arranged to be engaged by an abutment of the cartridge as the cartridge approaches the operative position upon insertion into said cavity so that said spring-loaded laser beam shutter mechanism is urged to an open position,
- wherein, as the cartridge approaches the operative position upon insertion into said apparatus, the cartridge receives, at one end thereof in a direction intersecting an insertion direction thereof, a mounting load due to friction between the earthing conductive member and said contact member, and receives at another end thereof in the direction intersecting the insertion direction thereof, a mounting load by said actuating member of said spring-loaded laser beam shutter mechanism acting on the abutment of the process cartridge.
- 46. An apparatus according to claim 45, wherein said contact member is a leaf spring.
- 47. An apparatus according to claim 45 or 46, further comprising a member provided at said one side of said cavity for engaging a spring-loaded drum shutter mechanism of the cartridge for opening a drum shutter of the cartridge as the cartridge is inserted into said cavity.
Priority Claims (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
4-260618 |
Sep 1992 |
JPX |
|
Parent Case Info
This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 08/441,983, filed May 16, 1995, which in turn is a continuation of application Ser. No. 08/070,222, filed Jun. 2, 1993, both now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (18)
Foreign Referenced Citations (6)
Number |
Date |
Country |
0276910 |
Aug 1988 |
EPX |
51-90830 |
Aug 1976 |
JPX |
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Aug 1976 |
JPX |
55-164845 |
Dec 1980 |
JPX |
59-151170 |
Aug 1984 |
JPX |
63-149669 |
Jun 1988 |
JPX |
Non-Patent Literature Citations (1)
Entry |
Murata, Yuji, "Surface Polymer and Electrostatics", Japan Surface Science Association, Surface Film Module Design Series 5, preface and pp. 12 through 17, with full English translation. |
Continuations (2)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
441983 |
May 1995 |
|
Parent |
70222 |
Jun 1993 |
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