Electrophotography – Internal machine environment – Particle or contaminant control
Reexamination Certificate
2001-06-08
2003-08-05
Chen, Sophia S. (Department: 2852)
Electrophotography
Internal machine environment
Particle or contaminant control
C399S111000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06603939
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention and Related Art
The present invention relates to a process cartridge removably mountable in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, a method for joining a developing means holding frame and a developer holding frame, and a flexible sealing member.
Here, an electrophotographic image forming apparatus is an apparatus that forms an image on a recording medium with the use of an electrophotographic image-formation method. As examples of an electro-photographic image forming apparatus, there are an electrophotographic copying machine, an electrophotographic printer (for example, a laser printer, an LED printer, and the like), a facsimile machine, a word processor, and the like.
A process cartridge is a cartridge that integrally comprises a charging means, a developing means or a cleaning means, and an electrophotographic photosensitive drum, and is removably mountable in the main assembly of an image forming apparatus. It also refers to a cartridge that integrally comprises a minimum of one means among a charging means, a developing means, and cleaning means, and an electrophotographic photosensitive drum, and is removably mountable in the main assembly of an image forming apparatus, and refers to a cartridge that integrally comprises a minimum of a developing means, and an electrophotographic photosensitive drum, and is removably mountable in the main assembly of an image forming apparatus.
As the cumulative usage of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus increases, it becomes necessary to carry out various maintenance operations, for example, replacing a photosensitive drum, replenishing a developing apparatus with developer, replacing the developer, adjusting a charging device, cleaning of a cleaning means container, and the like.
Thus, a process-cartridge system is employed by an electrophotographic image forming apparatus that employs an electrophotographic image-formation process. According to a process-cartridge system, an electrophotographic photosensitive member, and a single or a plurality of processing means, which act on the electrophotographic photosensitive member, are integrated in the form of a cartridge removably mountable in the main assembly of an image forming apparatus. A process-cartridge system makes it possible for a user to maintain an electrophotographic image forming apparatus without relying on service personnel, remarkably improving an electrophotographic image forming apparatus in operational efficiency Therefore, a process-cartridge system is widely used in the field of an image forming apparatus.
Referring to
FIG. 33
, a conventional process cartridge
85
comprises a development unit and a cleaning unit, which are joined with each other with the use of connecting pins
89
. The development unit comprises a developing means container
83
and a toner container
86
, which are welded to each other by ultrasonic welding. The developing means container
83
supports developing members such as a development roller. The cleaning unit comprises a photosensitive drum
11
, a charge roller
12
, a cleaning blade
14
, a cleaning means container
87
, and the like. The photosensitive drum
11
, the charge roller
12
, the cleaning blade
14
, and the like, are supported by the cleaning means container
87
. Further, a pair of compression springs
82
are placed in a compressed state between the cleaning means container
87
and developing means container
83
, keeping the photosensitive drum
11
and development roller
18
pressed toward each other.
The developing means container
83
and toner container
86
are solidly joined to each other with the use of ultrasonic welding, thermal welding, adhesive, or the like. The solidly joined combination of the developing means container
83
and toner container
86
is connected to the cleaning means container
87
, which doubles as a removed toner container, in such a manner that the combination can move relative to the cleaning means container
87
, in other words, can pivot about the connecting pin
89
. There are spacer rings (unshown) between the peripheral surfaces of the photosensitive drum
11
and development roller
18
to keep a proper amount of a gap between the peripheral surfaces of the photosensitive drum
11
and development roller
18
. In other words, while the photosensitive drum
11
and development roller
18
are kept pressed toward each other in a manner to pivot about a line connecting the axial lines of the connecting pins
89
, the spacer rings keep the proper amount of gap between the photosensitive drum
11
and development roller
18
.
There is a tendency that in order to extend the process-cartridge replacement interval, in other words, in order to extend the length of the service life of a process cartridge, a toner container (developer container) and a removed toner container are increased in capacity.
As a toner container is increased in capacity with the use of any of the conventional technologies, the amount of developer (toner) filled in the toner container increases, which results in an increase in the amount of the load which is applied to the spacer rings and also in the amount of the load which is applied to the development roller
18
and photosensitive drum
11
.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The primary object of the present invention is to provide a method for connecting a developing means frame and developer holding frame in such a manner that the two frames are movable relative to each other; a developing apparatus, which comprises a developing means frame and a developer holding frame, which are movable relative to each other; a process cartridge; and a flexible sealing member suitable for using the connecting method.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for connecting a developing means frame and a developer holding frame in such a manner that the load which is applied to a developing member and an electrophotographic photosensitive member does not fluctuate in response to the amount of the developer; a developing apparatus and a process cartridge, in which the load which is applied to a developing member and an electrophotographic photosensitive member does not fluctuate in response to the amount of the developer; and a flexible sealing member suitable for the connecting method.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for connecting a developing means frame and a developer holding frame in such a manner that the load which is applied to a developing member and an electrophotographic photosensitive member does not increase even if the amount of the developer stored in the developer holding frame increases; a developing apparatus and a process cartridge, in which a developing means holding frame and a developer holding frame are connected to each other in such a manner that the two frames are movable relative to each other; and a flexible sealing member suitable for the connecting method.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for connecting a developing means frame and a developer holding frame in such a manner that the load which is applied to a developing member and an electrophotographic photosensitive member does not increase even when the developer container is increased in capacity, and also that the load which is applied to a developing member and an electrophotographic photosensitive member does not change even when the amount of the developer within the developer container decreases; a developing apparatus and a process cartridge, which comprise a developing means frame and a developer holding frame, which are connected to each other with the use of the connecting method; and a flexible sealing member suitable for the connecting method.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a developing apparatus and a process cartridge, in which a flexible seal is folded so that the first and second holes of the flexible sheet align with each other, and the two halves of the flexible sheet created by the folding are pasted t
Miyabe Shigeo
Sakai Hiroaki
Toba Shinjiro
Tsuda Tadayuki
Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
Chen Sophia S.
Fitzpatrick ,Cella, Harper & Scinto
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