Photocopying – Contact printing – Light boxes
Patent
1992-11-23
1995-09-12
Pendegrass, Joan H.
Photocopying
Contact printing
Light boxes
G03G 2118
Patent
active
054501660
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a process cartridge, a recording apparatus and a method for assembling a process cartridge.
The process cartridge means an integral unit including at least an image bearing member (for example an electrophotographic photosensitive member) and developing means, rendered attachable to and detachable from a recording apparatus.
The recording apparatus can be, for example, an electrophotographic copying apparatus, a laser beam printer (LBP), a facsimile apparatus, a word processor or the like.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
In the following there will be explained the background art of the present invention.
FIGS. 1(a) and 1(b) are views showing the background art of the present invention, wherein FIG. 1(a) is a schematic lateral cross-sectional view of a process cartridge not mounted on the recording apparatus, and FIG. 1(b) is a perspective view in which the process cartridge is divided into a developing unit and a cleaner unit.
As shown in FIGS. 1(a) and 1(b), a photosensitive drum unit 7 is provided with a photosensitive drum 4, and a cleaning blade 7a and a used toner reservoir 7b constituting a cleaner 7e for cleaning the periphery of said photosensitive drum 4.
Also a developing unit 6 is provided with a developing sleeve 6a and a toner reservoir 6b constituting a developer 6i. (In these drawings, the toner in the toner reservoir 6b and in the used toner reservoir 7b is omitted.)
Pins 6d formed on arms 6c of the unit 6 are fitted in holes 7c of the unit 7, and are then prevented from displacement in the thrust direction by a thrust stopper 6f such as a ring, fitted on a groove 6e of the pin 6d. Thus the units 6, 7 are mutually rotatable about said pins 6d. Subsequently tension springs 9 are applied between pins 6g provided on both sides of the unit 6 and pins 7d provided on both sides of the unit 7, thereby generating a tensile force between the units 6 and 7. Thus the units 6, 7 are integrated in a state in which the photosensitive drum 4 and the developing sleeve 6a are mutually contacted with a predetermined pressure in a direction A.
When the process cartridge 1 is mounted on a laser beam printer (not shown), the photosensitive drum 4 is driven by a driving gear (not shown) of the main body of the apparatus, while the developing sleeve 6a is rotated by a developing roller gear 6h meshing with a photosensitive drum gear 4a. In general, the pins 6d and the holes 7c are positioned in the angular direction of meshing pressure of said gears, in order not to receive the force in the rotational direction.
However, the above-explained process cartridge requires a cumbersome operation in the assembling, as the tension springs 9 cannot be placed between the pins 6g and 7d unless they are once extended with a force exceeding the necessary tensile force. Also in case of disassembling the process cartridge into the cleaner 7 and the developer unit 6 for maintenance or the like, there have to be detached the springs 9 and then the thrust stopper 6f. In this manner cumbersome operations are involved in the assembling and disassembling of such conventional process cartridge.
On the other hand, the present applicant made an invention enabling the process cartridge to be made compact by the use of compression coil springs in contacting the developing sleeve with the photosensitive drum with a predetermined pressure, and applied for a patent in Japan on this invention (Japanese Patent Application No. 63-69735, filed Mar. 25, 1988; Japanese Patent Laid-open Application No. 1-244472, laid open Sep. 28, 1989).
The present invention is an extension of the above-mentioned background art and of the above-explained invention of the present applicant.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a process cartridge enabling further compactization, an image forming apparatus adapted therefor, and a method for assembling such process cartridge.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a process cartridge capable of reducing
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patent: 5061959 (1991-10-01), Kinoshita et al.
patent: 5115272 (1992-05-01), Ohmori et al.
patent: 5153649 (1992-10-01), Park
Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
Pendegrass Joan H.
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