Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Kanji Yokomori

Susumu Nittani

Kazuhiko Kanno

Tachio Kawai

Shigeo Miyabe

Takeshi Arimitsu

Yoshiya Nomura

Hideki Maeshima

Kazunari Murayama

Hisayoshi Kojima

Tatsuya Suzuki

Nobuharu Hoshi

Jun Miyamoto

Kouji Miura

Koji Hashimoto

Shinjiro Toba

Tadashi Horikawa

Hideshi Kawaguchi

Masatomo Tsuzuki

Masatomo Tsuduki

Tadayuki Tsuda

Toshiyuki Karakama

Toru Oguma

Hideki Sato

Shinya Noda

Shinichi Sasaki

Yasuyuki Ishii

Atsushi Kubota

Yuuki Nakamura

Takashi Akutsu

Yoshikazu Sasago

Kojiro Yasui

Hironobu Isobe

Haruhisa Oshida

Kouji Hashimoto

Koji Miura

Toshihiko Miura

Takahiro Noguchi

Masatoshi Kato

A developing apparatus usable with an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, the apparatus including a developer accommodating container, a developer chamber including a developer carrying member carrying and feeding a developer supplied from the container to develop an electrostatic latent image formed on an electrophotographic photosensitive member, a stirrer stirring the developer in the chamber and supplying the developer from the container into the chamber through an opening in the container, a wall surface, provided in the container, for being contacted by a free end portion of the stirrer while the stirrer moves, and a detector detecting a remaining amount of the developer. The position where the free end portion of the stirrer separates from the wall surface is above the detector and inside the container.

Developing apparatus, process cartridge and image forming apparatus

A process cartridge which is capable of being carried on a movable guide provided in the main assembly of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus and which is movable from a receiving position toward a mount position in interrelation with movement of the movable guide, includes an electrophotographic photosensitive drum; process means actable on the drum; a cartridge frame supporting the drum and the process means; a first portion to be carried, provided at one longitudinal end of the drum, for being supported by the movable guide; a second portion to be carried, provided at the other longitudinal end of the drum, for being supported by the movable guide; a first positioning portion to be positioned relative to a main assembly, the first positioning portion extending outwardly from the cartridge frame adjacent the other longitudinal end of the drum; a second positioning portion to be positioned relative to the main assembly, the second positioning portion extending outwardly from the cartridge frame adjacent the other longitudinal end of the drum; and an engaging portion for engagement with a locking portion which is movable in interrelation with the movement of the movable guide to receive a pulling force for movement from the receiving position toward the mount position.

Process cartridge, mounting mechanism therefor and electrophotographic image forming apparatus

A process cartridge and an image forming apparatus which can stably keep a developing separated state for a long period by a compact construction, and in which when a separating member has been mounted on the process cartridge, the separating member is supported in a center impeller fashion by one frame, and the other frame is supported by a portion therebetween to thereby keep the developing separated state.

Process cartridge including first and second frames and separating member moving the second frame to a separated position and image forming apparatus detachably mounting the cartridge

Disclosed are a developing device, a developing cartridge, a process cartridge, and an image forming apparatus in which image deficiency is prevented by absorbing the tolerance of each component and making the position of the developing roller in the thrust direction constant and which are easy to assemble. A frame member is equipped with an urging unit that axially urges the developing roller, the urging unit urging the developing roller in the direction of movement of the developing roller by the thrust force of a helical gear when a driving force is transmitted to the developing roller, to thereby make the position of the developing roller in the thrust direction constant.

Developing device, and process cartridge maintaining position of developing roller, and image forming apparatus using these

A process cartridge remanufacturing method including the steps of: separating photosensitive drum and developing units; dismounting a first side cover member; a dismounting a first gear group from a first bearing member; dismounting a supporting member from the first bearing member; dismounting a second gear group from the first bearing member; dismounting the first bearing member; dismounting a developing roller; dismounting a developing blade; filling a developer into a developer accommodating portion; mounting the developing blade; mounting the developing roller; mounting the second gear group, mounting the supporting member; mounting the first gear group; mounting the first side cover member; and rotatably connecting the photosensitive drum and developing units.

Remanufacturing method for process cartridge

A process cartridge detachably mountable to a main assembly of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus includes an electrophotographic photosensitive drum, a process device actable on the drum, a drum frame, first and second drum frame openings at a different longitudinal ends of the drum frame, first and second end regulating portions at different longitudinal ends of the drum frame, a drum shaft with a through hole, a drum end flange with an end flange opening for receiving the drum shaft, first and second openings provided opposite from each other at a periphery of the end flange opening, and a connecting member penetrating the first opening and the through hole and engaged with the second opening to connect the photosensitive drum with the drum shaft. The regulating portions regulate the position of the drum in its longitudinal direction and the connecting member connects the drum shaft with the drum.

Process cartridge, mounting method of electrophotographic photosensitive drum and replacing method of the photosensitive drum

An image forming apparatus having a first operating mode and a second operating mode, where the second operating mode has an image forming velocity different from that in the first operating mode. The image forming apparatus includes a developing-agent containing portion, which contains a developing agent, an optical developing-agent amount detecting portion, which detects the amount of developing agent in the developing agent containing portion, a processing portion, which obtains the amount of developing agent based on data on the amount of developing agent detected by the developing-agent amount detecting portion, and a storing portion, which stores information for correcting data on the amount of developing agent detected by the developing-agent amount detecting portion in the second operating mode. The processing portion corrects the data on the amount of developing agent detected by the developing-agent amount detecting portion in the second operating mode based on the information stored in the storing portion, and obtains the amount of developing agent based on the corrected data.

Image forming apparatus and developing-agent amount detecting method, cartridge, and storage medium

When a space holding member for holding a photosensitive drum and a developing roller in a spaced-apart state act on a process cartridge main body, the photosensitive drum and the developing roller are held in the spaced-apart state, and when the holding member is acting on a process cartridge, a storing medium provided in the process cartridge and the communication member of the storing medium are covered and hidden by the holding member. By the above-described construction, the spacing-apart of the developing roller and the protection of the storing medium can be effected by a member, and an improvement in usability and the curtailment of the number of parts can be achieved.

Process cartridge and holding member

A process cartridge, detachably mountable to a main assembly of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, includes an electrophotographic photosensitive drum, a developing member for developing an image formed on the drum, first and second end cover portions provided at different ends of the drum, first and second cartridge-bottom-surface portions to be guided by first and second main assembly guide portions, first and second longitudinally-outwardly-drum-projecting portions to be positioned by first and second main assembly positioning portions, respectively, a downstream-projecting third portion to be positioned by a third main assembly positioning portion, and a driving force receiving portion, partly exposed through the first end cover portion between the first and third portions to be positioned, which engages, when the cartridge is mounted to the main assembly, a main assembly driving force transmitting portion to receive a driving force for rotating the developing member from the main assembly driving force transmitting portion.

Process cartridge and electrophotographic image forming apparatus

Image forming apparatus

Developing device, developing cartridge, and process cartridge each urging developing roller into regulating portion, and image forming apparatus having such developing device or process cartridge

A process cartridge and an electrophotographic image forming apparatus incorporating the same. The process cartridge includes an electrophotographic photosensitive member, a container supplying a developer to the electrophotographic photosensitive member, a cleaning member including a blade and a support portion supporting the blade, the blade selectively contacting the electrophotographic photosensitive member to remove the developer from the electrophotographic photosensitive member, and a cartridge frame supporting the electrophotographic photosensitive member and the support portion, the cartridge frame including a contact portion contacting the support portion under external forces on the cartridge frame to prevent deformation of the cartridge frame.

Rigid process cartridge and electrophotographic image forming apparatus incorporating the same

An electrophotographic photosensitive drum for use in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus includes a cylinder and flanges provided on end portions in the axial direction of the cylinder. One flange has an outer peripheral portion, a hole portion and ribs, and the flange is caulked by bending part of the cylinder inwardly in the radial direction at two positions opposing each other across the hole portion, those two positions being other than positions at which the ribs intersect the outer peripheral portion in the extending direction of the ribs.

Electrophotographic photosensitive drum having caulked flanges, process cartridge having such a drum, and image forming apparatus having such a process cartridge

A process cartridge which is capable of being carried on a movable guide provided in the main assembly of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus and which is movable from a receiving position toward a mount position in interrelation with movement of the movable guide, includes an electrophotographic photosensitive drum; process means actable on the drum; a cartridge frame supporting the drum and the process means; a first portion to be carried, provided at one longitudinal end of the drum, for being supported by the movable guide; a second portion to be carried, provided at the other longitudinal end of the drum, for being supported by the movable guide; a first positioning portion to be positioned relative to a main assembly, the first positioning portion extending outwardly from the cartridge frame adjacent the one longitudinal end of the drum; a second positioning portion to be positioned relative to the main assembly, the second positioning portion extending outwardly from the cartridge frame adjacent the other longitudinal end of the drum; and an engaging portion for engagement with a locking portion which is movable in interrelation with the movement of the movable guide to receive a pulling force for movement from the receiving position toward the mount position.

Growing community of inventors

Odawara, Japan

Kanji Yokomori