Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Masatoshi Yamashita

Masaaki Sato

Kazuhiko Kanno

Satoshi Nishiya

Toshiharu Kawai

Yoichiro Iizuka

Kohei Koguchi

Tetsuya Numata

Yuichi Fukui

Yukio Kubo

Tetsuji Suzuki

Daisuke Takamura

Yuichiro Osawa

Ryuji Tanaami

Yoshiyuki Maekawa

A cartridge incudes a developing roller for developing a latent image on a photosensitive drum, a drive inputting portion for receiving a driving force for driving the developing roller, a movable lever, and a clutch for transmitting the driving force received by the drive inputting portion to the developing roller. In a state where the developing roller contacts the photosensitive drum, the clutch is capable of preventing the transmission of the driving force to the developing roller in response to a position of the movable lever.

Cartridge, process cartridge and electrophotographic image forming apparatus

A cartridge includes a developing roller rotatable about a rotational axis thereof and a movable lever. A coupling member is operatively connected to the developing roller, with the coupling member being movable, in response to a movement of the lever, between (a) a first position in which the coupling member is exposed to outside of the cartridge, and (b) a second position. The coupling member is provided at a first end portion on a first side of the cartridge. In a direction of the rotational axis of the developing roller, the first position is farther from a second end portion provided on a second side of the cartridge that is opposite to the first end portion on the first side of the cartridge than the second position is from the second end portion on the second side of the cartridge.

A process cartridge includes a photosensitive drum, a developing roller, and a movable lever. The process cartridge also includes a coupling member operatively connected to the developing roller, with the coupling member being movable in response to a movement of the lever. The process cartridge is configured such that, when the process cartridge is oriented with the photosensitive drum and the developing roller positioned at a downward side of the process cartridge, an end of the lever is positioned lower than a rotational axis of the photosensitive drum and a rotational axis of the developing roller.

A cartridge detachably mountable to a main assembly of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, the cartridge includes (i) a rotatable developing roller for developing a latent image formed on a photosensitive member; (ii) a first drive transmission member capable of receiving a rotational force originated by the main assembly; (iii) a second drive transmission member capable of coupling with the first drive transmission member and capable of transmitting the rotational force received by the first drive transmission member to the developing roller; and (iv) a coupling disconnection member including a force receiving portion capable of receiving the force originated by the main assembly, and an urging portion capable of urging at least one of the first drive transmission member and the second drive transmission member by the force received by the force receiving portion to separate one of the first drive transmission member and the second drive transmission member from the other, thereby disconnecting the coupling.

An image forming apparatus includes a first metal plate provided with a through hole; a second metal plate provided opposed to the first plate; a third metal plate provided between the first plate and the second plate; and a fixing member fixing the first plate and the third metal plate to each other. The fixing member has a first surface and a second surface extending in a direction crossing the first surface. The third metal plate extends outward in a direction in which the first plate and the second plate opposes to each other, and the third metal plate is provided with a first projection penetrating the through hole, and wherein the first projection is fixed on the first surface. The first plate is fixed on the second surface of the fixing member.

Image forming device with frame having metal plates with improved resiliency

A process cartridge detachably mountable to a main assembly of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, includes a rotatable photosensitive drum; a rotatable developing roller configured to develop image formed on the drum, the developing roller being capable of contacting to and spacing from the drum; an urging force receiving portion configured to receive, from a main assembly side urging member, an urging force for spacing the developing roller from the drum; a cartridge side drive transmission member capable of the coupling with a main assembly side drive transmission member and configured to receive, from the main assembly side drive transmission member, a rotational force for rotating the developing roller; and a decoupling member capable of urging the cartridge side drive transmission member by the urging force received by the urging force receiving portion to decouple the cartridge side drive transmission member from the main assembly side drive transmission member.

Image forming apparatus with frame having metal plates with improved resiliency

An image forming apparatus forming an image on a recording material includes a main assembly and a supporting member for supporting a plurality of cartridges. The supporting member is movable to an outside position, a first inside position where the cartridges are positioned inside of the main assembly, and a second inside position where the supporting member is movable to the outside position and the first inside position. A first positioning portion positions an associated cartridge when the supporting member is located at the first inside position, and a first preventing portion prevents rotation of the associated cartridge about the first positioning portion. In addition, a second positioning portion positions the associated cartridge when the supporting member is located at the second inside position, and the second positioning portion is spaced from the associated cartridge when the supporting member is located at the first inside position.

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Tokyo, Japan

Masatoshi Yamashita