Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Yoshiya Nomura

Shigeo Miyabe

Yoshinori Sugiura

Hiroaki Miyake

Shinichi Sasaki

Isao Ikemoto

Kazushi Watanabe

Tadayuki Tsuda

Kenji Matsuda

Kanji Yokomori

Hideshi Kawaguchi

Kazuo Shishido

Hiroyuki Shirai

Toshiyuki Karakama

Yoshiro Tsuchiya

Chitose Tenpaku

Takeshi Kubota

Akira Kuroda

Hironobu Isobe

Ken Murooka

Nobukazu Adachi

Takeshi Niimura

Noriyoshi Ishikawa

Takeshi Setoriyama

Takeshi Sugita

Jun Azuma

Akira Yuza

Tatsuo Hamada

Makoto Tanaka

Shinya Noda

Minoru Sato

Yoshikazu Sasago

Hiroo Kobayashi

Kazuhiko Ishiwata

Kanji Yano

Akira Higeta

Kazumi Sekine

Kazunori Kobayashi

Kouji Miura

Koji Miura

Toru Koizumi

Yasushi Sato

Teruhiko Sasaki

Atsushi Kubota

Takeo Shoji

Satoshi Kurihara

Yasuo Fujiwara

Ichiro Terada

Ryuji Araki

Toshiyuki Karkama

A process cartridge is detachably attachable to the main body of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus having a laser beam applying member, a shutter for shutting off the optical path of a laser beam emitted from the laser beam applying member, a portion for moving the shutter to a retracted position retracted from a shutting-off position for shutting off the optical path, a main body frame provided upstream of the shutter with respect to the attachment direction of the process cartridge, and an opening portion provided in the main body frame. The cartridge includes an electrophotographic photosensitive drum, a process device for acting on the drum, and a cartridge abutting portion adapted, when the cartridge is to be attached to the main body of an apparatus functionally differing from the main body of the image forming apparatus, to abut against a main body frame provided on the main body of the functionally different apparatus to thereby block the attachment of the process cartridge.

PROCESS CARTRIDGE, AN IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS, AND SYSTEM DESIGNED TO BLOCK ATTACHMENT OF A PROCESS CARTRIDGE TO AN APPARATUS FUNCTIONALLY DIFFERENT FROM THE APPARATUS TO WHICH THE PROCESS CARTRIDGE IS DESIGNED TO BE ATTACHED

A developing device frame usable with a process cartridge detachably mountable to a main assembly of an image forming apparatus, wherein the process cartridge includes an electrophotographic photosensitive member, a developing roller for supplying toner to the electrophotographic photosensitive member to develop a latent image formed on the photosensitive member, a toner accommodating portion for accommodating the toner to be used for development operation of the developing roller, and a stirring member for stirring the toner fed out of the toner accommodating portion, the developing device frame includes a developing roller mounting portion for mounting the developing roller; an antenna member mounting portion for mounting, along a longitudinal direction of the developing roller, an antenna member having a portion opposed to the developing roller and an extension discharging portion extended to a portion not opposed to the developing roller from the opposed portion, wherein the antenna member produces an electric signal to be transmitted to detecting means provided in the main assembly of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus to notify that the process cartridge is mounted to the main assembly of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus; a first gear mounting portion for mounting first gear for transmitting, to the stirring member, driving force for rotating the stirring member, wherein the gear is disposed at the same side, in the longitudinal direction of the developing device frame, as a side where an antenna member mounted to the antenna member mounting portion is extended.

Developing device frame, process cartridge, and electrophotographic image forming apparatus

A cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive drum of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus includes plural holes penetrating a metallic hollow cylindrical base body in a radial direction near its end portion, where the end portion of the base body and the holes are filled with resin, and a flange is formed by outset molding so as to integrate the base body and the flange.

Electrophotographic photosensitive drum, process cartridge, and electrophotographic image forming apparatus

A remanufacturing method of a process cartridge detachably mountable to an image forming apparatus includes disassembling the process cartridge into a first frame having a developer accommodating portion for accommodating a developer and a second frame having a developer carrying member for carrying the developer supplied from the developer accommodating portion toward an image bearing member, thus exposing an opening of the first frame for permitting movement of the developer from the first frame to the second frame; removing residual which is resulted from a covering member having been used for sealing the opening and which remains around the opening, wherein the covering member has a sealing portion for sealing the opening and an extension for permitting the sealing portion to be torn with a part thereof remaining around the opening to open the opening, by pulling the extension, wherein the residual is a part of the sealing portion; mounting a fresh covering member to seal the opening; then supplying the developer accommodating portion with a fresh developer; and then engaging the first and second frames together.

Remanufacturing method for process cartridge, process cartridge and image forming apparatus

A developing device holder usable with a process cartridge detachably mountable to a main assembly of an image forming apparatus (the process cartridge including an electrophotographic photosensitive member, a developing roller, and a developing frame for supporting the developing roller), wherein the developing device holder includes (i) an antenna contact mounting portion for mounting an antenna contact for transmitting an electric signal to a detecting device provided in the main assembly of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus to notify mounting of the process cartridge to the main assembly of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus, wherein the antenna contact mounting portion mounts the antenna contact so as to be exposed from the developing device holder when the developing device holder is mounted to the developing frame; and (ii) a guiding member for guiding the process cartridge when the process cartridge is mounted to the main assembly of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus. The guiding member is disposed at the same side as a side where the antenna contact which is mounted to the antenna contact mounting portion is exposed, and the developing device holder is mountable to the developing frame of the process cartridge.

Developing device holder having antenna contact mounting unit

A toner container for containing toner to be used for developing a latent image formed on an electrophotographic photosensitive member by a developing device, usable with a process cartridge detachably mountable to a main assembly of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, the process cartridge containing the photosensitive member and the developing device, includes: a first frame having a toner supply opening for supplying the toner to the developing device and a mounting portion for mounting a rotatable stirring member for stirring the toner contained in the toner container; a second frame coupled with the first frame and having an outward projection without interference with a rotational region of the stirring member; wherein the toner container is formed by coupling the first frame and second frame.

Toner container, toner container assembling method, process cartridge, and electrophotographic image forming apparatus

A developing device, a process cartridge and an electrophotographic image forming apparatus include a device for successively detecting the toner remaining amount throughout the service life of the process cartridge. A first antenna rod is provided on a rotating agitating member, and an amount of toner between them is detected successively. By using a second fixed antenna provided in a toner container, the toner amount is successively detected when the toner amount is small. A toner scraping-off member contacting the rotating agitating member is provided in the toner container.

Developing device, process cartridge, electrophotographic image forming apparatus and agitating member

An electrophotographic image forming apparatus onto which a process cartridge is detachably mountable, for forming an image on a recording medium, has (a) a mounting member for detachably mounting a process cartridge having an electrophotographic photosensitive member, a charging member for charging the electrophotographic photosensitive member, a cartridge charge bias contact for receiving a charging bias to be impressed on the charging member from the main body of the apparatus when the process cartridge is mounted on the main body of the apparatus, and a cartridge-earth contact for connecting the electrophotographic photosensitive member to ground with the main body of the apparatus when the process cartridge is mounted on the main body of the apparatus, (b) a main-body-charge bias contact to be electrically connected to the cartridge-charge-bias contact when the process cartridge is mounted on the mounting member, (c) a main-body earth contact to be electrically connected to the cartridge-earth contact when the process cartridge is mounted on the mounting member, (d) a detecting member for detecting that the process cartridge is not mounted in a cartridge-mounting position by detecting that at least one of the cartridge-charge-bias contact and the cartridge-earth contact is not electrically connected to a corresponding one of the main-body-charge bias contact and the main-body earth contact and (e) a conveying member for conveying the recording medium.

Electrophotographic image forming apparatus, electrophotographic image forming system, and process cartridge

A developing device frame usable with a process cartridge detachably mountable to a main assembly of an image forming apparatus, wherein the process cartridge includes an electrophotographic photosensitive member, a developing roller for supplying toner to the electrophotographic photosensitive member to develop a latent image formed on the photosensitive member, a toner accommodating portion for accommodating the toner to be used for development operation of the developing roller, and a stirring member for stirring the toner fed out of the toner accommodating portion, the developing device frame includes a developing roller mounting portion for mounting the developing roller; an antenna member mounting portion for mounting, along a longitudinal direction of the developing roller, an antenna member having a portion opposed to the developing roller and an extension discharging portion extended to a portion not opposed to the developing roller from the opposed portion, wherein the antenna member produces an electric signal to be transmitted to detecting means provided in the main assembly of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus to notify that the process cartridge is mounted to the main assembly of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus.

Developing device frame process cartridge and electrophotographic image forming apparatus

A process cartridge detachably mountable to an image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member; process device actable on the image bearing member; a first frame containing the image bearing member and the process device; and a second frame engageable with and disengageable from the first frame and containing a developer container.

Detachable two-frame process cartridge for an image forming apparatus

A frame structure usable in an image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording material using a laser source, the apparatus includes a first wall; a second wall opposed to the first wall; first and second connecting members bridging between the first wall and the second wall; a scanner supporting member for supporting an optical device between the first connecting member and the second connecting member; a motor supporting member for supporting a motor between the scanner supporting member and the first wall; wherein the walls, connecting members, scanner supporting member and motor supporting member are integrally molded.

Frame structure and an image forming apparatus using such a frame

A process cartridge detachably mountable to a main assembly of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, includes a cartridge frame; an electrophotographic photosensitive drum having a cylinder and a photosensitive layer thereon; a process mechanism actable on the photosensitive drum; a drum shaft for rotatably supporting the photosensitive drum on the cartridge frame, the drum shaft extending through the photosensitive drum and having a length enough to be supported by the cartridge frame at one end thereof and at the other end thereof; and a preventing member for preventing the drum shaft from disengaging from the cartridge frame.

Process cartridge, assembling method for process cartridge and

A process cartridge detachably mountable to a main assembly of an image forming apparatus includes an electrophotographic photosensitive member; a process cartridge actable on the photosensitive member; a cartridge frame; a first projection for positioning the process cartridge relative to the main assembly when the process cartridge is mounted to the main assembly, the first projection being outwardly projected from a first frame of the cartridge frame adjacent an axial end of the photosensitive member; a second projection for positioning the process cartridge relative to the main assembly when the process cartridge is mounted to the main assembly, the second projection being outwardly projected from a second frame of the cartridge frame adjacent another axial end of the photosensitive member; a confining contact portion, in the cartridge frame, for contacting a first fixed portion of the main assembly and cooperating with the first projection and second projection to correctly position the process cartridge relative to the main assembly, when the process cartridge is mounted to the main assembly; and a releasing contact portion, in the cartridge frame, for contacting a second fixed portion of the main assembly to provide a pivot of rotation of the process cartridge, when the process cartridge is demounted from the main assembly.

Process cartridge and image forming apparatus

A recycling method for a process cartridge and a process cartridge produced thereby are provided. The method includes the steps of dismounting a coupling member that couples a first unit and a second unit of the process cartridge so as to separate the first unit and the second unit; machining a connecting portion between a developing device frame of the second unit and a developer frame of the second unit so as to separate the developing device frame and the developer frame from each other without damage to dowels of the developer frame, the dowels are provided in a recessed portion for fitting into holes formed in a seal mounting plate of the process cartridge to thereby position and mount the seal mounting plate; mounting a seal that seals a developer supply opening provided in a developer accommodation portion to supply, to a developing roller of the process cartridge, developer accommodated in the developer accommodation portion; refilling a developer into the developer accommodation portion before or after the mounting step; and recoupling the first unit and the second unit using a coupling member.

Process cartridge and remanufacturing method

A process cartridge detachably mountable to a main assembly of an image forming apparatus, the cartridge comprising a photosensitive member, a developing means for developing a latent image formed on the photosensitive member, a first frame containing the developing means; and a second frame coupled with the first frame, the second frame including a developer containing portion for containing a developer to be supplied to the developing means to develop the latent image, wherein the second frame is a selected one of plural secondary frames engageable with the first frame and having different developer containing capacities.

Process cartridge and image forming apparatus usable therewith

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Yoshiya Nomura