Process cartridge and image forming apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10691063-B2
Application number	US-201815960750-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 24, 2018
Priority date	Dec 14, 2012
Publication date	Jun 23, 2020
Grant date	Jun 23, 2020

Abstract

A process cartridge includes a photosensitive drum; a developing roller; a developer supplying roller, provided in contact with the developing roller; a driving force receiving portion provided at a shaft end of the supplying roller; a first driving force transmitting portion; a second driving force transmitting portion; flexible sheets provided adjacent to an engaging portion between the first portion and the second portion to intermittently contact the second portion with rotation of the second portion, wherein a rotational direction of the roller is opposite to that of the roller, and a peripheral speed of the roller is larger than that of the roller.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A process cartridge comprising:
(i) a photosensitive drum;
(ii) a rotatable developing roller configured to develop an electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum;
(iii) a rotatable toner supplying roller provided in contact with the developing roller, the supplying roller being configured to supply toner to the developing roller;
(iv) a toner chamber to contain toner;
(v) a developing chamber in which the toner supplying roller is positioned;
(vi) a rotatable feeding member provided in the toner chamber and configured to feed the toner from the toner chamber to the developing chamber;
(vii) a coupling operatively connected to the toner supplying roller and configured to receive a driving force for rotating the toner supplying roller, the developing roller, and the feeding member,
(viii) a first gear operatively connected to the toner supplying roller and configured to transmit the driving force received by the coupling to the developing roller; and
(ix) a second gear operatively connected to the developing roller and configured to transmit the driving force from the first gear to the developing roller,
wherein the process cartridge is configured such that, when the coupling receives the driving force and the process cartridge is oriented with the developing roller positioned above the toner chamber, (i) a rotational direction of the developing roller is opposite to a rotational direction of the toner supplying roller, (ii) a part of a surface of the toner supplying roller rotates from a first position at which the part of the surface of the toner supplying roller contacts a surface of the developing roller to a second position where the part of the surface of the toner supplying roller separates from the surface of the developing roller, with the first position being above the second position, (iii) the feeding member feeds toner upward from the toner chamber to the developing chamber, and (iv) a speed of the surface of the toner supplying roller is greater than a speed of the surface of the developing roller.

2. A process cartridge according to claim 1 , wherein at least a part of the coupling is movable relative to the toner supplying roller in a direction crossing a rotational axis of the toner supplying roller.

3. A process cartridge according to claim 2 , wherein the coupling is an Oldham coupling.

4. A process cartridge according to claim 1 , wherein the toner supplying roller and a wall of the development chamber define a space therebetween for storing the toner.

5. A process cartridge according to claim 1 , wherein a diameter of the toner supplying roller is greater than a diameter of the developing roller.

6. A process cartridge according to claim 1 , wherein the first gear and the second gear engage with each other, and a number of teeth of the second gear is greater than a number of teeth of the first gear.

7. A process cartridge according to claim 1 , wherein a ratio of the speed of the surface of the toner supplying roller to the speed of the surface of the developing roller is:
1.3 ≤toner supplying roller/developing roller ≤1.8.

8. A process cartridge according to claim 1 , wherein the toner supplying roller includes an elastic layer.

9. A process cartridge according to claim 1 , wherein the toner supplying roller includes a sponge configured to store the toner.

10. A process cartridge according to claim 1 , wherein the driving force is transmitted from the second gear to the feeding member.

11. A process cartridge according to claim 10 , wherein the second gear transmits the driving force to the feeding member via at least one other gear.

12. A process cartridge according to claim 11 , further comprising:
a first idler gear engaging with the second gear;
a second idler gear engaging with the first idler gear; and
a feeding member gear operatively connected to the feeding member and engaging with the second idler gear,
wherein the driving force is transmitted from the second gear to the feeding member via the first idler gear, the second idler gear, and the feeding member gear.

13. A process cartridge according to claim 1 , wherein the coupling is provided at an end of a shaft of the toner supplying roller.

14. A process cartridge according to claim 1 , wherein the first gear and the coupling are disposed on opposite sides of the toner supplying roller with respect to an axial direction of the toner supplying roller.

15. A process cartridge according to claim 1 , wherein the rotational direction of the toner supplying roller is the same as a rotational direction of the feeding member.

16. A process cartridge according to claim 1 , wherein the developing roller is movable toward and away from the photosensitive drum.

17. A process cartridge according to claim 16 , further comprising:
a first unit including the photosensitive drum; and
a second unit including the developing roller, the toner supplying roller, and the feeding member,
wherein the developing roller is movable toward and away from the photosensitive drum by movement of the second unit relative to the first unit.

18. A process cartridge according to claim 1 , wherein the photosensitive drum includes a coupling configured to receive a driving force for rotating the photosensitive drum.

19. A process cartridge according to claim 1 , wherein the second gear engages with the first gear so as to transmit the driving force from the first gear to the developing roller.

20. A process cartridge according to claim 1 , wherein the coupling includes a plurality of projections that extend from a side of the coupling opposite the toner supplying roller.

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Maeshima Hideki
• Hirukawa Kuniaki
• Gofuku Shuichi
• Mitsui Yoshihiro

Classifications

• G03G21/1857 Primary

  for transmitting mechanical drive power to the process cartridge, drive mechanisms, gears, couplings, braking mechanisms · CPC title

• G03G21/185

  the process cartridge being mounted parallel to the axis of the photosensitive member · CPC title

• G03G15/0808

  characterised by the developer supplying means, e.g. structure of developer supply roller · CPC title

• G03G2221/1657

  transmitting mechanical drive power · CPC title

• G03G21/1825

  Pivotable subunit connection · CPC title