Cartridge and image forming apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11209773-B2
Application number	US-202016853212-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 20, 2020
Priority date	Apr 26, 2019
Publication date	Dec 28, 2021
Grant date	Dec 28, 2021

Abstract

A cartridge includes a drum unit and a development unit. The drum unit includes a photosensitive drum, a frame, a transfer roller, and a cleaning member. The development unit includes a development roller, and a memory. The cleaning member is configured to come into contact with the photosensitive drum at a region between a development nip portion and a transfer nip portion in a circumferential direction of the photosensitive drum and at an end portion of the photosensitive drum in a direction of the rotational axis. The frame has an exposing hole through which the memory is exposed from the frame, and a recessed portion that is adjacent to the exposing hole in the direction of the rotational axis, and stores foreign matters removed from the photosensitive drum by the cleaning member.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A cartridge that is detachably mounted to an apparatus body of an image forming apparatus, the cartridge comprising:
a drum unit including a photosensitive drum configured to bear a toner image, a frame configured to support the photosensitive drum so that the photosensitive drum is rotatable about a rotational axis, a transfer roller configured to come into contact with the photosensitive drum so as to form a transfer nip portion with the photosensitive drum for transferring the toner image on the photosensitive drum onto a recording material while conveying the recording material, and a cleaning member; and
a development unit configured to be detachably mounted on the drum unit, the development unit including a development roller configured to come into contact with the photosensitive drum so as to form a development nip portion for supplying a toner to the photosensitive drum, and a non-transitory memory configured to store information,
wherein the cleaning member is configured to come into contact with the photosensitive drum to clean the photosensitive drum at a region thereof between the development nip portion and the transfer nip portion in a circumferential direction of the photosensitive drum and at an end portion of the photosensitive drum in a direction of the rotational axis,
wherein the frame includes an exposing hole portion through which the non-transitory memory is exposed from the frame, and a recessed portion that is adjacent to the exposing hole portion in the direction of the rotational axis, and
wherein the recessed portion is further recessed, in a direction away from the cleaning member, than a surface in which the exposing hole portion is provided, and is configured to store foreign matters removed from the photosensitive drum by the cleaning member.

2. The cartridge according to claim 1 , wherein:
the development unit includes a protrusion that protrudes toward the drum unit,
the frame includes a positioning hole portion that engages with the protrusion so as to position the development unit with respect to the drum unit in the direction of the rotational axis, and
the recessed portion is adjacent to the positioning hole portion in the direction of the rotational axis.

3. The cartridge according to claim 2 , wherein the positioning hole portion is disposed between the exposing hole portion and the photosensitive drum in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the rotational axis and communicates with the exposing hole portion.

4. The cartridge according to claim 2 , wherein a depth of the recessed portion is larger than a depth of the positioning hole portion.

5. The cartridge according to claim 1 , wherein:
the drum unit includes a pressing member that presses the development unit so that the development roller comes into contact with the photosensitive drum, and
the exposing hole portion is located outside of the pressing member in the direction of the rotational axis when viewed in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the rotational axis.

6. The cartridge according to claim 5 , wherein:
the frame includes:
a sheet passage hole portion through which a sheet passes toward the transfer nip portion; and
a bridge portion that is located between the exposing hole portion and the sheet passage hole portion in the direction of the rotational axis, and

the pressing member overlaps with the bridge portion when viewed in a direction perpendicular to the rotational axis.

7. The cartridge according to claim 6 , wherein a reinforcement recessed portion different from the recessed portion is formed in the bridge portion.

8. An image forming apparatus comprising:
a sheet feeding unit configured to feed a sheet; and
an image forming unit including a cartridge, the image forming unit being configured to form an image on the sheet that is fed from the sheet feeding unit,
wherein the cartridge is detachably mounted to an apparatus body of the image forming apparatus and comprises:
a drum unit including a photosensitive drum configured to bear a toner image, a frame configured to support the photosensitive drum so that the photosensitive drum is rotatable about a rotational axis, a transfer roller configured to come into contact with the photosensitive drum so as to form a transfer nip portion with the photosensitive drum for transferring the toner image on the photosensitive drum onto a recording material while conveying the recording material, and a cleaning member; and
a development unit configured to be detachably mounted on the drum unit, the development unit including a development roller configured to come into contact with the photosensitive drum so as to form a development nip portion for supplying a toner to the photosensitive drum, and a non-transitory memory configured to store information,
wherein the cleaning member is configured to come into contact with the photosensitive drum to clean the photosensitive drum at a region thereof between the development nip portion and the transfer nip portion in a circumferential direction of the photosensitive drum and at an end portion of the photosensitive drum in a direction of the rotational axis,
wherein the frame includes an exposing hole portion through which the non-transitory memory is exposed from the frame, and a recessed portion that is adjacent to the exposing hole portion in the direction of the rotational axis, and
wherein the recessed portion is further recessed, in a direction away from the cleaning member, than a surface in which the exposing hole portion is provided, and is configured to store foreign matters removed from the photosensitive drum by the cleaning member.

9. A cartridge that is detachably mounted to an apparatus body of an image forming apparatus, the cartridge comprising:
a drum unit including a photosensitive drum configured to bear a toner image, a frame configured to support the photosensitive drum so that the photosensitive drum is rotatable about a rotational axis, a transfer roller configured to come into contact with the photosensitive drum so as to form a transfer nip portion with the photosensitive drum for transferring the toner image on the photosensitive drum onto a recording material while conveying the recording material therein, and a cleaning member; and
a development unit configured to be detachably mounted on the drum unit, the development unit including a development roller configured to come into contact with the photosensitive drum so as to form a development nip portion for supplying a toner to the photosensitive drum, and a non-transitory memory configured to store information,
wherein the frame includes an exposing hole portion through which the non-transitory memory is exposed from the frame, and a recessed portion that is adjacent to the exposing hole portion in a direction of the rotational axis, the recessed portion being further recessed, in a direction away from the cleaning member, than a surface in which the exposing hole portion is provided, and
wherein the cleaning member overlaps with part of the recessed portion when viewed in a direction perpendicular to the surface in which the exposing hole portion is provided.

10. The cartridge according to claim 9 , wherein:
the development unit includes a protrusion that protrudes toward the drum unit,
the frame includes a positioning hole portion that engages with the protrusion so as to position the development unit with respect to the drum unit in the direction of the rotational axis, and
the recessed portion is adjacent to the positioning hole portion in the direction of the rotational axis.

11. The cartridge according to claim 10 , wherein the positioning h

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Komatsu Noriyuki
• Ojima Masaki
• Abe Daisuke
• Mori Tomonori
• Tsuda Tadayuki
• Numata Tetsuya
• Asanuma Naoya

Classifications

• G03G21/1814 Primary

  Details of parts of process cartridge, e.g. for charging, transfer, cleaning, developing (G03G21/1835 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G03G21/1821

  means for connecting the different parts of the process cartridge, e.g. attachment, positioning of parts with each other, pressure/distance regulation (G03G21/1825 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G03G21/1878

  Electronically readable memory · CPC title

• G03G21/1864

  associated with a positioning function · CPC title

• G03G21/10

  Collecting or recycling waste developer · CPC title