Process cartridge and image forming apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12130581-B2
Application number	US-202318144303-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 8, 2023
Priority date	Dec 14, 2012
Publication date	Oct 29, 2024
Grant date	Oct 29, 2024

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:
a rotatable photosensitive drum;
a first casing rotatably supporting the photosensitive drum;
a rotatable developing roller;
a rotatable toner supplying roller provided in contact with the developing roller, the toner supplying roller being configured to supply toner to the developing roller;
a second casing rotatably supporting the developing roller and the toner supplying roller, the second casing including (i) a toner chamber configured to contain toner and (ii) a developing chamber in which the toner supplying roller is positioned;
a rotatable feeding member provided in the toner chamber and configured to feed the toner from the toner chamber to the developing chamber;
a coupling operatively connected to the toner supply roller and configured to receive a driving force for rotating the toner supplying roller, the developing roller, and the feeding member;
a first driving force transmitting portion operatively connected to the toner supply roller and configured to transmit the driving force received by the coupling to the developing roller; and
a second driving force transmitting portion operatively connected to the developing roller and configured to transmit the driving force from the first driving force transmitting portion 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 supply roller contacts a surface of the developing roller to a second position where the part of the surface of the toner supplying roller moves out of contact with 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, and
wherein the developing roller is movable towards and away from the photosensitive drum in response to movement of the second casing relative to the first casing.

2. A process cartridge according to claim 1 , wherein at least apart 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 1 , 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 developing 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 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.

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

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

9. A process cartridge according to claim 1 , wherein the driving force is transmitted from the second driving force transmitting portion to the feeding member.

10. A process cartridge according to claim 9 , wherein the second driving force transmitting portion is configured to transmit the driving force to the feeding member via at least one gear.

11. A process cartridge according to claim 9 , further comprising:
a first idler gear engaging with the second driving force transmitting portion;
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 driving force transmitting portion to the feeding member via the first idler gear, the second idler gear, and the feeding member gear.

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

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

14. 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.

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

16. 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.

17. A process cartridge comprising:
a rotatable photosensitive drum;
a first casing rotatably supporting the photosensitive drum;
a rotatable developing roller;
a rotatable toner supplying roller provided in contact with the developing roller, the toner supplying roller being configured to supply toner to the developing roller;
a second casing rotatably supporting the developing roller and the toner supplying roller, the second casing including (i) a toner chamber configured to contain toner and (ii) a developing chamber in which the toner supplying roller is positioned;
a feeding member provided in the toner chamber and configured to feed the toner from the toner chamber to the developing chamber;
a coupling operatively connected to the toner supply roller and configured to receive a driving force for driving the toner supplying roller, the developing roller, and the feeding member;
wherein the developing roller is configured to receive the driving force from the coupling via the toner supplying 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 supply roller contacts a surface of the developing roller to a second position where the part of the surface of the toner supplying roller moves out of contact with 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, and
wherein the developing roller is movable towards and away from the photosensitive drum in response to movement of the second casing relative to the first casing.

18. A process cartridge according to claim 17 , wherein the toner supplying ro

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

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

Classifications

• G03G21/1825

  Pivotable subunit connection · CPC title

• G03G15/0806

  on a donor element, e.g. belt, roller (complete developer unit G03G15/0896) · 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

• G03G21/186

  Axial couplings · CPC title