JP4798992B2 - Electrophotographic image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an electrophotographic image forming apparatus based on the assumption that a process cartridge is inserted and transported and packed.

  Conventionally, in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic image forming process, an electrophotographic photosensitive member and process means acting on the electrophotographic photosensitive member are integrally formed into a cartridge. A process cartridge system is employed in which the cartridge is detachable from the image forming apparatus main body.

  According to this process cartridge system, the apparatus can be maintained by the user himself / herself without depending on the service person. Therefore, the operability can be remarkably improved. Therefore, this process cartridge system is widely used in electrophotographic image forming apparatuses.

  When transported with the process cartridge mounted on the electrophotographic image forming apparatus, the position of the cartridge is not restricted with respect to the electrophotographic image forming apparatus, and therefore the cartridge is affected by the physical distribution environment such as vibration and shock. easy.

  Therefore, in general, the electrophotographic image forming apparatus and the process cartridge are often separately packed without mounting the process cartridge on the main body of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus. Therefore, the apparatus main body and the cartridge are conveyed separately in a single packing box. Therefore, a packing box becomes large and a conveyance cost becomes high.

  Therefore, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, a packaging tool for an image forming apparatus is disclosed in which a toner cartridge is inserted and arranged in a sheet accommodation space for accommodating a sheet conveyed from an image forming unit.

  However, the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 requires a large packing material for inserting and arranging the toner cartridge in the sheet storage portion of the image forming apparatus. Further, the technique described in Patent Document 1 cannot be applied to an image forming apparatus in which a sheet is discharged outside the image forming apparatus or an image forming apparatus in which the sheet storage space is narrower than a toner cartridge.

JP 2003-327293 A

  In the above prior art, since the apparatus main body and the cartridge are transported separately in one packing box, the packing box is large and transport efficiency is deteriorated. Further, if the apparatus is transported with the cartridge mounted in the apparatus main body, the apparatus main body and the cartridge are easily affected by physical distribution environment such as vibration and impact.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an electrophotographic image forming apparatus capable of increasing transport efficiency by reducing a packaging box for packing an electrophotographic image forming apparatus. Is.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide an electrophotographic image forming apparatus that can be packaged and transported with a cartridge mounted in the apparatus main body.

A representative means in the present invention for solving the above-described problems is an electrophotographic image which can be transported in a state where a detachable process cartridge is mounted on the main body of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus and which forms an image on a sheet material. In the image forming apparatus, (a) an opening / closing member capable of taking a closed position for closing the opening for mounting the process cartridge in the apparatus main body and an open position for opening the opening; and (b) an electrophotographic photosensitive member. A process comprising: a photoconductor unit provided; and a development unit that is rotatably coupled to the photoconductor unit and provided with a developing member for developing an electrostatic latent image formed on the electrophotographic photoconductor. A cartridge; (c) a main body restricting portion that restricts the position of the process cartridge; (d) a first abutting portion that abuts on the photosensitive unit; and a second abutment that abuts on the developing unit. When the opening / closing member is located at the closed position, the process cartridge is pressed against the main body regulating portion by being pressed by the opening / closing member, and the photosensitive unit and the developing unit are moved. a pressing member for regulating a, possess a pressing member in which the electrophotographic image forming apparatus is removed when forming an image, and a conveying means for conveying the (e) the sheet material, the pressing member, It is a bag-like member injected with a gaseous or fluid medium .
Another representative means of the present invention is an electrophotographic image forming apparatus that can be transported in a state where a detachable process cartridge is attached to the main body of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus and forms an image on a sheet material. (A) an opening / closing member capable of taking a closed position for closing the opening for mounting the process cartridge in the apparatus main body and an opening position for opening the opening; and (b) an electrophotographic photosensitive member. A process cartridge having a photosensitive unit, and a developing unit that is rotatably coupled to the photosensitive unit and provided with a developing member for developing an electrostatic latent image formed on the electrophotographic photosensitive member; (c) a main body restricting portion that restricts the position of the process cartridge; (d) a first abutting portion that abuts on the photosensitive unit; and a second abutting portion that abuts on the developing unit; A pressing member that presses the process cartridge against the main body restricting portion and restricts movement of the photosensitive unit and the developing unit by being pressed by the opening / closing member when the opening / closing member is located at the closed position. And a pressing member that is removed when the electrophotographic image forming apparatus forms an image, and (e) a conveying unit that conveys the sheet material, and the pressing member includes the electrophotographic photosensitive member. it characterized by separating the said developing member.

  In the present invention, the process cartridge is fixed by setting the pressing member with the process cartridge mounted in the electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body and closing the opening / closing member, and can be packed and transported with the process cartridge mounted. It becomes. For this reason, a packing box is made small and conveyance efficiency improves.

Specifically described with reference to the drawings Next, the electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to one reference embodiment of the present invention.

[First Reference Form]
An image forming apparatus in which a process cartridge can be bundled with an elastic member according to a first reference embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

{Overall configuration of electrophotographic image forming apparatus and process cartridge}
First, an overall configuration outline and process cartridge configuration of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus in which a process cartridge is detachably attached to an electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body will be described with reference to FIG. Incidentally, FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of (a laser beam printer in this reference embodiment) electrophotographic image forming apparatus.

  Here, the configuration will be described along the flow of the sheet material. An electrophotographic image forming apparatus (hereinafter referred to as “apparatus main body”) E forms an image by an electrophotographic system, and a sheet material is conveyed to an image forming means by a conveying means to transfer a toner image. After the toner is conveyed to the fixing means and the toner is fixed, the toner is discharged to a discharge portion. Specifically, a stacking unit 1 for stacking and storing sheet materials is provided at the lower part of the apparatus, and the sheet materials are sequentially fed from the uppermost sheet by a feeding roller 2 that rotates counterclockwise in FIG. It is sent to the image forming unit 3 by a pair of conveying rollers that are not.

  In the image forming unit 3, an image of the developer is transferred and formed on the sheet material conveyed by the electrophotographic method. The sheet material on which the image is formed is conveyed to the fixing unit 4 and subjected to developer fixing processing, and then conveyed and discharged to the upper part of the apparatus by the discharge roller pair 5.

In the present reference embodiment apparatus (hereinafter referred to as "cartridge") process cartridge to the main body E P is mounted the image forming unit 3 is constituted. As shown in FIG. 2, the cartridge P is configured by rotatably coupling a photosensitive unit C as a first unit and a developing unit D as a second unit. The photosensitive unit C is provided with an electrophotographic photosensitive drum 6, a charging roller 7 as charging means, and a cleaning blade 8 as cleaning means. On the other hand, the developing unit D is provided with a developing roller 9 as developing means for supplying toner to the photosensitive drum 6. The photosensitive drum 6 and the developing roller 9 are opposed to each other by urging the photosensitive unit C and the developing unit D with a spring (not shown).

  At the time of image formation, the rotating photosensitive drum 6 is uniformly charged by the charging roller 7, and an electrostatic latent image is formed by irradiating a laser in accordance with an image signal from the laser scanner 16. The latent image is developed with toner by a developing roller 9 as developing means, and the toner image is transferred onto a sheet material by applying a bias to the transfer roller 10. The developer remaining on the photosensitive drum 6 after being transferred to the sheet material is removed by the cleaning blade 8.

{Removal of cartridge}
The cartridge P is detachable from the apparatus main body E, and the apparatus main body E is a cartridge which is an opening / closing member capable of taking a closed position for closing the opening Ea for mounting the cartridge P and an open position for opening the opening Ea. A door (hereinafter referred to as “door”) 11 is provided. When the door 11 is opened, a pair of left and right cartridge guides 12 are provided in the main body along the insertion direction of the cartridge P. Then, the cartridge P is attached to and detached from the cartridge guide 12 by inserting and removing the guide portions 13 provided on both sides in the longitudinal direction of the cartridge P.

  The cartridge guide 12 is provided with a guide reference surface 12a serving as a main body restricting portion for restricting the movement of the cartridge P. When the cartridge P is mounted, the cartridge P is pushed in until the reference end surface 13a of the cartridge guide portion 13 comes into contact with the guide reference surface 12a. At this time, the cartridge P is pressed against the transfer roller 10 side by a cartridge pressing spring (not shown).

  The transfer roller 10 includes transfer bearings 14 at both ends, and the transfer bearing 14 receives pressure from a spring in a direction in which the transfer roller 10 is pressed against the photosensitive drum 6. The transfer bearing 14 is constrained so as to be movable only in the direction of the photosensitive drum 6. As a result, a constant pressure is generated between the transfer roller 10 and the photosensitive drum 6.

  Further, the cartridge pressing spring prevents the cartridge P from moving in a predetermined position when in use. By closing the door 11 after the cartridge is inserted, the image forming apparatus is put into an actual use state.

  When the cartridge P has to be taken out of the main body of the image forming apparatus 1 such as when the cartridge P is replaced or when the sheet material is jammed, the cartridge P can be taken out in the reverse procedure.

{Cartridge packing}
In this reference embodiment, in the state in which the cartridge P has been packed in the packing box to the apparatus main body E in a state of being mounted on the apparatus main body E, in which are transported up to the end user. Therefore, a cartridge pressing member, which is an elastic member that restricts the movement of the cartridge in a state where the cartridge P is mounted on the apparatus main body E, is interposed between the cartridge P and the apparatus main body E.

It is important that the cartridge pressing member (hereinafter referred to as “pressing member”) 20 is in close contact with the cartridge P when the cartridge P is mounted on the image forming apparatus 1. That is, the movement of the photosensitive unit C and the developing unit D of the cartridge P is suppressed. Therefore, it is preferable that the pressing member 20 is made of a material having a certain degree of rigidity and elasticity. For example, a material such as polystyrene foam, urethane, or sponge is preferable. In particular, from the viewpoint of handling and molding of dust, a urethane-based material is suitable. Therefore, in this reference embodiment, a urethane material is used.

  The outer shape of the cartridge is fixed by bringing the pressing member 20 into close contact with the cartridge P attached to the apparatus main body E. That is, the movement of the photosensitive unit C and the developing unit D is suppressed, and the cartridge P and the cartridge guide 12 can be prevented from being damaged.

(Combination of holding members)
Figure 2 is a sectional view of a cartridge and the holding member according to this preferred embodiment, FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the cartridge and the pressing member.

  As shown in the figure, locking protrusions 21a and 21b are provided on the upper and lower sides of the cartridge P. The tops of the locking projections 21a and 21b are formed with a taper that widens in the direction in which the pressing member 20 is fitted. On the other hand, the holding member 20 is formed with a fitting recess 20c having a height substantially equal to the cartridge height so as to sandwich the cartridge P from above and below. Locking recesses 20a and 20b are formed at positions corresponding to the protrusions 21a and 21b on the inner top and bottom surfaces of the fitting recess 20c.

  Therefore, as shown in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 2, when the cartridge P is pushed into the fitting recess 20c of the pressing member 20, it is provided on the locking projections 21a and 21b by the elasticity of urethane which is the material of the pressing member 20. Due to the taper, the vicinity of the locking recesses 20a and 20b is expanded and the two are coupled. At this time, the upper and lower portions of the cartridge P are pressed by the upper and lower contact portions 20g of the fitting recess 20c of the pressing member 20, so that the photosensitive unit C and the developing unit D are in close contact with each other.

(Inserting and fixing the cartridge)
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional explanatory view showing a state in which the cartridge P is mounted on the apparatus main body E and packed. As described above, the pressing member 20 is engaged with the cartridge P, and the cartridge P in which the photosensitive unit C and the developing unit D are fixed is opened from the position indicated by the broken line in FIG. Attach to E.

  The cartridge P to which the pressing member 20 is attached is inserted along the cartridge guide 12 to a position where the reference end surface 13a of the cartridge P abuts against the cartridge guide reference surface 12a. At this time, even if the insertion is insufficient, the rear surface 20d and the bottom surface 20e of the pressing member 20 abut against the inner wall surface of the cartridge mounting space of the apparatus body E. At this time, the cartridge P is appropriately pressed by the elasticity of the pressing member 20, and the cartridge reference end surface 13a is always abutted against the guide reference surface 12a. Further, in this state, the contact portions 20g of the upper and lower inner surfaces of the fitting recess 20c of the pressing member 20 press the photoreceptor unit C and the developing unit D, and both units C and D are maintained in close contact.

  When the door 11 is opened after the cartridge coupled with the presser member 20 is inserted, the upper portion of the presser member 20 slightly protrudes upward from the apparatus body E as shown in FIG. ing.

  FIG. 5 is an explanatory sectional view of the cartridge door 11 in a closed state. As described above, since the deflection white 20f is formed on the upper part of the pressing member 20, when the door 11 is closed, the deflection white 20f is compressed. As a result, the contact portions 20g of the upper and lower inner surfaces of the fitting recess 20c press the photosensitive unit C and the developing unit D so as to be in closer contact with each other, and both the units C and D are securely fixed in the apparatus main body E. The

  When the door 11 is positioned at the closed position, the press member 20 is pressed by the door 11, so that the cartridge reference end surface 13a of the cartridge P is pressed by the guide reference surface 12a and reliably fixed. .

  Note that the flexure 20f can be appropriately adjusted with respect to the force that maintains the state when the door 11 is closed.

  Here, the pressing member 20 is coupled to the cartridge P for packaging, but it is conceivable that the door 11 is opened due to vibration or dropping during transportation. When the door 11 is opened during transportation, the cartridge P in the apparatus main body E moves. In order to prevent this, when transporting with the cartridge P mounted, the door 11 may be fixed by a fixing member so as to be fixed at the closed position against the pressing force of the pressing member 20.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 6, a packing material 15 as a fixing member may be used to be put in a packing box in a state where the door 11 is fixed so as not to open. FIG. 6 is a perspective explanatory view showing a state in which the apparatus main body E in which the cartridge P is bundled is fixed by the packing material 15.

  The fixing member that fixes the door 11 in the closed state may not be configured to use the packing material 15. For example, a locking hook portion that locks when the door 11 is closed may be provided so that the door 11 is fixed in the closed state.

Also, the locking projection 21a in the present reference embodiment which is provided in the cartridge P, the engaging recess 20a in which a 21b to the pressing member 20 has been bonded to each other by engaged to 20b, coupling structure of both limited to There is no need to do this, and any structure may be used as long as the pressing member 20 can be coupled to the cartridge P.

Further, in the present reference embodiment is conveyed toward the top from the bottom of the conveying apparatus main body E of the sheet material, but the transport path is illustrated an electrophotographic image forming apparatus of a so-called C-path configuration conveying the sheet material in an S-shape Of course, it may be an image forming apparatus.

[Second Reference Form]
Next, apparatus according to a second reference embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. The basic configuration of the apparatus of the present reference embodiment is the same as that of the first reference embodiment described above, and thus a duplicate description is omitted. Here, a configuration different from the first reference embodiment will be described. Moreover, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the member which has the same function as the reference form mentioned above.

FIG. 7 is a perspective explanatory view of a pressing member as an elastic member according to the second reference embodiment, and FIG. 8 is a perspective explanatory view showing a state in which a cartridge is bundled.

In the reference embodiment described above, the pressing member 20 is attached to the cartridge P, and the cartridge P integrated with the pressing member 20 is attached to the apparatus main body E. On the other hand, in this reference embodiment, the cartridge P is mounted on the apparatus main body E, and the pressing member 20 is attached later. Therefore, the holding member 20 does not have the locking recesses 20a and 20b described in the first reference embodiment, and the cartridge P does not have the locking protrusions 21a and 21b.

In this preferred embodiment, after the transport, without taking out the cartridge P when operating the device body E user first makes it possible to take out only the pressing member 20. This improves user convenience.

The apparatus main body E of this preferred embodiment is the wall surface 17a of a plate member that covers the laser scanner 16, and the wall surfaces 17b extend from the wall 17a is provided. The wall surfaces 17a and 17b are configured to be substantially the same surface, and the presser member 20 is smoothly inserted.

If the present reference embodiment to ship the cartridge in the apparatus main body E, first cartridge reference end surface 13a along the cartridge P into the cartridge guide 12 is inserted to a position impinging on the guide reference surface 12a. Next, the pressing member 20 is set from the position indicated by the broken line to the shaded position. FIG. 8 shows a state in which the door 11 is opened. When the door 11 is closed from this state, the contact portion 20g presses and fixes the photosensitive unit C and the developing unit D from the close state.

  In such a configuration, only the pressing member 20 can be easily taken out, and the user can operate the image forming apparatus without taking out the cartridge P.

[Third Reference Form]
Next, an apparatus according to a third reference embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. Since the basic configuration of the apparatus of the present reference embodiment is also the same as that of the first reference embodiment described above, a redundant description is omitted, and here, a configuration different from the first reference embodiment will be described. Moreover, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the member which has the same function as the reference form mentioned above.

Figure 9 is a cross sectional view showing a state where the door is opened in an image forming apparatus according to a third referential embodiment, FIG. 10 is a cross sectional view showing a state where the door is closed in the image forming apparatus.

The image forming apparatus according to this reference embodiment has the interlock switch 18 is provided at a predetermined position of the apparatus main body E, is adapted to switch on by depressing the switching arm 18a. The interlock switch 18 does not operate the image forming apparatus when it is off, and operates the image forming apparatus only when it is on.

  The door 11 serving as an opening / closing member is provided with an arm portion 19 for pushing down the switching arm 18a. The relationship between the arm portion 19 and the switching arm 18a is that the arm portion 19 does not press the switching arm 18a when the door 11 is in the open position (see FIG. 9), and the arm when the door 11 is in the closed position. The unit 19 pushes down the switching arm 18a and turns on the interlock switch 18 to enable image formation (see FIG. 10).

  When the user unpacks the packed image forming apparatus, the door 11 is opened and the pressing member 20 is taken out. Since the pressing member 20 is integrated with the cartridge P, the pressing member 20 is taken out when the cartridge P is taken out of the apparatus main body E. The user removes the holding member 20 when the cartridge P is taken out. However, if the user forgets to remove the holding member 20, the user should sufficiently push the bending member 20f of the holding member 12 so as to counter the holding force of the door 11. The cartridge door abutting portion is configured to push up the door 11 by taking it.

  For this reason, the door 11 is not easily closed, and it is easy to notice that the pressing member 20 has been forgotten to be removed. Further, the switching arm 18a of the interlock switch 18 is not pressed only when the arm portion 19 of the door 11 is closed. Therefore, if the image forming process is stopped when the door 11 is opened, the operation when the pressing member 20 is in the apparatus main body E can be suppressed.

  Further, as described above, the door 11 cannot be closed by itself when the pressing member 20 is attached, and is always open unless a force is applied. Therefore, when transporting again, press the cartridge door 11 so that it does not open with a separate packing material that wraps the exterior part, press the cartridge door so that it does not open by adding fixing with tape, etc. By this means, the cartridge door must be closed, so that it is possible to urge prevention of transportation without the pressing member 20 being mounted.

Thus, according to this reference embodiment, it is possible to prevent the user in a state of mounting the pressing member 20 will start the image forming process.

First Embodiment
Next, an electrophotographic image forming apparatus for fixing a cartridge by a pressing member according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. Note that the basic configuration of the apparatus of the present embodiment is also the same as that of the first reference embodiment described above, and thus redundant description is omitted. Here, a configuration different from the first reference embodiment will be described. Moreover, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the member which has the same function as the reference form mentioned above.

FIG. 11 is a state comparison explanatory view of the pressing member according to the first embodiment, FIG. 12 is a perspective view and an enlarged side view of the pressing member, FIG. 13 is a sectional explanatory view of the pressing member and the cartridge, and FIG. FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional explanatory view in the door open state with the cartridge enclosed, and FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional explanatory view in the door closed state with the cartridge enclosed.

  After the image forming apparatus is unpacked and started to be used, the pressing member used for bundling the cartridge becomes unnecessary. For this reason, it is preferable that the pressing member can be folded small from the viewpoint of convenience when it is collected for recycling.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, the pressing member as the elastic member is formed of a bag-like member that can inject a gas or fluid medium. In this embodiment, a bag-shaped member using a polyethylene sheet is a member that can enclose a fluid such as air or nitrogen (hereinafter referred to as “air”).

  As shown in FIG. 11, the presser member 30 of the present embodiment is a cartridge presser member in which air is injected from an air sealing port 30a by an air compressor (not shown) and the like is welded and sealed by a welder (not shown). It is comprised with the bag-shaped member which keeps the shape as.

  FIGS. 11 (a) and 11 (b) show the state of the presser member 30 before and after air sealing outside the apparatus main body. When air is sealed from the air sealing port 30a by a compressor (not shown) or the like, the air expands as shown in FIG.

  FIG. 11 (c) shows the state of the presser member 30 before the air is inserted when it is set inside the apparatus main body E. FIG. When air is inserted from the air sealing port 30a, the state shown in FIG. 11 (d) is obtained due to the restraint of peripheral parts including the cartridge P mounted in the apparatus main body E. The portion indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 11 (d) is an outline of the cross-sectional position of the presser member 30 when the door 11 is opened, and Δ is the presser when the door 11 is closed. The amount by which the member 30 bends, that is, the deflection white is shown. Then, as shown in FIG. 12, the pressing member 30 of the present embodiment has a structure in which the folded portion on the folds is spread by air filling.

  After inserting the cartridge P into the apparatus main body E, when air is introduced into the holding member 30 from the outside of the apparatus main body E, as shown in FIGS. 30b is formed.

  FIG. 15 shows a state in which the door 11 is opened and the cartridge P is pushed along the cartridge guide 12 to the vicinity of the guide reference surface 12a. When the presser member 30 is set so that the rear surface 30d and the bottom surface 30e are in contact with the inner wall surface of the cartridge mounting space in the apparatus main body E and sealed with air, the presser member 30 swells from the state shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. . At this time, it has the deflection white Δ (see FIG. 15). When the door 11 shown in FIG. 16 is closed from this state, the contact portion with the door 11 is pressurized and pressure is generated in the presser member 30. At this time, the contact portion 30c of the inner surface of the concave portion of the pressing member 30 presses the upper end of the photosensitive unit C and the lower end of the developing unit D, and further presses the photosensitive unit C and the developing unit D from a close state. Further, the cartridge reference end surface 13a of the cartridge P is pressed and fixed at a position where it abuts against the guide reference surface 12a.

Therefore, even if the cartridge alone is insufficiently inserted, the cartridge reference end surface 13a is always abutted against the guide reference surface 12a by the pressure of the air sealed in the pressing member 30. Thereby, the position of the cartridge P is reliably fixed in the apparatus main body E for both the photosensitive unit C and the developing unit D. For this reason, it is possible to carry the image forming apparatus by bundling the cartridge P in the same manner as the reference embodiment described above.

  In the presser member 30 of the present embodiment, when the presser member 30 is discarded or recycled, it is possible to open the presser member 30 including the air sealing port 30a and fold it compactly to treat it. Become.

  In addition, about the substance shown by the fluid or air in this embodiment, not only air but various gases, such as oxygen and nitrogen, can be substituted. Further, the present invention is not limited to gas, and it is obvious that the same or similar effect can be obtained with liquid, gel, or granule, and powder, and no limitation is imposed.

  In the image forming apparatus shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, an example is shown in which the door 11 is closed after air is sealed in the pressing member 30, but air may be sealed after the door 11 is closed. This will be specifically described with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, the cartridge P is inserted into the apparatus main body E together with the pressing member 30. At this time, air is not sealed in the pressing member 30. The air sealing port 30a is exposed from the inside of the apparatus main body E to the outside through a gap Δ2 with the apparatus main body E when the door 11 is closed. Then, as shown in FIG. 18, air is sealed by the air sealing device 31 from the air sealing port 30a with the door 11 closed. When the holding member 30 is filled with an appropriate amount of air by the air sealing device 31, the air sealing port 30a is welded and sealed by a welding machine (not shown). At this time, an appropriate elasticity is generated in the presser member 30 by the filled air. By this elasticity, the cartridge reference end surface 13a is abutted against the guide reference surface 12a, and the cartridge P is fixed.

  When the image forming apparatus is used, if the air sealing port 30a is cut (for example, a portion indicated by X in FIG. 18), air is released from the pressing member 30. When the air is completely removed, the pressing member 30 can be removed through the gap Δ2 of the door 11 or simply by opening the door 11. This makes it possible to attach and remove the pressing member 30 very easily.

  In addition, the sealing and releasing of the air sealing port 30a are not performed by welding or cutting the welded portion as described above, but a leakage preventing member for preventing a medium such as air from leaking from the holding member 30 to the outside of the apparatus main body. A sealing plug may be provided.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 19, after the air is sealed from the air sealing port 30a, the air sealing port 30a is sealed with a sealing plug 32 such as a clip or a screw cap, and the sealing plug 32 is removed. Air may be allowed to escape.

  As described above, when the sealing plug 32 is used, the pressing member 30 can be collected and reused together with the sealing plug 32. When the sealing plug 32 is used, the material of the sealing plug 32 is preferably a resin part so as not to damage the exterior surface of the image forming apparatus.

[ Second Embodiment]
Next, an electrophotographic image forming apparatus for fixing a cartridge by a pressing member according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. Note that the basic configuration of the apparatus of the present embodiment is also the same as that of the first reference embodiment described above, and thus redundant description is omitted. Here, a configuration different from the first reference embodiment will be described. Moreover, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the member which has the same function as the reference form mentioned above.

  The holding member 40 as an elastic member for holding the cartridge of the present embodiment is made of a material such as plastic that is hard and elastic to some extent. When the cartridge P is packaged in the apparatus main body E and fixed by the pressing member 40, the developing roller 9 which is a developing member in the developing unit D is held in the photosensitive unit C by the pressing member 40. It is configured to be separated from the body drum 6.

  More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 20 and 21, the cartridge P of the present embodiment is provided with a photosensitive unit C and a developing unit D that are rotatable about a shaft 43, and a pressure spring. The developing roller 9 is pressed against the photosensitive drum 6 by the urging force 41 (see FIG. 21) (the state of the two-dot chain line in FIG. 21). On the other hand, the pressing member 40 of the present embodiment is associated with a protrusion 42a (see FIG. 21) formed at the upper end of the photosensitive unit C of the cartridge P and a protrusion 42b (see FIG. 21) formed at the lower end of the developing unit D, respectively. Hook portions 40a and 40b to be stopped are provided, and an arm portion 40c having a spring property curved in a U shape is provided on the upper portion.

  In the present embodiment, when the cartridge P is bundled with the apparatus main body E, as shown in FIG. 20, the pressing members 40 are attached to two locations in the vicinity of both ends in the longitudinal direction of the cartridge P. At this time, when the hook portions 40a and 40b are locked to the cartridge protrusions 42a and 42b, the photosensitive unit C and the developing unit D are rotated against the urging force of the pressure spring 41, and are shown by solid lines in FIG. As described above, the developing roller 9 is separated from the photosensitive drum 6.

When the cartridge P is inserted into the apparatus main body E and the door 11 is closed, the door 11 presses the arm portion 40c of the pressing member 40. By this pressing, the arm portion 40c having a spring property urges the cartridge P integrated with the pressing member 40 downward, and the cartridge P is pressed along the cartridge guide 12. Note that the door 11 can be kept closed by a packing material, a lock mechanism, or the like as described in the reference embodiment described above.

  As described above, during the transportation, the vertical movement of the cartridge P is regulated by the cartridge guide 12 and the arm portion 40c of the pressing member 40, and rattling is suppressed.

  Here, the arm portion 40c absorbs an impact and restricts the movement in the gap between the inside of the apparatus main body E and the cartridge P, so that it needs to be sufficiently long and have sufficient spring properties. . Further, since the arm portion 40c is provided, no other buffer member is required.

  In the packaged state, the photosensitive drum 6 and the developing roller 9 are separated from each other, so that it is possible to prevent scratches and charging due to rubbing. That is, sliding scratches and charging memory by the developing roller 9 are prevented from being applied to the photosensitive drum 6, and the cartridge can be mounted and bundled.

  In the cartridge P described above, the charging roller 7 is arranged on the photosensitive unit C. However, as shown in FIG. 22, the charging roller 7 may be arranged on the developing unit D side. In this case, when the developing unit D rotates with respect to the photosensitive unit C by attaching the pressing member 40 as described above, the developing unit with respect to the photosensitive drum 6 disposed in the photosensitive unit C is provided. Not only the developing roller 9 arranged in D but also the charging roller 7 as the charging means are separated.

  Accordingly, sliding abrasion and charging memory by the charging roller 7 as well as the developing roller 9 are prevented with respect to the photosensitive drum 6, and the cartridge can be mounted and bundled.

It is a schematic cross-sectional view of (a laser beam printer in this reference embodiment) electrophotographic image forming apparatus. It is a section explanatory view of the cartridge and presser member concerning this reference form. It is a perspective explanatory view of a cartridge and a pressing member. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional explanatory view showing a state where the cartridge P is mounted on the apparatus main body E and packed. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional explanatory diagram in a state where the cartridge door 11 is closed. FIG. 10 is a perspective explanatory view showing a state in which the apparatus main body E in which the cartridge P is enclosed is fixed by the packing material 15. It is a perspective explanatory view of a pressing member as an elastic member according to the second reference form. It is a perspective explanatory view showing the state where the cartridge is bundled. It is a section explanatory view in the state where the door of the image forming device concerning the 3rd reference form was opened. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional explanatory diagram illustrating a state in which a door of the image forming apparatus is closed. It is a state comparison explanatory view of the pressing member concerning a 1st embodiment. It is a perspective view and side expansion explanatory drawing of a pressing member. It is sectional explanatory drawing of a pressing member and a cartridge. It is a perspective explanatory view of a pressing member and a cartridge. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional explanatory view of the door in an open state with the cartridge enclosed. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional explanatory view of the door in a closed state with the cartridge enclosed. It is an isometric view explanatory drawing of embodiment which encloses air in the state which closed the door. It is sectional explanatory drawing of embodiment which encloses air in the state which closed the door. It is sectional explanatory drawing of embodiment which encloses air in the state which closed the door, and seals with a sealing stopper. It is a perspective explanatory view which attached the pressing member concerning a 2nd embodiment to the cartridge. It is a section explanatory view which attached the pressing member concerning a 2nd embodiment to the cartridge. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of an embodiment in which a developing roller and a charging roller can be separated from a photosensitive drum.

C: Photosensitive unit D ... Developing unit E ... Main body P ... Cartridge 2 ... Feeding roller 3 ... Image forming unit 6 ... Photosensitive drum 7 ... Charging roller 9 ... Developing roller
11 ... Door
12… Cartridge guide
12a ... Guide reference plane
13… Guide part
13a ... cartridge reference end face
15… Packing material
17a ... Wall surface
17b ... Wall surface
18… Interlock switch
18a ... Switching arm
19… Arm part
20… Presser member
20a, 20b ... Locking recess
20c ... Mating recess
20d ... rear side
20e ... Bottom surface
20f ... Deflection white
20g ... contact part
21a, 21b ... Locking protrusion
30… Presser member
30a ... Air inlet
30b ... Mating recess
30c ... contact part
30d ... rear side
30e ... Bottom surface
31… Air sealing device
32… Sealing stopper
40… Presser member
40a, 40b ... hook part
40c ... arm part
41… Pressure spring
42a, 42b ... projection

Claims (6)

A possible transporting an apparatus main body equipped with a detachable process cartridge of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, the electrophotographic image forming apparatus for forming an image on a sheet material,
(a) an opening / closing member capable of taking a closed position for closing an opening for mounting the process cartridge on the apparatus main body, and an open position for opening the opening;
(b) A photoreceptor unit provided with an electrophotographic photoreceptor, and a developing member that is rotatably coupled to the photoreceptor unit and develops an electrostatic latent image formed on the electrophotographic photoreceptor. A process cartridge having a developed developing unit;
(c) a main body restricting portion for restricting the position of the process cartridge;
(d) a first abutting portion that abuts on the photosensitive unit and a second abutting portion that abuts on the developing unit; and when the opening / closing member is located at the closed position, by being pressed, it presses the process cartridge to the main body regulating section, a pressing member for restricting the movement of the developing unit and the photosensitive member unit, when said electrophotographic image forming apparatus forms an image A presser member to be removed;
(e) conveying means for conveying the sheet material;
I have a,
The electrophotographic image forming apparatus , wherein the pressing member is a bag-like member into which a gas or fluid medium is injected . 2. The electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the pressing member is capable of injecting the medium from the outside of the apparatus main body in a state where the opening / closing member is located at the closed position. Further, the electrophotographic image forming apparatus, electrophotographic according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the medium from said bag-like member, and having a leakage preventing member for preventing the leakage to the outside of the device body Image forming apparatus. In an electrophotographic image forming apparatus that can be transported in a state where a detachable process cartridge is mounted on the main body of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus, and forms an image on a sheet material,
(a) an opening / closing member capable of taking a closed position for closing an opening for mounting the process cartridge on the apparatus main body, and an open position for opening the opening;
(b) A photoreceptor unit provided with an electrophotographic photoreceptor, and a developing member that is rotatably coupled to the photoreceptor unit and develops an electrostatic latent image formed on the electrophotographic photoreceptor. A process cartridge having a developed developing unit;
(c) a main body restricting portion for restricting the position of the process cartridge;
(d) a first abutting portion that abuts on the photosensitive unit and a second abutting portion that abuts on the developing unit; and when the opening / closing member is located at the closed position, A pressing member that presses the process cartridge against the main body restricting portion by being pressed and restricts movement of the photosensitive unit and the developing unit when the electrophotographic image forming apparatus forms an image. A presser member to be removed;
(e) conveying means for conveying the sheet material;
Have
The pressing member, the electrophotographic photosensitive member and the developing member and be spaced features and to that electronic image forming apparatus. The developing unit has a charging means for charging the electrophotographic photosensitive member, the pressing member, according to claim 4, characterized in that separating the said charging means and said electrophotographic photosensitive member Electrophotographic image forming apparatus. The electrophotographic image forming apparatus, electrons according to any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein the closing member is characterized in that it has an interlock switch to the image formable state when in the closed position Photo image forming apparatus.

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