Patent ID: 9612564
Date: 2017-04-04
CPC Classifications: G03G

Claim:
1. A support member supported in a cylinder included in an image carrier, the support member comprising: six or more contact portions that are arranged in a circumferential direction of the cylinder with spaces therebetween and that are in contact with an inner peripheral surface of the cylinder, a projection that projects outwardly from an outer surface of the support member and toward the inner peripheral surface of the cylinder and that has corners at both ends of the projection in the circumferential direction when viewed in the axial direction, wherein at least some of the contact portions are composed of the corners, wherein the support member is arc-shaped and has a gap at a certain position in the circumferential direction, the gap extending in an axial direction of the cylinder, wherein, in a state in which the support member is supported in the cylinder, a groove that extends in the axial direction is formed in the support member such that the groove and the gap are on opposite sides of a center of the cylinder when viewed in the axial direction, wherein, in the state in which the support member is supported in the cylinder, the contact portions are symmetrical with respect to a straight line that passes through a center of the gap and a center of the cylinder when viewed in the axial direction, wherein, in the state in which the support member is supported in the cylinder, of the contact portions that are on one side of the straight line when viewed in the axial direction, two contact portions that are farthest from each other are separated from each other by approximately 90 degrees or more in the circumferential direction, and two contact portions that are adjacent to each other are separated from each other by approximately 20 degrees or more in the circumferential direction, wherein the projection comprises a first flat surface extending between a first pair of the corners, wherein a second projection comprises a second flat surface extending between a second pair of the corners, and wherein a corner of the first pair of the corners is a corner of the second pair of the corners.