Patent ID: 6937832
Filing Date: 2005-08-30
Classification: G03B,G03G

Abstract:
1. A process cartridge detachably mountable to a main assembly of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, said process cartridge comprising: an electrophotographic photosensitive drum; a process device actable on said electrophotographic photosensitive drum; a first contact portion, provided on a bottom surface of a cartridge frame portion of said process cartridge, the cartridge frame portion being provided at one longitudinal end of said electrophotographic photosensitive drum and configured and positioned to support one longitudinal end portion of said electrophotographic photosensitive drum, wherein said first contact portion is guided by a first main assembly guide provided in the main assembly of the apparatus when said process cartridge is mounted to a mounting position in the main assembly of the apparatus, wherein said first contact portion is disposed at a leading portion of said process cartridge with respect to a mounting direction in which said process cartridge is mounted to the mounting position, and said first contact portion is mounted to contact a first main assembly receiving portion provided in the main assembly of the apparatus when said process cartridge is mounted to the mounting position; a cartridge coupling disposed above said first contact portion when said process cartridge is mounted to the mounting position, said cartridge coupling being engageable with a main assembly coupling provided in the main assembly of the apparatus to receive a rotational driving force from the main assembly of the apparatus; a second contact portion provided on the bottom surface of the cartridge frame portion of said process cartridge provided at the one longitudinal end of said electrophotographic photosensitive drum, wherein said second contact portion is disposed upstream of said first contact portion with respect to the mounting direction, wherein said second contact portion is effective to limit rotation of said process cartridge in a rotational direction of said electrophotographic photosensitive drum when said process cartridge mounted to the mounting position receives the rotational driving force from the main assembly of the apparatus; and a positioning portion projected outwardly from another cartridge frame portion of said process cartridge, the another cartridge frame portion being provided at the other longitudinal end of said electrophotographic photosensitive drum and being configured and positioned to support the other longitudinal end portion of said electrophotographic photosensitive drum, wherein said positioning portion is guided by a second main assembly guide provided in the main assembly of the apparatus when said process cartridge is mounted to the mounting position of the main assembly of the apparatus, and is positioned to contact a second main assembly receiving portion provided in the main assembly of the apparatus when said process cartridge is mounted to the mounting position.