Patent ID: 7164875
Filing Date: 2007-01-16
Classification: G03G

Abstract:
1. An electrophotographic image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording material, said image forming apparatus being usable with one or a plurality of process cartridges each of which includes an electrophotographic photosensitive drum, a developing roller configured and positioned to develop an electrostatic latent image formed on the electrophotographic photosensitive drum, a developer accommodating portion configured and positioned to accommodate a developer to be used by the developing roller to develop the electrostatic latent image, a cleaning member configured and positioned to remove from the electrophotographic photosensitive drum the developer remaining on the electrophotographic photosensitive drum after a developed image formed on the electrophotographic photosensitive drum is transferred onto the recording material, and a removed developer accommodating portion configured and positioned to accommodate the removed developer removed from the electrophotographic photosensitive drum by the cleaning member, said apparatus comprising: a plurality of mounting portions each of which is configured and positioned to detachably mount one of the plurality of process cartridges, wherein in each of said mounting portions, one of the plurality of process cartridges is mounted to be inclined downwardly so that, with respect to a mounting direction in which the mounted process cartridge is mounted to one of said mounting portions and to a main assembly of said electrophotographic image forming apparatus, an upstream side of the mounted process cartridge is higher than a downstream side of the mounted process cartridge, wherein when process cartridges are set in said mounting portions, a phantom plane passing through each of the axes of the electrophotographic photosensitive drums of the mounted process cartridges is inclined in a downstream direction with respect to a vertical plane passing through the axis of the electrophotographic photosensitive drum of the bottommost mounted process cartridge, wherein a part of one of the process cartridges mounted to one of said mounting portions and a part of another one of the process cartridges mounted to another one of said mounting portions, positioned above said one of said mounting portions, overlap each other, as seen along a plane perpendicular to said phantom plane from the area outside said electrophotographic image forming apparatus through which the process cartridges are mounted to said electrophotographic image forming apparatus; light projecting means for projecting light corresponding to image information onto the electrophotographic photosensitive drum of each process cartridge mounted to said mounting portions; and feeding means for feeding the recording material, wherein a line in the mounting direction forms an angle with the perpendicular plane so as to be tilted upward with respect to the perpendicular plane in the area outside said electrophotographic image forming apparatus through which the process cartridges are mounted to said electrophotographic image forming apparatus.