Patent ID: 6898399
Filing Date: 2005-05-24
Classification: G03G

Abstract:
1. An electrophotographic photosensitive drum for a process cartridge detachably mountable to a main assembly of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, wherein the process cartridge includes a charging roller configured and positioned to electrically charge said photosensitive drum and a developing roller configured and positioned to develop an electrostatic latent image formed on said photosensitive drum, said photosensitive drum comprising: (i) a cylinder having a photosensitive layer on a peripheral surface thereof; (ii) a drum helical gear, mounted to one end of said cylinder, configured and positioned to transmit a rotational driving force to a transfer roller provided in the main assembly of the apparatus and to transmit a rotational driving force to the charging roller and the developing roller, wherein the transfer roller is effective to transfer the developed image formed on said electrophotographic photosensitive drum onto a recording material; (iii) a shaft portion provided at a central portion of said drum helical gear at a position where it is completely overlapped with teeth of said drum helical gear with respect to a longitudinal direction of said cylinder, wherein a gap is provided between said teeth and a peripheral surface of said shaft portion; and (iv) a projection, provided at a free end of said shaft portion, configured and positioned to engage a hole formed in the main assembly of the apparatus to receive a driving force from the main assembly of the apparatus when the process cartridge is mounted to the main assembly of the apparatus, wherein said electrophotographic photosensitive drum permits insertion of a cartridge frame of the process cartridge into said gap so that said shaft portion is rotatably supported in the cartridge frame when said electrophotographic photosensitive drum is mounted to the cartridge frame of the process cartridge.