Patent ID: 6963706
Filing Date: 2005-11-08
Classification: G03G

Abstract:
1. A process cartridge detachably mountable to a main assembly of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, said process cartridge comprising: a rotatable electrophotographic photosensitive drum; a developing roller configured and positioned to develop an electrostatic latent image formed on said electrophotographic photosensitive drum, said developing roller being rotatable in the same direction as that of said electrophotographic photosensitive drum by a driving force received from the main assembly of the apparatus when said process cartridge is mounted to the main assembly of the apparatus; a first separation member disposed at one end of said developing roller so as to provide a gap between a peripheral surface of said developing roller and a peripheral surface of said electrophotographic photosensitive drum, said first separation member contacting the peripheral surface of said electrophotographic photosensitive drum adjacent one end thereof; a second separation member disposed at the other end of said developing roller so as to provide the gap, said second separation member contacting the peripheral surface of said electrophotographic photosensitive drum adjacent the other end thereof; a charging roller, contactable to said electrophotographic photosensitive drum, and configured and positioned to electrically charge said electrophotographic photosensitive drum; a first cleaning member contactable to the peripheral surface of said electrophotographic photosensitive drum adjacent one end thereof, said first cleaning member having an effective area which ranges outwardly from an outside of a developing zone of said developing roller at least to an outside end of a region where said first separation member contacts the peripheral surface of said electrophotographic photosensitive drum across an end of a contact region where said charging roller contacts said electrophotographic photosensitive drum with respect to a longitudinal direction of said electrophotographic photosensitive drum; and a second cleaning member contactable to the peripheral surface of said electrophotographic photosensitive drum adjacent the other end thereof, said second cleaning member having an effective area which ranges outwardly from an outside of the developing zone of said developing roller at least to another outside end of the region where said second separation member contacts the peripheral surface of said electrophotographic photosensitive drum across another end of the contact region where said charging roller contacts said electrophotographic photosensitive drum with respect to the longitudinal direction of said electrophotographic photosensitive drum.