Abstract:
A process cartridge and an image carrier supporter for use in an image forming apparatus. The image carrier supporter temporarily fixes an image carrier inside a process cartridge of an image forming apparatus. The image carrier supporter includes a penetration shaft, and first and second fixing members. The penetration shaft includes first and second ends, and penetrates through a center throughhole of the image carrier. The first and second fixing members are provided at the first and second ends, respectively, of the penetration shaft, and are configured to closely contact a circumferential inner surface of the image carrier and a frame of a process cartridge, respectively. The process cartridge is configured to be attachable to and detachable from the image forming apparatus, and includes a frame, the image carrier, the image carrier supporter, and a process mechanism configured to form an image on the image carrier.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention generally relates to an image carrier supporter for use in a process cartridge, and more particularly to an image carrier supporter for use in a process cartridge capable of effectively preventing damage to the image carrier during transportation and/or storage. 
   2. Discussion of the Background 
   In general, a related-art image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile machine, etc., employing an electrophotographic method is provided with an image forming engine made based on a state-of-the-art technology involving different engineering fields, such as mechanical, electrical, and even chemical arts. Therefore, the image forming engine is generally susceptible to changes in major factors of image forming, such as conditions of an image developer, wear and tear of constituent components, and so forth. 
   In many cases of the changes, the related-art image forming apparatuses will need a recovery by a repair service technician at a user site, resulting in a relatively high maintenance cost. This situation has been improved based on the results of various engineering developments. For example, the image developer is provided with a prolonged life time and the constituent components are ruggedized so that an occurrence frequency of changes to those elements is decreased. As a consequence, the frequency of visit by the repair service technician to the user site is accordingly decreased. 
   Furthermore, the related-art image forming apparatus has been provided with a marked improvement by introducing a process cartridge to the market. The process cartridge may be referred to as a conveniently-replaceable image forming engine unit, and integrally contains a photoconductor, a sensor unit, and at least one electrophotographic constituent unit, such as a charging unit, a development unit, and a cleaning unit. Such an integrated process cartridge is exchangeably installed in the related-art image forming apparatus to facilitate a maintenance work and to shorten maintenance time. That is, a repair service technician or even a user can easily exchange the process cartridge to correct a defect when the image forming process malfunctions. 
   Since the process cartridge is an exchangeable unit, as described above, it needs protection during transport and/or storage. That is, the process cartridge includes an image forming engine containing various precision components, and typically the photoconductor needs to be protected from being undesirably contacted by neighboring components. 
   Therefore, the process cartridge is commonly provided with a protection member to attempt to prevent the photoconductor from being damaged by an undesirable vibration during transport and/or storage. 
   From a structural viewpoint, the process cartridge bears a technical dilemma on how to efficiently hold the photoconductor during transport and/or storage. That is, to prevent the photoconductor from an undesirable contact with a neighboring element, it is preferable to fixedly hold the photoconductor. In this case, however, the position of the photoconductor cannot be adjusted when the process cartridge is installed at a predetermined place in the related-art image forming apparatus. To allow an adjustment of the photoconductor position at an installation of the process cartridge, at least one end of the photoconductor facing a counterpart mechanism of the apparatus needs to be movably held. This may lead to an occurrence of an undesirable contact to a neighboring element within the process cartridge during transport and/or storage. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   In view of the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention to provide a novel image carrier supporter for temporarily fixing an image carrier inside a process cartridge of an image forming apparatus during transport and/or storage of the process cartridge. 
   Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel process cartridge having an image carrier supporter for temporarily fixing an image carrier inside the process cartridge of an image forming apparatus during transport and/or storage of the process cartridge. 
   To achieve the above-mentioned objects and other objects, in one example, an image carrier supporter includes a penetration shaft, and first and second fixing members. The penetration shaft includes first and second ends, and penetrates through a center throughhole of an image carrier. The first and second fixing members are provided at the first and second ends, respectively, of the penetration shaft and are each configured to closely contact a circumferential inner surface of the image carrier and a frame of the process cartridge, respectively. 
   In another example, a process cartridge includes a frame, an image carrier, an image carrier supporter, and a process mechanism configured to form an image on the image carrier. The image carrier supporter includes a penetration shaft, and first and second fixing members. The penetration shaft includes first and second ends, and penetrates through a center throughhole of an image carrier. The first and second fixing members are provided at the first and second ends, respectively, of the penetration shaft and are each configured to closely contact a circumferential inner surface of the image carrier and a frame of the process cartridge, respectively. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     A more complete appreciation of the disclosure and many of the attendant advantages thereof will be readily obtained as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a photoconductor fixing jig according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of the photoconductor fixing jig of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 3A  is a partial cross-sectional schematic diagram illustrating the photoconductor fixing jig of  FIG. 1  at a side of a front touching member; 
       FIG. 3B  is a partial cross-sectional schematic diagram illustrating the photoconductor fixing jig of  FIG. 1  at a side of a back touching member; 
       FIG. 4A  is a perspective view of a process cartridge according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 4B  is another perspective view of the process cartridge of  FIG. 4A , seen from an opposite side; 
       FIG. 5A  is a plan view of the process cartridge, seen from a side of a front plate; 
       FIG. 5B  is another plan view of the process cartridge, seen from a side of a back plate; 
       FIG. 6A  is a cross-sectional schematic diagram illustrating the process cartridge at the side of the front plate; 
       FIG. 6B  is a cross-sectional schematic diagram illustrating the process cartridge at the side of the back plate; 
       FIG. 7  is an illustration for explaining insertion and removal of the photoconductor fixing jig relative to the process cartridge; 
       FIG. 8A  is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the process cartridge at the side of the front plate when the photoconductor fixing jig of  FIG. 1  is extracted; 
       FIG. 8B  is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the process cartridge at the side of the back plate when the photoconductor fixing jig is extracted; and 
       FIG. 9  is a schematic diagram for explaining a state that the process cartridge is installed in an image forming apparatus. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   In describing preferred embodiments illustrated in the drawings, specific terminology is employed for the sake of clarity. However, the disclosure of this patent specification is not intended to be limited to the specific terminology so selected and it is to be understood that each specific element includes all technical equivalents that operate in a similar manner. 
   Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate identical or corresponding parts throughout the several views, particularly to  FIGS. 1 to 3A  and  3 B, a photoconductor fixing jig  1  according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is described. 
   The photoconductor fixing jig  1  of  FIG. 1  is an image carrier supporter for temporarily fixing a photoconductor to a frame of a process cartridge used in an image forming apparatus. This photoconductor fixing jig  1  is configured to prevent damage on the photoconductor with a structure described below. Such damage may be caused due to an undesirable contact by unexpected vibrations and the like with a peripheral device such as a development unit when the process cartridge is singly transported or stored. 
   As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the photoconductor fixing jig  1  includes an auxiliary fixing member  2 , a center member  3 , a front touching member  321 , and a back touching member  322 . The auxiliary fixing member  2  can be a screw member. The center member  3  is a columnar penetration shaft for penetrating an image carrier along a long side of the image carrier. Into the auxiliary fixing member  2 , a screw part at the end of the center member  3  is screwed in a manner that the auxiliary fixing member  2  abuts against an end of the front touching member  321 . To one end portion of the center member  3 , the front touching member  321  that is a first fixing member is attached. The back touching member  322  is a second fixing member, and is attached to the other end of the center member  3 . The center member  3  can be produced by cutting and coating a metal such as SUM 22  that is a free-cutting steel. The front touching member  321 , auxiliary fixing member  2 , and back touching member  322  can be produced by molding a resin such as polystyrene. 
   As illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the auxiliary fixing member  2 , front touching member  321 , and back touching member  322  are configured to be attachable to and detachable from the center member  3  of the photoconductor fixing jig  1 . 
   As illustrated in  FIGS. 3A and 3B , the center member  3  includes a center member male screw  311 , a center member front groove  312 , and a center member back groove  313 . The auxiliary fixing member  2  includes an auxiliary fixing member female screw  2 A. The front touching member  321  includes a front touching claw member  321  A, and the back touching member  322  includes a back touching claw member  322 A. As illustrated in  FIG. 3A , the front touching member  321  has a sleeve-like shape, and one end of the center member  3  is inserted therein. More specifically, the front touching claw member  321 A provided at one end of the front touching member  321  engages with the center member front groove  312  in a manner that the front touching claw member  321 A may be fitted in and extracted from the center member front groove  312 . From the other end of the front touching member  321 , the center member male screw  311  provided at the end of the center member  3  protrudes. The center member male screw  311  is screwed into the auxiliary fixing member female screw  2 A provided inside the auxiliary fixing member  2 , to attach the auxiliary fixing member  2  to the end of the center member  3 . On the other hand, the other end of the center member  3  is inserted into the back touching member  322  as illustrated in  FIG. 3B . The back touching claw member  322 A provided at an end of the back touching member  322  engages with the center member back groove  313 , to fix the back touching member  322  to the center member  3 . 
   The photoconductor fixing jig  1  is a fixing member for temporarily fixing an image carrier to a process cartridge frame. This photoconductor fixing jig  1  may prevent damage on the photoconductor due to contact with a peripheral device such as a development unit caused by vibration and the like when the process cartridge is singly transported or stored. 
   Next, a process cartridge according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is described. As illustrated in  FIGS. 4A and 4B , the process cartridge  100  includes a development unit  4 , a process cartridge frame  210 , a front plate  211 , and a back plate  221 . In  FIGS. 4A and 4B , the photoconductor fixing jig  1  is attached to the process cartridge  100 . The development unit  4  is a process mechanism that affects the image carrier. Each of the front plate  211  and back plate  221  forms a part of the process cartridge frame  210 , and determines a positional relationship between a process unit such as the development unit  4  and the process cartridge frame  210 . 
     FIGS. 5A and 5B  are side views of  FIGS. 4A  and B, in which a photoconductor  10  fixed in the process cartridge  100  by the photoconductor fixing jig  1  is shown. In  FIG. 5A , the auxiliary fixing member  2  and the center member  3  of the photoconductor fixing jig  1  appear on the front plate  211 . The photoconductor  10  is fixed to a predetermined position enclosed by the process cartridge frame  210 . In  FIG. 5B , the back touching member  322  and the center member  3  of the photoconductor fixing jig  1  appear on the back plate  221 . 
   The process cartridge  100  according to this exemplary embodiment of the present invention integrally includes a photoconductor as an image carrier and the development unit  4  as a process mechanism, and is configured to be attachable to and detachable from a body of an image forming apparatus. After installed in the image forming apparatus, the process cartridge  100  uses a driving shaft provided in the image forming apparatus as a rotation shaft for driving and rotating the photoconductor  10 . More specifically, when the process cartridge  100  is installed in the image forming apparatus, the driving shaft provided in the image forming apparatus is inserted into a center throughhole of the photoconductor  10  that forms a part of the process cartridge  100 . The rotation shaft determines a position of the photoconductor  10 , and rotationally supports and rotates the photoconductor  10 . 
     FIGS. 6A and 6B  are partial cross-sectional diagrams of the process cartridge  100  of  FIGS. 4A and 4B . As illustrated in  FIG. 6A , the front plate  211  that is a part of the process cartridge frame  210  includes a bearing  212  and a front plate inner periphery surface  213 . The photoconductor  10  includes a photoconductor front flange  11 , a photoconductor back flange  12 , and a hollow center shaft  314 ; and a compression coil  231  is provided in a left portion of the process cartridge  100 . The front touching member  321  further includes a front bearing touching part  321 B. The back plate  221  includes a back plate inner periphery surface  221 A and a penetration hole (not shown). The back touching member  322  further includes a photoconductor back flange touching part  322 B, a back flange pressing part  322 C, and a back plate touching part  322 D. 
   The hollow center shaft  314  is a center throughhole of the photoconductor, through which the photoconductor fixing jig  1  penetrates. The bearing  212  is forcibly inserted along the front plate inner periphery surface  213 . The front bearing touching part  321 B of the front touching member  321  abuts against an inner periphery surface of the bearing  212 . Into the front touching member  321 , one end of the center member  3  of the photoconductor fixing jig  1  is inserted. The back flange pressing part  322   c  abuts against the photoconductor back flange  12 . The back plate inner periphery surface  221 A abuts against a part of the back plate touching part  322 D of the back touching member  322  fixed to the other end of the center member  3  of the photoconductor fixing jig  1 . 
   The front touching member  321  abuts against the front plate inner surface  213  and an inlet inner periphery surface of a hollow cylindrical part provided at the center of the photoconductor front flange  11 . Likewise, the back touching member  322  abuts against the back plate inner periphery surface  221 A and an inlet inner surface of a hollow cylindrical part provided at the center of the photoconductor back flange  12 . Thus, the photoconductor fixing jig  1  is fixed, and the photoconductor  10  is fixed to the predetermined position, and a positional relationship between the photoconductor  10  and the development unit  4  is maintained with a high degree of accuracy. It is to be noted that an inner diameter of the back plate  221  is larger than an inner diameter of the photoconductor front flange  11  and photoconductor back flange  12 . 
   Next, inserting of the photoconductor fixing jig  1  in the process cartridge  100  is explained in detail. 
   As illustrated in  FIG. 7 , when the photoconductor fixing jig  1  is inserted in the process cartridge  100 , the auxiliary fixing member  2  is removed from the photoconductor fixing jig  1 . The center member  3  of the photoconductor fixing jig  1  is inserted into the hollow center shaft  314  of the photoconductor  10  via the penetration hole on the back plate  221  from the end of the front touching member  321  side. The center member  3  protrudes from the bearing  212  attached on the front plate  211  of the process cartridge frame  210 . Then, the center member male screw  311  at the end of the center member  3  is screwed into the auxiliary fixing member female screw  2 A of the auxiliary fixing member  2 . Therefore, the photoconductor  10  is fixed to the process cartridge frame  210 . The back touching member  322  abuts against the back plate inner periphery surface  221 A and the inlet inner surface of the cylindrical part at the center of the photoconductor back flange  12  with its surface. Further, when the center member  3  is screwed into the auxiliary fixing member  2 , the flange pressing part  322 C on an edge surface of the back touching member  322  is pressed to an edge surface of the photoconductor back flange  12 . As a result, the photoconductor  10  moves forward in the process cartridge  100  (leftward in  FIG. 6B ). Further, the compression coil  231  applies a rightward force (in  FIG. 6A ) and a position of the photoconductor  10  in a thrust direction is determined. 
   Next, installation of the process cartridge  100  in which the photoconductor  10  is attached to the process cartridge frame  210  by the photoconductor fixing jig  1  in the image formation apparatus is explained. Referring to  FIG. 7 , the auxiliary fixing member  2  is detached from the center member  3  of the photoconductor fixing jig  1  fixed in the process cartridge  100 , and the center member  3  is pulled out from the process cartridge  100 . 
     FIGS. 8A and 8B  show a state after the center member  3  is pulled out from the photoconductor  10  in the process cartridge  100  of  FIGS. 6A and 6B . Instead of the center member  3 , the hollow center shaft  314  emerges in the photoconductor  10 . 
     FIG. 9  illustrates a state that the process cartridge  100  including the photoconductor  10  is installed in the image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus includes a driving shaft  51 , a bevel gear  52 , a bearing  53 , and a driving motor  54 . The image forming apparatus further includes a main body slide rail  55 , a main body front plate  56 , and a main body back plate  57 . The driving shaft  51  runs between the main body front plate  56  and main body back plate  57 . One end of the driving shaft  51  is connected to the driving motor  54  by using a joint, for example. 
   The main body front plate  56  is removed before the process cartridge  100  is installed into the image forming apparatus, and is attached to the image forming apparatus after completion of the installation. The process cartridge  100  including the photoconductor  10  is slid along the main body slide rail  55  and fixed at a predetermined position in the image forming apparatus. Then, the driving shaft  51 , which is a penetration shaft, is inserted into the photoconductor  10 . The photoconductor  10  is engaged with the driving shaft  51  through the bevel gear  52  and bearing  53  that are forcibly fitted on the driving shaft  51 . More specifically, the bevel gear  52  of the driving shaft  51  is fitted into an engaging surface of the photoconductor back flange  12 . Further, the bearing  53  of the driving shaft  51  is fitted into an engaging surface of the back plate  221  of the process cartridge  100 . Thus, the installation of the process cartridge  100  including the photoconductor  10  into the image forming apparatus is completed. 
   When the photoconductor  10  is attached to the process cartridge frame  210  by using the photoconductor fixing jig  1  as mentioned above, positioning of the photoconductor  10  in radial and thrust directions is performed. The process cartridge  100  is shipped, transported, stored, or otherwise handled in this state. 
   According to the present invention, as the center member  3  of the photoconductor fixing jig  1  is screwed into the auxiliary fixing member  2 , the photoconductor  10  may be securely fixed by the photoconductor fixing jig  1 . Further, the photoconductor fixing jig  1  does not become unfastened when the process cartridge  100  is singly transported. 
   Further, positioning of the photoconductor  10  may be easily performed as the photoconductor  10  is supported by the driving shaft  51  of the body of the image forming apparatus when the process cartridge  100  is installed in the image forming apparatus. 
   Further, the center member  3  of the photoconductor fixing jig  1  can be produced by cutting and coating a metal. The front touching member  321 , auxiliary fixing member  2 , and back touching member  322  can be produced by molding a resin. Therefore, production cost may be substantially reduced compared with a case in which the front touching member  321 , auxiliary fixing member  2 , and back touching member  322  are integrally produced through a cutting processing. Further, stiffness and strength of the photoconductor fixing jig  1  as a whole is maintained high compared with a case in which the front touching member  321 , auxiliary fixing member  2 , and back touching member  322  are integrally produced by molding a resin. 
   Numerous additional modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the disclosure of this patent specification may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein. 
   This patent specification is based on Japanese patent application, No. JP2005-266568 filed on Sep. 14, 2005 in the Japan Patent Office, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein.