Patent ID: 7072603

Claim:
A holding member provided on a process cartridge main body configured and positioned to hold an image bearing member and a process device in one of a spaced-apart state and a pressure released state when said holding member acts on the process cartridge main body, said holding member comprising: a portion configured and positioned to cover and hide a storing medium provided on the process cartridge main body when said holding member is acting on a process cartridge, the process cartridge main body having: the image bearing member, the process device configured to act on the image bearing member, and the storing medium provided with a communication device configured to communicate with an image forming apparatus main body, wherein the process cartridge main body is detachably mountable on the image forming apparatus main body, wherein the image bearing member and the process device are in contact with each other in a pressure state when said holding member does not act on the process cartridge main body, and wherein the contact pressure of the pressure released state in which the process device and the image bearing member are in contact with each other is smaller than that of the pressure state; and a portion configured and positioned to cover and hide the communication device of the storing medium provided in the process cartridge main body when said holding member is acting on the process cartridge, wherein said portion configured and positioned to cover and hide the storing medium and said portion configured and positioned to cover and hide the communication device of the storing medium neither cover nor hide the communication device and storing medium when said holding member does not act on the process cartridge main body.