Patent ID: 8208830

Claim:
A process cartridge detachably mountable to a main assembly of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, said process cartridge comprising: a photosensitive member unit having a photosensitive drum; a developer carrying member for developing an electrostatic latent image formed on said photosensitive drum with a developer; a toner accommodating unit having a developer accommodating portion accommodating the developer to be used for development of said electrostatic latent image, said toner accommodating unit being fixed to said photosensitive member unit; a movable frame that is movable relative to said toner accommodating unit and supports said developer carrying member; an urging member for urging said movable frame in a direction in which said developer carrying member approaches said photosensitive drum; and a space maintaining member, demountably provided between said photosensitive member unit and said movable frame in contact to said photosensitive member unit and said movable frame, for maintaining a state in which a distance between said photosensitive drum and said developer carrying member is larger than that in an image formation, wherein said developer carrying member includes a gap maintaining member, provided at each of one and the other longitudinal ends of said developer carrying member in contact to said photosensitive drum, to provide a predetermined gap between said photosensitive drum and said developer carrying member, and wherein said space maintaining member spaces said photosensitive drum and said gap maintaining member from each other.