Patent ID: 8055154

Claim:
A protection cover, which is detachably disposed in a process cartridge that is detachably inserted and mounted to an image forming apparatus housing body and that comprises a photosensitive member; protects an external exposure portion of the photosensitive member before the process cartridge is inserted and mounted to the image forming apparatus housing body; and which detaches from the process cartridge with the process cartridge being inserted and mounted to the image forming apparatus housing body, the protection cover comprising: a cover base that covers and protects the external exposure portion of the photosensitive member and that comes into contact with the image forming apparatus housing body to movably guide the process cartridge at the time the process cartridge is inserted to the image forming apparatus housing body; an extrusion member that is disposed in the cover base on a side opposite to an insertion direction of the process cartridge to the image forming apparatus housing body and that moves in the insertion direction of the process cartridge to extrude the process cartridge from the cover base; and a restriction portion that is disposed in the extrusion member to restrict the process cartridge in the cover base in a state where the process cartridge is located in the cover base and to release the process cartridge from the cover base in a state where the process cartridge is inserted and mounted to the image forming apparatus housing body.