JPH0572823A - Method for reproducing process cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce the cost of parts and assembling cost in the case of the second and succeeding assembling and producing of a process cartridge by adding a member whose inner periphery has the shape of a screw thread in a hole before threading later in the case of second and succeeding use and reusing the parts. CONSTITUTION:The shape of a female screw is formed in a prepared hole 14a1 by a tap tool so that it may be fitted for the shape of a male screw on the outside, diameter side of a spiral wire rod 1. By screwing the wire rod 1 in the hole 14a1, the shape of the female screw by the wire rod 1 is formed in the hole 14a1 part of a cleaning container 14a. Therefore, even though the cleaning container 14a is reused at the second time or after, a cleaning blade 15 is fixed and held in the cleaning container 14a by the small screw 5 of a metric screw thread in the same way as the first time, and restores a function as the cleaning blade 15 again.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to the reuse of a process cartridge which can be attached to and detached from an image forming apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an image forming apparatus, especially a small electrophotographic copying apparatus, a serviceman has been doing so far. In order to eliminate maintenance such as replacement and removal of waste developer accumulated in the cleaning container, the above unit is put in one frame to form an integrated process cartridge. Furthermore, the process cartridge is configured to be attachable to and detachable from the apparatus main body.

Therefore, when the developer is used up, or the image quality is deteriorated due to deterioration or wear of the photosensitive layer, the user of the apparatus main body removes the process cartridge in which the above unit is integrated from the apparatus main body, A new process cartridge was attached to the apparatus body and the apparatus body was used again. Here, the used process cartridge has been discarded by the user.

That is, in the maintenance-free image forming apparatus as described above, the process cartridge is used in a disposable manner.

Further, among the developing device and the cleaning device forming the process cartridge, members serving as process means such as the developing blade and the cleaning blade are firmly screwed to the frame of the developing container, the cleaning container and the like. It was fixed. Here, the screw member for fixing the process means, for the purpose of improving productivity,
A tapping screw is used that is inserted into the plastic frame body while making a tap.

[0006]

Up to now, the process cartridge has been used as a disposable type for the image forming apparatus. However, in consideration of nature conservation and resource reuse, it is necessary to reuse the process cartridge.

When the process cartridge is reused, it is necessary to replenish the developer, remove and deteriorate the waste developer, and replace worn parts. However, considering the structure of the process cartridge, the members of the process means such as the cleaning blade are fixed to the plastic frame by tapping screws, and therefore the tapping screws must be removed once for replacement. However, if the tapping screw is repeatedly attached to and removed from the same female threaded hole of the plastic frame, the tapping action of the tapping screw exposes the female thread, increasing the effective diameter. Since it is destroyed by the tapping screw that is screwed in, the tapping screw is easily loosened with respect to the frame body, and the process means is not securely fixed to the frame body.
There is a problem that the original performance of the process means cannot be exhibited and the image quality is deteriorated.

[0008]

According to the present invention, among the parts constituting a process cartridge which has been used once,
When reusing a frame made of a plastic material that holds the process means fixed by tapping screws, insert a member with a thread shape on the inner circumference into the prepared hole where the tapping screws were inserted at the first use. By doing so, the process means can be fixed to the frame body by the screw member as in the first use, and the frame body can be reused.

According to the present invention, the life of a process cartridge which has a frame body which is detachable from the main body of the image forming apparatus and which has a member serving as a process means fixed by screwing a tapping screw into a prepared hole provided in the frame body. When the process cartridge is reused after it has been used up, the member serving as the process means was fixed by the tapping screw. The prepared hole into which the tapping screw of the frame was screwed was provided with a screw thread at least on the inner circumference. A method for reproducing a process cartridge is characterized in that a member is inserted and a small screw is screwed into the member to fix a member serving as a process means to a frame body of the process cartridge.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a first embodiment of a process cartridge to which the present invention is applied, and is a frame 3 of an outer cover for covering the internal components of the process cartridge detachable from the image forming apparatus. Is an exposure window 1 for taking in image light from the apparatus main body and forming an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 10.
6, a photosensitive drum 10 which internally forms an electrostatic latent image by exposure, a charger 11 for uniformly charging the photosensitive layer surface of the photosensitive drum 10, and an electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 10. The developer 12 for supplying a developer to the photosensitive drum 10 to form a visible image and the photosensitive drum 10 without being transferred to the transfer paper.
A cleaning device 14 for scraping off the residual developer adhering on the surface of the photosensitive drum and storing it in a cleaning container is provided.

Then, the developer having the visible image formed on the photosensitive drum 10 is transferred onto the transfer paper by the transfer charger provided in the main body of the apparatus, and the developer is further transferred by the fixing device provided in the main body. It is permanently fixed on the transfer paper and ejected outside the device (not shown).

A cleaning device 14 for a process cartridge using the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. A cleaning container 14a for holding each process means in the figure and storing the waste developer scraped off from the photosensitive drum 10.
The upper and lower edges of the opening 14e facing the photosensitive drum 10 are a cleaning blade 15 that abuts the photosensitive drum 10 and scrapes off the developer remaining on the photosensitive drum 10, and a waste developer scraped off by the cleaning blade 15. A developer scooping plate 4 that is elastically contacted with the photosensitive drum 10 is fixed so that the toner does not scatter to the outside of the cleaning container 14a. The cleaning blade 15 is composed of a blade mounting member 15a and a blade 15b. The blade mounting member 15a contacts the upper surface 14b of the cleaning container 14a and the edge 14d of the front and rear walls 14c (parallel to the paper surface of FIG. 2) of the cleaning container 14a. , Are fixed to the edges 14d of the front and rear walls 14c with tapping screws 5 as described later.
The blade mounting member 15a is an iron plate, and a blade 15b made of urethane rubber, for example, is vulcanized and adhered thereto. In the cleaning container 14a, a rotary blade 6 for sending the waste developer to the back side of the cleaning container 14a and a partition plate 14f for preventing the waste developer sent to the back side from returning to the front side are provided. There is.

Here, the cleaning device 1 is used for the first time.
When assembling 4, cleaning container 14a as shown in FIG.
The edges 14d of the front and rear walls 14c of the
A prepared hole (cylindrical hole) 14a1 for inserting the tapping screw 5 by a mold is provided, and the tapping screw 5 made of an iron-based metal is attached to the mounting hole 15 of the cleaning blade 15.
When the cleaning blade 15 is fixed to the cleaning container 14a as shown in FIG. 4, it is inserted into the prepared hole 14a1 while being inserted into the prepared hole 14a1 while forming a screw shape in the prepared hole 14a1. In FIG. 4, a female screw 14a2 is formed in the prepared hole 14a1 by the thread of the tapping screw 5.

When the process cartridge thus assembled is used again after it has been used up to the end of its life, it is necessary to replace the cleaning blade 15. Since the cleaning blade 15 is made of urethane rubber and is in contact with the photosensitive drum 10 with a certain contact pressure, the contact pressure becomes weak over time due to physical properties.
In addition, the contacting portion may be broken due to sliding with the photosensitive drum 10 or the like, and the original cleaning performance cannot be exhibited.

Therefore, the tapping screw 5 which fixes the cleaning blade 15 to the cleaning container 14a is to be removed. Then, a wire rod 1 having a spiral inner and outer circumference, for example, Helisert (registered trademark), is inserted into the prepared hole (which has a female screw shape by the tapping screw 5) 14a1 in which the tapping screw 5 is inserted.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the spiral wire rod 1. The spiral wire rod 1 has a rhombus cross-section in the radial direction of the wire rod and is wound in a spiral shape. Therefore, the inner and outer circumferences are triangular threads. Further, a notch 7 is provided at one end, and a shape for locking a tool for screwing the spiral wire rod 1 into the prepared hole 14a1 (with internal thread 14a2) from the notch 7 to the end side is provided. There is. In this example, the diameter-reduced portion 8 having a diameter smaller than the spiral diameter is provided at about 120 degrees, and the tip portion is the linear portion 9. The inner side of the spiral wire rod 1 has the prepared hole 14a1.
The dimensions are set so that the metric thread standard is obtained when screwed into. Then, a female screw shape is formed in the prepared hole 14a1 by a tap tool so as to match the external thread shape of the spiral wire 1 on the outer diameter side, and the spiral wire 1 as described above is screwed into the prepared hole 14a1. As shown in FIG. 6, the threaded shape of the wire 1 is formed in the prepared hole 14a1 of the cleaning container 14a. Here, since the screw dimension is smaller than the male thread dimension on the outer diameter side of the spiral wire rod 1 because it is formed in the prepared hole 14a1 by a tool, when the spiral wire rod 1 is screwed in, the wire rod 1 has an outer diameter direction. The cleaning container 14 and the wire 1 are firmly joined together due to the spreading force.

As a result, even when the cleaning container 14a is reused for the second time and thereafter, the cleaning blade 15 is fixed and held in the cleaning container 14a with the small screw of the metric screw in the same manner as the first time, and the cleaning blade 1 is reused.
It became possible to restore the function of 5.

[0019]

[Other Embodiments] In the above embodiments, the spiral wire rod is inserted into the cleaning container. However, in the present invention, the frame member made of the plastic material of the process cartridge, such as the developing container, is a member of the process means. The same effect can be obtained by using for all objects that are fixed with tapping screws when used for the first time.

Further, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the insertion of the spiral wire rod having the thread shape on the inner and outer diameters is described, but in the present invention, the insert member (for example, the bit) having the female thread shape on the inner diameter side is inserted. Insert (registered trademark))
Even if is inserted into the prepared hole by a method such as press fitting, the same effect is exhibited.

[0021]

As described above, among the parts of the process cartridge, the parts having the screw holes for fixing the members of the process means by the tapping screw, the members having the inner periphery of the thread shape. Is added to the screw pilot hole after the second use, the component can be reused.

As a result, it becomes possible to reduce the component cost and the assembly cost when the process cartridge is assembled and manufactured for the second time and thereafter.

Furthermore, since the number of parts that have been thrown away after one-time use is reduced, it is useful for environmental protection and resource reuse.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a process cartridge embodying the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of a cleaning device embodying the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the assembly of the cleaning device at the first use.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a tapping screw and a pilot hole showing a first assembled state.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a spiral wire rod.

FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional view of a cleaning container in which a spiral wire rod is inserted.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 wire rod 5 tapping screw 14 cleaning device 14a cleaning container 14a1 prepared hole 14a2 female screw

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A process cartridge, which has a frame body that is detachable from the main body of the image forming apparatus and has a member serving as a process means fixed by screwing a tapping screw into a prepared hole provided in the frame body, is used for its life. When the process cartridge is reused after the completion of the process, a member having a thread on at least the inner periphery is provided in the prepared hole into which the tapping screw of the frame body was fixed by the tapping screw. A method of remanufacturing a process cartridge, which comprises inserting a small screw into the member and fixing a member serving as a process means to a frame of the process cartridge.