CN108762032B

CN108762032B - Process cartridge, image forming apparatus, and process cartridge mounting and dismounting method

Info

Publication number: CN108762032B
Application number: CN201810948996.7A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 冯杰斌; 黄乐; 石学良
Original assignee: Zhuhai Runxin Printing Consumables Co ltd; Ninestar Corp
Current assignee: Zhuhai Runxin Printing Consumables Co ltd; Ninestar Corp
Priority date: 2018-04-03
Filing date: 2018-08-20
Publication date: 2021-06-29
Anticipated expiration: 2038-08-20
Also published as: CN108762032A; CN208705666U; CN110308633A

Abstract

The application provides a processing box, an image forming device and a mounting and dismounting method of the processing box, wherein the processing box comprises a shell, the shell is provided with an outer surface, a first steering fulcrum part is arranged on the shell and protrudes relative to the outer surface of the shell, and the processing box can rotate by taking the first steering fulcrum part as a fulcrum so as to enable the processing box to be mounted in an inclined mode. The application can facilitate the inclined installation of the processing box in the image forming device.

Description

Process cartridge, image forming apparatus, and process cartridge mounting and dismounting method

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of image forming apparatuses, and more particularly, to a process cartridge, an image forming apparatus, and a process cartridge mounting and dismounting method.

Background

The process cartridge is a toner cartridge detachably loaded into the main body of the image forming apparatus, and includes a housing, a photosensitive drum, a developing roller, and the like as an integral unit. The process cartridge is detachable with respect to the image forming apparatus main body, facilitating maintenance of the apparatus. When the process cartridge is mounted in the image forming apparatus, the conventional mounting manner is to be vertically or parallel, but there is also a process cartridge mounted in an inclined manner, such as the process cartridge disclosed in chinese application patent application publication nos. CN105785739A, CN106647208A, so that the process cartridge can be mounted in the image forming apparatus in an inclined manner by providing a mounting guide on an end plate of the process cartridge.

Since most of the process cartridges on the market are loaded in the image forming apparatus in a conventional vertical or parallel manner, it is always customary for a user to set the process cartridges upright and then load them when using the process cartridges loaded in an inclined manner, resulting in a failure to smoothly load such process cartridges into the image forming apparatus. Further, the linkage mechanism disclosed in the chinese application publication No. CN106647208A for facilitating the inclined mounting of the process cartridge is complicated in structure.

Disclosure of Invention

The application provides a process cartridge, an image forming apparatus and a process cartridge mounting and dismounting method, which are used for facilitating the process cartridge to be obliquely mounted in the image forming apparatus.

A first aspect of the present application provides a process cartridge, which includes a case having an outer surface, the case being provided with a first steering fulcrum portion, the first steering fulcrum portion protruding with respect to the outer surface of the case, the process cartridge being rotatable with the first steering fulcrum portion as a fulcrum, so that the process cartridge is mounted obliquely.

Optionally, the first steering fulcrum portion is located on one side of a center line of the housing in the front-rear direction and perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the housing.

Optionally, a projection of the first steering fulcrum portion on the top wall of the housing is a curve, the curve extends along a length direction of the housing, and a side of the curve facing the front face of the housing is a convex surface.

Optionally, a projection of the first steering fulcrum portion on the top wall of the housing is a straight line, and the straight line extends along a length direction of the housing.

Optionally, the first steering fulcrum portion is pivotally connected to the housing.

Optionally, an axis of the first steering fulcrum portion extends in a longitudinal direction of the housing, a rear portion of the first steering fulcrum portion abuts against the housing, and a rotation space is provided between a front portion of the first steering fulcrum portion and the housing.

Optionally, a return torsion spring is further disposed on the housing, and the return torsion spring abuts against at least a part of the first steering fulcrum portion.

Optionally, the housing is further provided with a first steering guide portion, and the first steering guide portion and the first steering fulcrum portion are respectively located on two sides of a center line of the housing in the front-rear direction.

Alternatively, the first steering guide portion is a broken line or a curved line recessed in a direction toward the first steering fulcrum portion.

Optionally, the housing is further provided with a vertical guide portion, and the vertical guide portion is disposed in front of the first steering guide portion.

Optionally, a guide portion is further disposed on a surface of the housing, and the guide portion includes a first guide portion and a second guide portion that are disposed at an interval along a length direction of the housing.

Optionally, at least a part of the first guide part and the second guide part forms an included angle of not 90 degrees with the length direction of the housing.

Optionally, the housing is further provided with two limiting portions, and the two limiting portions are respectively located on two sides of the housing along the length direction and face the front of the housing.

Optionally, the housing is further provided with a second steering guide portion, and the second steering guide portion is disposed on the surface of the housing so as to form an included angle with respect to the length direction of the housing.

Optionally, the housing is further provided with a contact protrusion, the contact protrusion is disposed on a top wall of the housing, and the contact protrusion is configured to abut against a triggering mechanism of the image forming apparatus.

Alternatively, a part of the contact protrusion is disposed obliquely with respect to the front-rear direction of the housing.

Alternatively, a part of the contact protrusion is disposed in parallel with the front-rear direction of the housing.

Alternatively, a part of the contact projection forms a first steering guide of the process cartridge.

Optionally, the contact protrusion includes a first contact protrusion and a second contact protrusion, and the first contact protrusion and the second contact protrusion are arranged at an interval along a length direction of the housing.

Alternatively, the process cartridge may include a driving force receiving end, and the contact projection may be closer to the driving force receiving end than the first steering fulcrum portion.

Alternatively, the process cartridge may include a driving force receiving end, and the first turning fulcrum portion may be disposed on a side away from the driving force receiving end with respect to a longitudinal direction of the casing.

Optionally, one end of the housing along the length direction of the housing is provided with a first limiting protrusion, and the first limiting protrusion is provided with a first interference preventing structure to prevent the processing box from interfering with the image forming device when rotating.

Optionally, the first interference preventing structure includes a first interference preventing portion, and the first interference preventing portion is disposed on a front side of an end surface of the first limiting protrusion.

Optionally, the first interference preventing structure includes a second interference preventing portion, and the second interference preventing portion is disposed at a front side of an upper portion of the first limiting protrusion.

Optionally, one end of the housing along the length direction of the housing is provided with a second limiting protrusion, and one side of the second limiting protrusion is provided with a second interference preventing structure to prevent the processing box from interfering with the image forming device when rotating.

Optionally, the second interference prevention structure is a convex structure.

Alternatively, any of the foregoing process cartridges is detachably mountable to an image forming apparatus provided with a turning fulcrum abutment portion therein, the first turning fulcrum portion being in contact with the turning fulcrum abutment portion to turn the process cartridge in a process of mounting the process cartridge to the image forming apparatus.

An image forming apparatus includes any one of the above process cartridges, which is detachably attached inside the image forming apparatus.

A process cartridge mounting and dismounting method using any one of the process cartridges described above, the process cartridge being detachably attachable to an image forming apparatus.

Alternatively, the process cartridge mounting and dismounting method, when mounted, includes the step P1:

the first turning fulcrum portion abuts against a turning fulcrum abutting portion provided in the image forming apparatus to form a first turning fulcrum, and causes the process cartridge to turn about the first turning fulcrum.

Optionally, step P11 is further included after step P1:

the casing is provided with a first steering guide part which is abutted with a steering guide abutting part arranged in the image forming device to form a steering guide rail pair, and the processing box rotates around the first steering fulcrum and along the steering guide rail pair to incline the processing box.

Optionally, step P0 is further included before step P1:

the front of the first steering guide part is provided with a vertical guide part which is abutted with the steering guide abutting part to form a vertical moving guide rail pair, and the processing box moves along the vertical moving guide rail pair until the first steering fulcrum part is abutted with the steering fulcrum abutting part.

Optionally, step P12 is also included after step P1:

the first turning fulcrum portion is separated from the turning fulcrum abutting portion, the guide portion abuts against a guide abutting portion provided in the image forming apparatus to form an inclined mounting rail pair, and the process cartridge is obliquely mounted to the image forming apparatus along the inclined mounting rail pair.

Optionally, step P1 is followed by step P13:

the processing box is characterized in that two sides of the shell along the length direction face the front of the shell, limiting surfaces are respectively arranged on the two sides of the shell, after the processing box is obliquely installed in place, one of the limiting surfaces is in contact with a first limiting block arranged in the image forming device, and a rotation fulcrum is formed to enable the processing box to rotate until the other limiting surface is in contact with a second limiting block arranged in the image forming device.

Optionally, the first steering fulcrum portion is pivotally connected to the housing, a pivot axis of the first steering fulcrum portion extends along a longitudinal direction of the housing, a rear portion of the first steering fulcrum portion abuts against the housing, a pivot space is provided between a front portion of the first steering fulcrum portion and the housing, and the detaching process includes step P2:

the first turning fulcrum portion is turned forward to prevent a turning fulcrum abutting portion provided in the image forming apparatus from obstructing the removal of the process cartridge.

The technical scheme provided by the application can achieve the following beneficial effects:

the shell of the processing box is provided with the first steering fulcrum part, the processing box can rotate by taking the first steering fulcrum part as a fulcrum during installation so as to enable the processing box to be installed obliquely, and meanwhile, the first steering fulcrum part moves along the length direction of the shell along with the shell; when the process cartridge is tilted to the right position, the first turning fulcrum portion is disengaged, and the process cartridge is tilted and loaded into the image forming apparatus. The application provides a handle box simple structure, the slope installation is smooth-going, easy to assemble and dismantlement.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the application.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural view of a process cartridge according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the process cartridge shown in FIG. 1 from another angle;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the process cartridge shown in FIG. 1 initially mounted to the image forming apparatus;

FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged schematic view of the process cartridge shown in FIG. 3 when it is initially mounted to the image forming apparatus;

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of the process cartridge shown in FIG. 1 when it is rotated obliquely;

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of the process cartridge shown in FIG. 1 being set in rotation;

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of the process cartridge shown in FIG. 1 when mounted in place;

FIG. 8 is a schematic structural view of another process cartridge provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 9 is a schematic view of one embodiment of a first guide portion of the process cartridge shown in FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a schematic view showing a state in which another process cartridge provided in the embodiment of the present application is mounted to an image forming apparatus;

FIG. 11 is a schematic view showing another state in which the process cartridge shown in FIG. 10 is mounted to the image forming apparatus;

FIG. 12 is an enlarged partial schematic view at B-2 of FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is an enlarged partial schematic view taken at B-3 of FIG. 11;

FIG. 14 is a schematic view showing still another state in which the process cartridge shown in FIG. 10 is mounted to the image forming apparatus;

FIG. 15 is an enlarged partial schematic view at B-2 of FIG. 14;

FIG. 16 is an enlarged partial schematic view taken at B-3 of FIG. 14;

FIG. 17 is a schematic view showing still another state in which the process cartridge shown in FIG. 10 is mounted to the image forming apparatus;

FIG. 18 is an enlarged partial schematic view at D of FIG. 17;

fig. 19 is a schematic view showing a state in which the process cartridge shown in fig. 10 is mounted in place;

FIG. 20 is a sectional view of the process cartridge shown in FIG. 19 taken along the direction C-C;

FIG. 21 is an enlarged partial schematic view at E of FIG. 20;

fig. 22 is a schematic view of the turning fulcrum abutment interacting with the stopper post when the process cartridge is removed from the image forming apparatus;

FIG. 23 is an enlarged partial schematic view at F of FIG. 22;

fig. 24 is a perspective view of still another process cartridge according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 25 is an enlarged partial view at G of FIG. 24;

FIG. 26 is a schematic view of a second interference prevention structure cooperating with a push member;

fig. 27 is a schematic view of a non-driving force receiving end of the process cartridge;

FIG. 28 is an enlarged partial view taken at H in FIG. 27;

fig. 29 is a schematic view showing a state in which a process cartridge is in contact with a side wall of an image forming apparatus;

FIG. 30 is an enlarged partial view at I of FIG. 29;

fig. 31 is a schematic view at a non-driving force receiving end of the process cartridge;

FIG. 32 is an enlarged partial schematic view at J of FIG. 31;

FIG. 33 is a schematic right side view of FIG. 32;

fig. 34 is a schematic view of fig. 32 with the urging member removed.

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the present application and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the application.

Detailed Description

The present application is described in further detail below with reference to specific embodiments and with reference to the attached drawings.

In the following description, the front and rear directions are defined as the loading direction of the process cartridge during the process of loading the process cartridge into the image forming apparatus 200, that is, the side that first enters the image forming apparatus 200 during the installation is the front, the opposite side that last enters the image forming apparatus 200 is the rear, and the front and rear directions are the Y direction shown in the drawing.

As shown in fig. 1 to 34, the present application provides an image forming apparatus 200 including a process cartridge detachably attached inside the image forming apparatus 200. As shown in fig. 3, a turning fulcrum abutment portion 203 may be provided in the image forming apparatus 200, and when the process cartridge contacts the turning fulcrum abutment portion 203, the forward linear movement of the process cartridge is hindered and the process cartridge is rotated, so that the process cartridge is obliquely mounted in the image forming apparatus, and specifically, the left-right direction of the process cartridge, i.e., the longitudinal direction of the housing of the process cartridge, can form an angle other than 90 degrees with the mounting direction of the process cartridge into the image forming apparatus before the process cartridge is rotated, i.e., the oblique mounting of the process cartridge is achieved. Further, the turning fulcrum abutment portion 203 may be provided on a top wall of a cartridge mounting position provided in the image forming apparatus 200. The image forming apparatus 200 may further be provided with a first stopper 206 and a second stopper 207, and the process cartridge is mounted in place when the first stopper 206 and the second stopper 207 contact the process cartridge.

Further, a turn guide abutting portion 201 may be further provided in the image forming apparatus 200 to guide the rotation of the process cartridge.

It is to be understood that the process cartridge may be inclined to the left side or to the right side, or may be rotated counterclockwise or clockwise when being loaded in the image forming apparatus 200. The embodiments provided in the present application are described in detail as being inclined to the left side. When the inclined plate inclines to the right side, the whole of the embodiments provided by the application only needs to be in mirror symmetry. Specifically, the process cartridge includes a casing 100 and a developing unit provided in the casing 100, and the developing unit may include a photosensitive drum and/or a developing roller. The axis a of the developing unit is disposed along the length direction of the casing 100, and a driving force receiving end (simply referred to as a driving force receiving end) of the developing unit is disposed on one end surface of the casing 100 in the length direction. An end surface perpendicular to the axis of the developing unit defining the driving force receiving end is a driving force receiving end plane.

Specifically, referring to fig. 1 and 2, the case 100 has outer surfaces, which may include a front wall s1, a rear wall s2, a left side wall s3, a right side wall s4, a top wall s5, and a bottom wall (not shown). The bottom wall is disposed opposite to the top wall s5, the front wall s1 is connected between the top wall s5 and the bottom wall, and the left side wall s3 and the right side wall s4 are respectively located on both sides of the housing 100 in the longitudinal direction.

Further, the present application provides a process cartridge including a casing 100, the casing 100 being provided with a first steering fulcrum portion 101, the first steering fulcrum portion 101 protruding with respect to an outer surface of the casing, the process cartridge being rotatable about the first steering fulcrum portion 101 as a fulcrum to mount the process cartridge in an inclined manner. Specifically, the first turning fulcrum portion 101 comes into contact with the turning fulcrum abutment portion 203 to form a first turning fulcrum at which forward linear movement (movement in the Y direction) of the process cartridge is hindered and oblique turning occurs. The first steering fulcrum portion 101 may be fixedly or movably connected to the housing 100.

Further, the first turning fulcrum portion is provided on a side away from the driving force receiving end of the process cartridge in the longitudinal direction of the process cartridge case.

Specifically, the right side wall s4 may be provided with a mounting guide surface Q, an end plane of the mounting guide surface Q being disposed obliquely (non-perpendicularly) with respect to the axis of the developing unit, and a guide rib protruding from the end plane may be disposed on the end plane of the mounting guide surface Q, an outer contour of the guide rib being parallel to the end plane. The mounting guide surface Q allows the process cartridge to be loaded into the image forming apparatus 200 in an inclined manner during the process cartridge mounting or dismounting.

Further, the first steering fulcrum portion 101 is located on one side of the center line of the casing in the front-rear direction and perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the process cartridge, that is, the first steering fulcrum portion 101 is disposed near one end of the casing in the longitudinal direction, so that the linear forward movement of the end of the process cartridge where the first steering fulcrum portion 101 is disposed is hindered, and the linear forward movement of the end of the process cartridge where the first steering fulcrum portion 101 is not disposed is continued unhindered, thereby causing the process cartridge to tilt.

Further, as shown in fig. 1, 2 and 3, the projection of the first turning fulcrum portion 101 on the top wall s5 of the casing 100 may be a curve that extends in the longitudinal direction of the casing and that is convex on the side toward the front of the casing 100. Preferably, the front side of the first steering fulcrum 101 is a cambered surface or a spherical surface, so that the structure is simple and the steering is smooth.

Specifically, the first steering fulcrum portion 101 may be disposed on the top wall s5 and protrude from the surface of the top wall s5, the first steering fulcrum portion 101 is located at the front left of the top wall s5, and the front end of the first steering fulcrum portion 101 is a cambered surface or a spherical surface.

More specifically, the first steering fulcrum portion 101 may be a cylinder protruding from the top wall s5, and a rear portion of the cylinder may be provided with an obliquely extending reinforcing structure (an extending direction of the reinforcing structure forms an angle different from 90 degrees with the driving force receiving end plane a) to reinforce the structural strength of the first steering fulcrum portion 101, and the reinforcing structure may be an obliquely extending rib or a plurality of obliquely continuously spaced convex columns. The front side of the first pivot portion 101 preferably protrudes beyond the front wall s1 so that the process cartridge can be tilted at the initial stage of loading into the image forming apparatus 200. It will be appreciated that the front side of the first steering fulcrum portion 101 may also be located behind the front wall s1 (i.e., the front side of the first steering fulcrum portion 101 does not protrude beyond the front wall s1, as shown in fig. 8).

Further, referring to fig. 10, the projection of the first steering fulcrum portion 101 on the top wall s5 of the housing 100 is a straight line extending in the longitudinal direction of the housing 100. At this time, a curved surface or a corner structure contacting the straight line may be provided in the image forming apparatus 200. That is, the projections of the first turning support point portion 101 and the turning support point abutting portion 203 on the top wall s5, one of which is curved and the other of which is straight, form a dotted line to make contact.

Specifically, when the projection of the first steering fulcrum portion 101 on the top wall s5 of the housing 100 is a straight line, referring to fig. 10 to 16, the first steering fulcrum portion 101 may be provided as a stopper a 101. When the process cartridge is rotated obliquely, the stopper a101 mounted on the process cartridge is also rotated obliquely together with the process cartridge, and when the process cartridge is first tilted to the proper position, the stopper a101 is just away from the turning fulcrum abutment 203 provided on the image forming apparatus 200. Thereby enabling the process cartridge to move forward while maintaining the inclined state.

Further, the first steering fulcrum portion 101 may be rotatably connected to the housing 100. The axis of the first steering fulcrum portion 101 (e.g., the pin a103) extends in the longitudinal direction of the housing 100, the rear portion of the first steering fulcrum portion 101 abuts against the housing 100, and a turning space is provided between the front portion of the first steering fulcrum portion 101 and the housing 100.

Further, the first steering fulcrum portion may be provided with a return means, which may be an elastic member such as a return torsion spring a102, and the return torsion spring a102 may abut against at least a part of the first steering fulcrum portion 101.

When the first steering fulcrum portion 101 is pivotally coupled to the housing 100, referring to fig. 20 and 21, a detailed description will be given taking the stopper a101 as an example. It is to be understood that the first steering fulcrum portion 101 may have other configurations such as the above-described cylinder. Specifically, the stop post a101 is rotatably coupled to the housing 100 by a pin a103, and the stop post a101 is provided with a return torsion spring a 102. The stopper a101 is fixed to the housing 100 by a pin a103, and the rear face of the stopper a101 abuts against the housing 100, so that the stopper a101 cannot rotate backward. While the front of the stop post a101 is not constrained, the stop post a101 can be rotated forward, i.e., about the direction shown in fig. 23.

Referring to fig. 17 and 18, the purpose of the forward rotation of the stopper a101 is to facilitate the detachment of the process cartridge, i.e., the removal of the process cartridge from the image forming apparatus 200, the stopper a101 can be rotated forward to avoid the fulcrum abutment 203 provided on the image forming apparatus 200, so that the process cartridge can be smoothly removed. That is, when the process cartridge is moved backward and taken out, the turning fulcrum abutment portion 203 contacts the stopper post a101 and rotates the stopper post a101 forward, and after the stopper post a101 which the turning fulcrum abutment portion 203 has passed over, the process cartridge can be smoothly detached while the stopper post a101 is returned to the original position by the return torsion spring a 102.

Further, as shown in fig. 1, 2 and 3, the casing 100 may further include a first steering guide 103, and the first steering guide 103 and the first steering fulcrum 101 are respectively located on both sides of a center line of the process cartridge in the front-rear direction, so that a large torque is generated with a small force when the process cartridge is rotated, and the first steering fulcrum 101 or the first steering guide 103 is prevented from being damaged.

Specifically, the distance from the first steering fulcrum portion 101 to the driving force receiving end plane is greater than one-half the length of the developing unit (or greater than one-half the length of the casing of the process cartridge), and the distance from the first steering guide portion 103 to the driving force receiving end plane is less than one-half the length of the developing unit. It is to be understood that the first steering fulcrum portion 101 and the first steering guide portion 103 may be provided at any position of the housing 100.

Specifically, the first steering fulcrum portion 101 may be located on the left side of the housing 100, and the first steering guide portion 103 may be located on the right side of the top wall s5 of the housing 100. More specifically, the first steering fulcrum portion may be located on the left side of the top wall s5 of the casing 100, or may be located on the left side of the front wall s1 of the casing 100; the first steering guide 103 is located on the right side of the top wall s5 of the casing 100, and may be located on the right side of the front wall s1 of the casing 100.

Further, as shown in fig. 1, 2 and 3, the first steering guide 103 is a broken line or a curved line recessed toward the first steering fulcrum 101 so that the process cartridge is inclined by the guide of the first steering guide 103 while the first steering fulcrum 101 is moved in the longitudinal direction of the casing 100 to be detachable. Preferably, the distance between each point on the front and back and the first steering fulcrum portion 101 of the first steering guide portion 103 is gradually decreased or gradually increased to move the first steering fulcrum portion 101 in one direction. The first steering guide 103 extends forward beyond the front wall of the housing so that the process cartridge can be tilted at an early stage of entering the image forming apparatus 200. It will be appreciated that the first steering guide 103 may not extend beyond the front wall s1 of the housing (as shown in fig. 8).

Further, the housing may be further provided with a vertical guide portion 103a, the vertical guide portion 103a being disposed in parallel with the driving force receiving end plane, the vertical guide portion 103a being disposed in front of the first steering guide portion 103, so that the user can mount the process cartridge in a vertical direction, which is in accordance with the usage habit and is easier to mount. Preferably, the vertical guide 103a is disposed at a front end of the first steering guide 103 and is integrally connected with the first steering guide 103 to form a smooth steering transition.

Preferably, a guide portion may be further provided on a surface of the housing 100, the guide portion being disposed rearward of the first steering fulcrum portion 101 and the first steering guide portion 103, the guide portion being disposed obliquely (non-parallel) with respect to the front-rear direction of the housing 100. When the process cartridge is mounted, the first turning support point portion 101 contacts with the turning support point abutting portion 203 to form a turning center, the first turning guide portion 103 contacts with the turning guide abutting portion 201 to form a turning track to turn so as to incline the process cartridge, and simultaneously, the first turning support point portion 101 moves along the length direction of the casing 100 along with the casing 100 (for example, the first turning support point portion 101 rolls along the first turning support point abutting portion 203); when the process cartridge is tilted to the right position, the first steering fulcrum portion 101 is disengaged, and the guide portion comes into contact with the inside of the image forming apparatus 200 to form a tilting movement locus, so that the process cartridge is tilted and loaded into the image forming apparatus 200.

Specifically, the guide portion is a rib extending obliquely in the front-rear direction of the housing 100, or a plurality of protruding columns arranged at intervals obliquely and continuously in the front-rear direction of the housing 100.

Further, the guide part includes a first guide part 104 and a second guide part 102 spaced apart from each other in a length direction of the housing to form a dual guide rail to ensure smooth guiding. The first guide portion 104 may be adjacent to the first steering fulcrum portion 101, and the second guide portion 102 may be adjacent to the first steering guide portion 103. The first guide portion 104 may be in contact with the side surface of the above-described turning fulcrum contact portion 203 to form a trajectory of the inclined movement, or a separate first guide contact portion 202 may be provided in the image forming apparatus 200 so that the first guide portion is in contact with the first guide contact portion 202 to form a trajectory of the inclined movement; the second guide portion 102 may be in contact with the turn guide contact portion 201 to form a trajectory of the tilting movement, or a separate second guide contact portion may be provided in the image forming apparatus 200 to form a trajectory of the tilting movement.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 1, 2, and 3, the second guide portion 102 is provided on the top wall s5, the second guide portion 102 is located on the side of the first steering fulcrum portion 101 close to the driving force receiving end plane, and the distance from the front end of the second guide portion 102 to the driving force receiving end plane is smaller than the distance from the rear end of the second guide portion 102 to the driving force receiving end plane. The front end of the second guide portion 102 is located behind the front end of the first steering fulcrum portion 101 (i.e., the front end of the second guide portion 102 enters the image forming apparatus 200 behind the front end of the first steering fulcrum portion 101). The second guide portion 102 is located behind the first steering guide portion 103 (i.e., the second guide portion 102 enters the image forming apparatus 200 behind the first steering guide portion 103).

Preferably, the front end of the second guide part 102 is connected with the rear end of the first steering guide part 103 to form a smooth transition. Specifically, the first and second steering guides 103 and 102 may be arranged in a "" zigzag arrangement. It is understood that the front end of the second guide portion 102 and the rear end of the first steering guide portion 103 may be provided with a space.

Specifically, the first guide portion 104 is disposed on the top wall s5, and the first guide portion 104 is located between the first turning fulcrum portion 101 and the second guide portion 102 (i.e., the first guide portion 104 and the second guide portion 102 are respectively located on the same side of the first turning fulcrum portion 101), it is understood that the first guide portion 104 may also be located on a side of the first turning fulcrum portion 101 away from the second guide portion 102 (i.e., the first guide portion 104 and the second guide portion 102 are respectively located on both sides of the first turning fulcrum portion 101); the distance from the front end of the first guide portion 104 to the driving force receiving end plane is smaller than the distance from the rear end of the first guide portion 104 to the driving force receiving end plane. The front end of the first guide portion 104 is located behind the front end of the first steering fulcrum portion 101 (i.e., the front end of the first guide portion 104 enters the image forming apparatus 200 behind the front end of the first steering fulcrum portion 101). The first guide portion 104 is located behind the first steering guide portion 103 (i.e., the first guide portion 104 enters the image forming apparatus 200 behind the first steering guide portion 103).

Preferably, as shown in fig. 14 to 16, the front end of the first guide portion 104 is connected to one side of the first fulcrum portion 101 in the length direction of the housing 100 (the side where the first fulcrum portion 101 is disengaged, see fig. 15), that is, the first guide portion 104 and the first fulcrum portion 101 are integrally provided to form a smooth transition. For example, the front surface of the stopper a101 may serve as the first steering fulcrum 101, the side surface of the stopper a101 may serve as the first guide portion 104, and the first guide portion 104 (the side surface of the stopper a101) may be closely fitted to the side surface of the steering fulcrum contact portion 203 to form a pair of inclined movement guide rails.

When the process cartridge is mounted in the Y direction into the image forming apparatus 200, the stopper post a101 contacts the turning fulcrum abutment portion 203 on the image forming apparatus 200, so that one end of the process cartridge in the longitudinal direction of the casing (the end near the first turning fulcrum portion 101) cannot move further forward. Since the direction of pushing the process cartridge is not on the same straight line as the stopper a101, the other end of the process cartridge in the longitudinal direction of the casing (the end away from the first turning fulcrum portion 101) is tilted and rotated about the stopper a101 as the center point. When the process cartridge is rotated to be in abutment with the side wall 208 of the image forming apparatus 200, the tilting rotation action of the process cartridge is completed.

Further, in order to make the process cartridge more smoothly in the process of being taken out, the end portion 1041 of the first guide portion 104 facing the rear wall s2 of the casing 100 may be provided with an inclined surface or a circular arc surface (as shown in fig. 9). It is to be understood that the end of the second guide portion 102 facing the rear wall s2 of the housing 100 may be provided with an inclined surface or a circular arc surface.

Further, still be equipped with spacing portion on casing 100, spacing portion plays the effect that blocks at the in-process that the cartridge installation got into image forming device, thereby spacing portion can have the effect that blocks to the cartridge with image forming device internal contact promptly, specifically, spacing portion includes two spacing faces, and two spacing faces are located casing 100 respectively along length direction's both sides and towards the preceding of casing 100 to form the installation termination point of processing the cartridge. Of course, the limiting surface is a preferred mode of this embodiment, and those skilled in the art can know that the limiting portion is not limited to the limiting surface, and can limit the protrusion, the limiting recess, and the limiting surface can be a plane, an arc surface, and a concave surface.

Further, the housing 100 is further provided with a second steering guide portion 107, the second steering guide portion 107 is opposite to the recessed direction of the first steering guide portion 103, and a limit surface (for example, a limit surface at the first limit block 206) on the recessed side of the second steering guide portion 107 forms a second steering fulcrum portion of the second steering guide portion, so as to implement a swing steering action and complete the installation.

Specifically, referring to fig. 17 and 18, when the process cartridge is moved forward obliquely to a certain position, a stopper surface of the process cartridge (the stopper surface located forward when the process cartridge is tilted, i.e., the stopper surface close to the driving force receiving end in this embodiment) comes into contact with the first stopper 206 on the image forming apparatus 200, and the forward movement of the end of the process cartridge close to the stopper surface is stopped, and at the same time, the first guide portion 104 (or the stopper post a101) on the process cartridge is just separated from the turning fulcrum abutment portion 203 on the image forming apparatus 200, and the process cartridge starts to perform the yaw turning movement with the stopper surface at the first stopper 206 on the image forming apparatus 200 as the turning fulcrum portion. When the process cartridge is swung into rotation to move in place (see fig. 19), the other stopper surface of the process cartridge contacts the second stopper 207 on the image forming apparatus 200, the rotational movement of the process cartridge is stopped, the process cartridge is in a horizontal state, and the mounting is completed.

Further, the second steering guide 107 may be provided integrally with the first guide 104, i.e., the front end of the second steering guide 107 connects the rear end of the first guide 104 to form a smooth transition; it is to be understood that the second steering guide portion 107 may also be provided integrally with the second guide portion 102.

Further, the leading end of the first guide portion 104 may be provided with a leading guide portion 106 to more reliably enable the first guide portion 104 to perform the tilt guide butting. The front guide 106 may be integrally connected to the first guide 104, or may be spaced apart from the first guide 104.

The line between the leading guide portion 106 and the second steering guide portion 107 should be parallel to the second guide portion 102.

Further, the housing 100 is also provided with a contact projection provided on a side closer to the driving force receiving end than the first steering fulcrum portion, the contact projection being provided on the top wall s5 of the housing 100, the contact projection being provided to abut against a triggering mechanism of the image forming apparatus 200. Specifically, a part of the contact protrusion may be provided obliquely with respect to the front-rear direction of the casing 100 so as to be able to maintain an abutting state with the actuator of the image forming apparatus 200 when the process cartridge is obliquely mounted, the contact protrusion may be provided on the top wall s5, and the contact protrusion may be a rib or a boss-like structure.

Further, a part of the contact protrusion may form the first turn guide 103 to function as a guide, and specifically, referring to fig. 16, the contact protrusion forms the first turn guide 103, that is, a separate first turn guide 103 need not be provided on the housing 100, a side surface of the contact protrusion is provided in a shape of the first turn guide 103 to function as a turn guide, and a top wall of the contact protrusion is provided to abut against a trigger of the image phase difference device.

Further, another portion of the contact protrusion may form the second guide portion 102, that is, a front section of a side surface of the contact protrusion is configured to have a shape of the first turning guide portion 103 to perform a turning guide function, and a rear section of the side surface of the contact protrusion is configured to have a shape of the second guide portion 102 to form a moving guide pair.

Further, a part of the contact projection is disposed substantially in parallel with the front-rear direction of the process cartridge housing.

Further, as shown in fig. 1, 2, and 3, the contact protrusion is disposed on the top wall s5, and includes a first contact protrusion 109 and a second contact protrusion 108, the second contact protrusion 108 and the first contact protrusion 109 of this embodiment are both protruding ribs (or may be convex pillars) protruding from the surface of the top wall s5, and the projections of the second contact protrusion 108 and the first contact protrusion 109 on the top wall s5 and the projection of the axis a of the developing unit on the top wall s5 form acute angles (or the second contact protrusion 108 and the first contact protrusion 109 form an included angle different from 90 degrees with the driving force receiving end plane).

Specifically, the first contact projection 109 or the second contact projection 108 has a first end portion facing the front in the cartridge mounting direction and a second end portion smaller in distance from the driving force receiving end portion than the second end portion, respectively. The second contact protrusion 108 and the first contact protrusion 109 may push a triggering mechanism in the image forming apparatus 200 during the process cartridge mounting process to ensure smooth mounting of the process cartridge. The second contact protrusion 108 and the first contact protrusion 109 may also be elastic members such as springs or elastic PP (polypropylene) material that are stretched in a direction substantially perpendicular to the top wall s5, or elastic members having a bottom portion fixed to the top wall and being swingable in a plane perpendicular to the top wall.

Referring to fig. 10 or 16, the inner top wall of the image forming apparatus 200 may be provided with a first trigger 205 and a second trigger 204, and when the process cartridge is mounted to the image forming apparatus 200, the first contact protrusion 109 provided on the process cartridge is first abutted against the first trigger 205, and then the second contact protrusion 108 is abutted against the second trigger 204, and the first trigger 205 and the second trigger 204 can move after being abutted against each other, thereby allowing the process cartridge to be mounted smoothly. The first contact protrusion 109 and the second contact protrusion 108 are provided on the top wall s5 of the process cartridge, and the first contact protrusion 109 and the second contact protrusion 108 are provided on the side of the top wall s5 near the driving force receiving end.

The image forming apparatus 200 may be provided therein with urging members (including a first urging member and a second urging member) which are capable of rotating about an axis and which act on at least a part of the process cartridge when the process cartridge is mounted, thereby urging the process cartridge to be in a stable state.

Further, referring to fig. 27 to 32, one end of the casing 100 along the length direction thereof is provided with a first limiting protrusion a108, and the first limiting protrusion a108 is provided with a first interference prevention structure to prevent interference with the image forming apparatus 200 when the process cartridge rotates. The first limit projection a108 is provided on the side of the casing where the driving force receiving end is not provided, and a shaft hole is provided in the first limit projection a108 for providing a conductive member capable of electrically connecting the photosensitive element provided in the process cartridge and the conductive member in the image forming apparatus 200.

Further, a limit projection is provided at the other end opposite to the end where the driving force receiving end is located in the length direction of the process cartridge housing.

Further, the first interference prevention structure includes a first interference prevention portion a1081 and a second interference prevention portion a1082, specifically, the first interference prevention portion is an interference prevention bevel angle a1081, and the second interference prevention portion is an interference prevention chamfer angle a 1082. The interference preventing chamfer A1082 is arranged at the front side of the upper part of the first limiting bulge A108, and prevents the processing box from contacting the first urging part (such as the torsion spring 211) in the image forming device 200 prematurely during installation so as to reduce the resistance of installation of the processing box and ensure that the installation of the processing box is smoother; an interference prevention bevel angle A1081 is provided on the front side of the end face of the first limit projection A108.

Preferably, referring to fig. 33, the angle between the inclined surface of the interference preventing bevel a1081 and the end surface of the first stopper protrusion a108 is in the range of 10 ° to 50 °.

Preferably, referring to fig. 34, the distance between the inclined surface of the interference preventing cut angle a1082 and the center of the first stopper protrusion a108 is between 4.5mm and 9mm, or the distance between the inclined surface of the interference preventing cut angle a1082 and the center of the circular hole provided on the first stopper protrusion a108 is between 4.5mm and 9 mm.

Further, one end of the housing along the length direction thereof is provided with a second limiting protrusion a107, and one side of the second limiting protrusion a107 is provided with a second interference preventing structure a106 to prevent interference with the image forming apparatus 200 when the process cartridge rotates. The second interference prevention structure a106 is a convex structure.

Specifically, referring to fig. 24 to 26, the driving force receiving end is provided with a power receiving part a121, the power receiving part a121 is capable of receiving power from the image forming apparatus 200, and the second stopper protrusion a107 may be an annular protrusion-like structure and surround the power receiving part a 121. When the process cartridge moves forward to a certain position in an inclined manner, the second interference prevention structure a106 firstly jacks up a second urging member (for example, a torsion spring 209) arranged in the image forming apparatus 200 for a certain distance, and along with the process cartridge swinging and turning motion, the second limiting protrusion a107 at the driving force receiving end can avoid the second urging member (for example, the torsion spring 209) of the image forming apparatus 200, so that the process cartridge is smoothly installed. When the process cartridge is completely installed, the second urging member (e.g., the torsion spring 209) urges the second limiting protrusion a107, and the second interference preventing structure a106 needs to avoid interfering with the second urging member (e.g., the torsion spring 209), that is, the distance between the second interference preventing structure a106 and the second urging member (e.g., the torsion spring 209) is greater than or equal to zero. Further, the end of the second limit projection a107 is also provided with a bevel a1071, which can further prevent the process cartridge from interfering with the image forming apparatus 200 when the process cartridge is loaded and unloaded obliquely.

In addition, the application also provides a mounting and dismounting method of the processing box, which comprises any processing box provided by the application, wherein the processing box is detachably connected in the image forming device 200.

Further, the process cartridge includes, when mounted, step P1:

the first turning fulcrum portion 101 abuts against a turning fulcrum abutting portion 203 provided in the image forming apparatus 200 to form a first turning fulcrum, and turns the process cartridge about the first turning fulcrum.

Further, a step P11 is also included after the step P1:

the casing is provided with a first turning guide 103 which abuts against a turning guide abutment portion 201 provided in the image forming apparatus 200 to form a turning guide pair, and the process cartridge is turned around a first turning fulcrum and along the turning guide pair to tilt the process cartridge.

Further, before the step P1, a step P0 is further included:

the vertical guide portion 103a is provided on the front surface of the turning guide portion, the vertical guide portion 103a abuts against the turning guide abutment portion 201 to form a vertically movable rail pair, and the process cartridge moves along the vertically movable rail pair until the first turning fulcrum portion 101 abuts against the turning fulcrum abutment portion 203.

Further, step P1 is followed by step P12:

the first turning fulcrum portion 101 is separated from the turning fulcrum abutting portion 203, the inclined guide portion abuts against an inclined guide abutting portion provided in the image forming apparatus 200 to form an inclined mounting rail pair, and the process cartridge is obliquely mounted to the image forming apparatus 200 along the inclined mounting rail pair.

Further, step P1 is followed by step P13:

the two sides of the housing along the length direction are respectively provided with a limiting surface towards the front of the housing, after the processing box is obliquely arranged in place, one limiting surface is contacted with a first limiting block 206 arranged in the image forming device 200 and forms a rotating fulcrum to enable the processing box to rotate until the other limiting surface is contacted with a second limiting block 207 arranged in the image forming device 200.

Further, the process cartridge removal process includes the step P2 of pivotally connecting the first steering fulcrum portion 101 to the casing 100, wherein the axis a of the first steering fulcrum portion 101 extends in the longitudinal direction of the casing 100, the rear portion of the first steering fulcrum portion 101 abuts against the casing 100, and a pivotal space is provided between the front portion of the first steering fulcrum portion 101 and the casing 100:

the first turning fulcrum portion 101 is turned forward to avoid the turning fulcrum abutting portion 203 provided in the image forming apparatus 200 from obstructing the detachment of the process cartridge.

Specifically, the process of mounting a process cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention is described in detail with reference to fig. 3 to 7, in which a housing 100 of the process cartridge is provided with a first turning fulcrum portion 101, a first turning guide portion 103 and a guide portion, the guide portion includes a first guide portion 104 and a second guide portion 102, and a vertical guide portion 103a is connected to a front end of the first turning guide portion 103, and the process is as follows: :

step P0: as shown in fig. 3 and 4, when the process cartridge is started to be mounted in the image forming apparatus 200, the vertical guide portion 103a at the front end of the first turn guide portion 103 first comes into contact with the turn guide abutment portion 201 on the image forming apparatus 200, and the surface of the vertical guide portion 103a comes into contact with the surface of the turn guide abutment portion 201 and moves along the turn guide abutment portion 201, so that the process cartridge is smoothly moved forward (Y direction).

Step P1: as shown in fig. 4 and 5, as the process cartridge moves, the first turning fulcrum portion 101 also contacts the turning fulcrum abutment portion 203 (fig. 4), and since the first turning fulcrum portion 101 is stopped by the turning fulcrum abutment portion 203 after contacting the turning fulcrum abutment portion 203, the end of the process cartridge where the first turning fulcrum portion 101 is located (the end away from the driving force receiving end) cannot move forward any more, and the other end of the process cartridge (the end where the driving force receiving end is located) can still move forward, so that the process cartridge starts to rotate.

Step P11: as shown in fig. 4 and 5, after the first turning support point portion 101 is also in contact with the turning support point abutment portion 203, the first turning guide portion 103 is in contact with the turning guide abutment portion 201 (fig. 4), and the first turning guide portion 103 moves along the turning guide abutment portion 201, so that the process cartridge starts to perform a rotational motion, specifically, the process cartridge is turned about an abutment point between the first turning support point portion 101 and the turning support point abutment portion 203 or about the turning support point abutment portion 203, and at the same time, the first turning support point portion 101 moves in the longitudinal direction of the casing, and when the process cartridge is tilted to a predetermined position, the turning support point abutment portion 203 is disengaged from the first turning support point portion 101 (fig. 5).

Step P12: as shown in fig. 5 and 6, when the process cartridge is tilted to the right position, the second guide portion 102 is parallel to the turn guide abutment portion 201, the first guide portion 104 is also parallel to the first guide abutment portion 202, and the second guide portion 102 and the first guide portion 104 move along the turn guide abutment portion 201 and the first guide abutment portion 202, respectively, so that the process cartridge is kept moving forward while being tilted; as the process cartridge moves forward, the second contact protrusion 108 and the first contact protrusion 109 also contact the second trigger 204 and the first trigger 205, respectively, so that the process cartridge can continue to move forward. As shown in fig. 6, when the process cartridge is obliquely advanced until at least a part (a stopper surface) of its forward end (the end where the driving force receiving end is located) comes into contact with the first stopper 206 of the image forming apparatus 200.

Step P13: as shown in fig. 6 and 7, when one of the stopper surfaces of the process cartridge contacts the first stopper 206 of the image forming apparatus 200, the stopper surface is blocked by the first stopper 206 and cannot move further; in the case of a cartridge having the first guide portion 104 on the top wall, when the first guide portion 104 moves to the end of the first guide abutting portion 202, the cartridge rotates with the first stopper 206 as the rotation point/fulcrum after the first guide portion 104 disengages from the first guide abutting portion 202; as shown in fig. 7, when the process cartridge is rotated until the stopper surface of the rear end thereof comes into contact with the second stopper 207, the process cartridge stops rotating and moves forward, completing the mounting, at which time the driving force receiving end can be engaged with the driving head in the image forming apparatus 200 to transmit power.

The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present application and is not intended to limit the present application, and various modifications and changes may be made by those skilled in the art. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement and the like made within the spirit and principle of the present application shall be included in the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A process cartridge including a housing having an outer surface, wherein the housing is provided with a first pivot portion projecting from the outer surface of the housing, and the process cartridge is rotatable about the first pivot portion as a pivot so that an angle of 90 degrees is formed between a longitudinal direction of the housing of the process cartridge and an installation direction of the process cartridge before the process cartridge is mounted in an image forming apparatus, so that the process cartridge is obliquely installed.

2. A process cartridge according to claim 1, wherein said first turning fulcrum portion is located at one side of a center line of said casing in a front-rear direction and perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of said casing.

3. A process cartridge according to claim 1, wherein a projection of said first fulcrum portion on the top wall of said casing is a curved line extending in a lengthwise direction of said casing, and a side of said curved line toward the front face of said casing is convex.

4. A process cartridge according to claim 1, wherein a projection of said first steering fulcrum portion on the top wall of said casing is a straight line extending in a length direction of said casing.

5. A process cartridge according to claim 1, wherein said first steering fulcrum portion is pivotally coupled to said casing.

6. A process cartridge according to claim 5, wherein an axis of said first fulcrum portion extends in a longitudinal direction of said casing, a rear portion of said first fulcrum portion abuts against said casing, and a rotation space is provided between a front portion of said first fulcrum portion and said casing.

7. A process cartridge according to claim 5, wherein a return torsion spring is further provided on said casing, said return torsion spring abutting at least a part of said first steering fulcrum portion.

8. A process cartridge according to claim 1, wherein a first steering guide portion and said first steering fulcrum portion are further provided on said casing on both sides of a center line of said casing in the front-rear direction, respectively.

9. A process cartridge according to claim 8, wherein said first steering guide portion is a broken line or a curved line recessed toward a direction of said first steering fulcrum portion.

10. A process cartridge according to claim 8, wherein a vertical guide portion is further provided on said housing, said vertical guide portion being disposed forwardly of said first steering guide portion.

11. A process cartridge according to claim 1, wherein a guide portion is further provided on a surface of said casing, said guide portion including a first guide portion and a second guide portion which are provided at a distance from each other in a length direction of said casing.

12. A process cartridge according to claim 11, wherein at least a part of said first and second guide portions forms an angle other than 90 degrees with a longitudinal direction of said casing.

13. A process cartridge according to claim 1, wherein said casing is further provided with two position restricting portions which are respectively located on both sides of said casing in the longitudinal direction and face the front of said casing.

14. A process cartridge according to claim 13, wherein a second turn guide portion is further provided on said housing, said second turn guide portion being provided on a surface of said housing at an angle with respect to a longitudinal direction of said housing.

15. A process cartridge according to claim 1, wherein said casing is further provided with a contact projection provided on a top wall of said casing, said contact projection being disposed to abut against an urging mechanism of the image forming apparatus.

16. A process cartridge according to claim 15, wherein a part of said contact projection is provided obliquely with respect to a front-rear direction of said casing.

17. A process cartridge according to claim 15, wherein a part of said contact projection is disposed in parallel with a front-rear direction of said casing.

18. A process cartridge according to claim 15, wherein a part of said contact projection forms a first turn guide of said process cartridge.

19. A process cartridge according to claim 15, wherein said contact projection includes a first contact projection and a second contact projection, and said first contact projection and said second contact projection are provided at a spacing in a longitudinal direction of said casing.

20. A process cartridge according to claim 15, wherein said process cartridge includes a driving force receiving end, and said contact projection is closer to said driving force receiving end than said first fulcrum portion.

21. A process cartridge according to claim 1, wherein said process cartridge includes a driving force receiving end, and said first fulcrum portion is disposed on a side away from said driving force receiving end with respect to a longitudinal direction of said casing.

22. A process cartridge according to claim 1, wherein a first stopper projection is provided at one end of said casing in a longitudinal direction thereof, and said first stopper projection is provided with a first interference preventing structure for preventing interference with the image forming apparatus when the process cartridge is rotated.

23. A process cartridge according to claim 22, wherein said first interference preventing structure includes a first interference preventing portion provided on a front side of an end surface of said first stopper projection.

24. A process cartridge according to claim 22, wherein said first interference preventing structure includes a second interference preventing portion provided at a front side of an upper portion of said first restriction projection.

25. A process cartridge according to claim 1, wherein a second stopper projection is provided at one end of said casing in a longitudinal direction thereof, and a second interference preventing structure is provided at one side of said second stopper projection to prevent interference with the image forming apparatus when the process cartridge is rotated.

26. A process cartridge according to claim 25, wherein said second interference preventing structure is a convex structure.

27. A process cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 26, wherein said process cartridge is detachably mountable to an image forming apparatus provided therein with a turning fulcrum abutment portion, and said first turning fulcrum portion is brought into contact with said turning fulcrum abutment portion to turn said process cartridge in a process of mounting said process cartridge to said image forming apparatus.

28. An image forming apparatus comprising the process cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 27, wherein the process cartridge is detachably attached to the inside of the image forming apparatus.

29. A process cartridge mounting and dismounting method characterized by using the process cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 27, which is detachably attached in an image forming apparatus.

30. A process cartridge mounting and dismounting method according to claim 29, wherein, at the time of mounting, comprising step P1:

31. A process cartridge mounting and dismounting method according to claim 30, further comprising, after step P1, step P11:

32. A process cartridge mounting and dismounting method according to claim 31, further comprising, before step P1, step P0:

33. A process cartridge mounting and dismounting method according to claim 31, wherein said casing is provided with a guide portion on a surface thereof, and further comprising step P12 following step P1:

34. A process cartridge mounting and dismounting method according to claim 30, further comprising, after step P1, step P13:

35. A process cartridge mounting and dismounting method according to claim 29, wherein said first fulcrum portion is pivotally coupled to said casing, a pivot axis of said first fulcrum portion extends in a longitudinal direction of said casing, a rear portion of said first fulcrum portion abuts against said casing, a pivot space is provided between a front portion of said first fulcrum portion and said casing, and dismounting includes step P2: