PROCESS CARTRIDGE AND IMAGE FORMING DEVICE Russian patent published in 2018 - IPC G03G21/18 

FIELD: image forming devices.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to an image forming apparatus and a process cartridge that is detachably mounted to an image forming apparatus. Group of inventions includes a process cartridge detachably mounted in the main assembly of the image forming apparatus, and a system comprising an image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording material and a process cartridge detachably mounted in the main assembly of the image forming apparatus. Process cartridge includes a first unit including an image bearing part, a second unit including a developer carrying member, the second unit being movable between a contact position in which the developer carrying member is in contact with the image bearing part, and a spaced position in which the developer carrying part is spaced apart from the image bearing part, the force sensing portion engaging the engaging part provided in said main unit of the device, for sensing from the engaging part the force for moving said second unit from the contact position to the spaced position and the pushing portion for pushing the engaging part to move the engaging part to the retracted position, in which it is possible to move the process cartridge when said process cartridge is installed in the main assembly of the device, wherein the process cartridge is configured such that when the process cartridge is mounted in the main assembly and the second unit is in the contact position, (i) the image bearing part, the force receiving portion and the pushing portion are located on the downward side of the process cartridge and (ii) the force receiving portion faces upward.

EFFECT: technical result consists in simplifying the design of the mechanism for separating (releasing) the developer carrying member and the image bearing element of the process cartridge to provide a combination of an image forming apparatus and a process cartridge, which has a reduced size, and also in enabling the correct installation of the process cartridge in the main assembly and in preventing the uneven development of the latent image on the photosensitive drum.

32 cl, 35 dwg, 1 tbl