ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS

• Main Authors: SAKURAI HIROMI, NOGUCHI TOMIO, IMAIZUMI CHIKARA
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 18.07.2007
• Subjects: CINEMATOGRAPHY; ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY; PHOTOGRAPHY; PHYSICS

An electrophotographic image forming apparatus is provided to detachably mount a process cartridge inside the electrophotographic image forming apparatus and prevent a scar due to friction of an electrophotographic photosensitive member included in a process cartridge with a neighboring object. An electrophotographic image forming apparatus includes a transfer member, a tray(35), a supporting member, a to-be-combined part, and a combining part. The transfer member transfers a toner image from an electrophotographic photosensitive member. The tray loads a process cartridge and moves between a contact position at which the photosensitive member comes into contact with the transfer member and a separate position at which the photosensitive member is separated from the transfer member. The supporting member supports the tray such that the tray is moved in the direction of a tangent line parallel with the tangent line between the photosensitive member and the transfer member. The combining part is combined with the to-be-combined part when the tray is located in the contact position and separated from the to-be-combined part when the supporting member is moved from a first position to a second position.