Cartridge, and toner container

Abstract

A first component part formed of a first styrene resin composition and a second component part formed of a second styrene resin composition are fastened by solvent welding by means of a terpene type solvent, to provide a cartridge which is almost free of deformation at the peripheries of joints, has a high positioning precision for component parts and has a high rigidity.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION [0001] This application is a divisional of application Ser. No. 10 / 866,115, filed Jun. 14, 2004, pending.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] 1. Field of the Invention [0003] This invention relates to a cartridge detachably mountable to an electrophotographic image forming apparatus employing electrophotography, such as a laser beam printer or a copying machine. Here, the electrophotographic image forming apparatus is one that forms images on a recording medium by using an electrophotographic image forming system. Then, as examples of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus, it includes, e.g., electrophotographic copying machines, electrophotographic printers (e.g., laser beam printers and LED printers), facsimile machines, and word processors. Incidentally, a process cartridge is one in which a charging means, a developing means or a cleaning means and an electrophotographic photosensitive member are integrally joined in a cartridge and ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0017] An object of the present invention is to provide a cartridge and a toner container which are almost free of deformation at the peripheries of joints and have secured wide joint surfaces.

[0018] Another object of the present invention is to provide a cartridge and a toner container which have a high positioning precision for component parts and have a high rigidity.

[0019] Still another object of the present invention is to provide a cartridge and a toner container which are recyclable with ease.

[0020] A further object of the present invention is to provide a cartridge and a toner container which have employed a novel joining technique that enables utilization of a simple joining assembly.

Problems solved by technology

However, such conventional joining techniques have had the following problems.

As the result, there arises a problem that its periphery has a low rigidity.

Hence, the effect of enhancing the rigidity of the cleaning frame member may become poor also after the drum bearing 138 has been joined thereto.

Moreover, in joining with screws, the joint position is limited in relation to space.

In addition, since the joint area is also small as stated above, the positioning precision of the drum unit D tends to be low.

There also have been such problems.

However, where it is attempted to make the drum bearing and the cleaning frame member integrated by joining them both widely and around the shaft of the photosensitive drum in an annular shape (or arc shape) according to the conventional methods, e.g., by the resin joining (by injection of molten resin) or by injecting a hot melt, an adhesive or the like, there has been a problem that the peripheries of joints tend to deform under heat and pressure because, in injecting the molten resin or in injecting the hot melt, the joints must be heated to a high temperature at the time of injection in order to melt the material to be injected, or a high pressure is required in order to inject a highly viscous material.

A case in which the frame members (and component parts) are joined using a material different from materials for them, such as hot melts, adhesives or the like, is undesirable because such a case is disadvantageous in regard to the recycling of materials after cartridges having been used are collected and there is a possibility of causing a lowering of quality such as a lowering of mechanical physical properties and flame retardance of recycled materials (regenerated materials).

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