Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a rotatable image bearing member about a rotational axis extending in the axial direction, a charging member, an accommodating portion accommodating toner charged to a predetermined polarity; a developing member, a transfer portion, a static eliminating portion, and a collecting member. In the axial direction, when A is a eliminating width with which the eliminating portion discharges the surface of the image bearing member, B is an effective charging width with which the charging member charges the surface, and C is a collection contacting width with which the collecting member contacts the surface, the formula A<B<C is satisfied. In the axial direction, a surface potential of the surface in an area outside the effective charging width, inside the collection contacting width and in contact with the collecting member is a first potential larger than 0V in the same polarity direction as the predetermined polarity.

Abstract: A control unit performs control to make a direction of an electric field generated in a first area of an image carrier forming a transfer portion during image forming operation, relative to a voltage applied to a brush member in a state where the first area passes through a contact portion, different from a direction of an electric field generated in a second area of the image carrier forming the contact portion, relative to the voltage applied to the brush member during a period when operation is shifted from first operation in which the image carrier is rotated at a first speed to second operation in which the image carrier is rotated at a second speed different from the first speed, during non-image forming operation different from the image forming operation.

Abstract: A cleaning device includes a blade-shaped cleaning member of which a tip formed by an elastic body is arranged to be pressed against an endless belt and that cleans a surface of the endless belt; and a driven roller that is arranged to face the cleaning member via the endless belt and is driven and rotated with movement of the endless belt and of which an outer peripheral surface is formed by an elastic body.

Abstract: A cleaning device includes: a cleaning brush that has bristles that rotate and contact a surface, to which toner has adhered, of a cleaning member to be cleaned, the cleaning brush removing the toner adhered to the surface of the cleaning member; a first contact member that contacts the bristles without a position of the first contact member relative to a position of the cleaning brush being changed; and a second contact member that contacts the bristles at a location downstream from the first contact member in a direction of rotation of the cleaning brush and without a position of the second contact member relative to the position of the cleaning brush being changed, and that is disposed on an extension line extended from a line between an axial center of the cleaning brush and a base of the bristles that move away from the first contact member.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a rotatable photosensitive member, an image forming portion, a cleaning device, and a controller. The cleaning device includes a blade, a rotatable brush, and an applying portion. The controller controls the applying portion so as to apply a bias to the brush so that a potential of the brush has a polarity opposite to a normal charge polarity of toner. When a tensile strength of the brush is A (cn/dtex), a thickness of the brush is B (denier), a bristle density of the brush is C (kF/inch2), a length of the brush is D (mm), and an elastic deformation rate of the surface of the photosensitive member is E (%), the following relationships are satisfied: 48(%)?E?60(%), and 400?{A×B2×C/D2}?20408.

Abstract: An information processing apparatus includes a processor programmed to: extract from a document a proper noun that is likely to represent a provider of the document or a receiver of the document; and determine whether an attribute of the proper noun is the provider or the receiver by referring to information obtained from the proper noun or information obtained from a vicinity of the proper noun on the document.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a toner transport body that is an endless belt holding a toner image, or is a transfer member transferring the toner image to a recording medium nipped between the endless belt and the transfer member; a cleaning brush that has plural first bristle materials that rotate and come into contact with a surface of the toner transport body, and cleans a toner adhering to the surface of the toner transport body; and a removing brush that has plural second bristle materials in contact with the first bristle material of the cleaning brush and removes the toner adhering to the first bristle material.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a photosensitive drum, a charging device, an exposing device, a developing device, and a cleaning device. The cleaning device includes a toner keeping member, which has toner keeping portions disposed respectively at opposite end sides of a polishing roller along its axial direction with a gap from an outer circumferential surface of the polishing roller to keep between themselves and the polishing roller toner removed off an outer circumferential surface of the photosensitive drum. The toner keeping portions extend along the axial direction of the polishing roller, and of each toner keeping portion, one end part along the axial direction is located outward of an end part of a guaranteed development region but inward of an end part of a developing roller and another end part is located outward of an end part of the polishing roller.

Abstract: A self-propelled electronic device comprising: a housing; a drive wheel that enables the housing to travel; a wheel drop sensor that detects loss of contact of the drive wheel with a floor surface; and a travel control unit that controls travel of the housing, wherein, when the wheel drop sensor detects loss of contact of the drive wheel with the floor surface, the travel control unit continues travel of the housing for a predetermined continuous travel time, and if the wheel drop sensor still detects loss of contact of the drive wheel with the floor surface after the continuous travel time has elapsed, the travel control unit stops the rotation of the drive wheel, and then, rotates the drive wheel in a direction opposite to the direction of the rotation for a predetermined reverse travel time, to cause the housing to travel in a reverse direction.

Abstract: Provided is a means in which in a tandem type electrophotographic image forming apparatus, image deletion of a formed image is suppressed, passing through of a toner is suppressed, and the lifetime of an organic photoreceptor and the apparatus itself is prolonged. The invention relates to a tandem type electrophotographic image forming apparatus using an organic photoreceptor in which at least a charge generating layer and a charge transfer layer are sequentially laminated on a conductive support body, in which in at least one of combinations of two adjacent image forming units including toners having colors different from each other, a linear pressure P1 of a cleaning blade A included in the image forming unit disposed on an upstream side, and a linear pressure P2 of a cleaning unit blade B included in the image forming unit disposed on a downstream side, satisfy a predetermined relationship.

Abstract: A toner includes a plurality of toner particles each including a toner mother particle and an external additive adhering to a surface of the toner mother particle. The external additive includes hydrotalcite particles. The hydrotalcite particles have a number average primary particle diameter of at least 80 nm and no greater than 1,000 nm. The hydrotalcite particles have a volume resistivity of no greater than 1.0×105 ?·cm. An amount of the hydrotalcite particles is at least 0.5 parts by mass and no greater than 3.0 parts by mass relative to 100 parts by mass of the toner mother particles.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a developing unit which develops a toner image on a surface of a photosensitive member and which collects toner which remains on the surface of the photosensitive member after the developed toner image is transferred to a transfer member. The image forming apparatus includes a controller configured to determine whether a cleaning operation of cleaning the surface of the photosensitive member is to be performed after an image forming operation is performed or control a period of time in which the cleaning operation is performed in accordance with a measured downtime of the image forming apparatus which is a period of time after the image forming operation is terminated and before a next image forming operation is started.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a rotatable image bearing drum; a toner image transfer device; a cleaning blade for cleaning the drum after transfer of the image; a rotatable furbrush provided downstream of the transfer device and upstream of the blade, the furbrush being rotatable counterdirectionally with respect to a peripheral movement of the drum; an executing portion for executing a first mode for forming an image on the transfer material on the basis of a signal inputted to the apparatus and a second mode for supplying a band of the toner to the blade; and a controller for controlling a peripheral speed difference between the drum and the furbrush, wherein the difference when the band of the toner passes the furbrush in the second mode is smaller than that when the toner on the drum after the image transfer passes the furbrush in the first mode.

Abstract: A cleaning device includes a cleaning member, a collecting roller and a cleaning blade. The cleaning member is disposed to be rotatable while being in contact with a surface of an image carrier configured to carry a toner image to the surface. The collecting roller is disposed to be rotatable while being in contact with the cleaning member at a downstream side from the image carrier in a rotation direction of the cleaning member. The cleaning blade is disposed while being in contact with the collecting roller in a counter direction with respect to rotation of the collecting roller at a downstream side from the cleaning member in a rotation direction of the collecting roller. The collecting roller is formed so as to have larger surface roughness at an end than that at a central part in an axial direction.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a cleaning portion configured to remove toner stuck to a surface of an image carrier; a polishing roller that is rotatable while being in contact with the image carrier; a guide portion disposed with a gap having a predetermined width from an outer circumferential surface of the polishing roller, and configured to guide the removed toner to pass below the outer circumferential surface of the polishing roller; opening portions each formed in a predetermined size at a position below the lower portion of the outer circumferential surface of the polishing roller in the guide portion; and a housing including a wall surface that defines, together with an end of the guide portion in a rotation direction of the polishing roller, a falling path through which the toner falls from the end, the housing storing the cleaning portion and the polishing roller.

Abstract: A cleaning device includes a cleaning portion, a polishing roller, a layer thickness restricting member, and a swaying portion. The cleaning portion removes toner that has adhered to a surface of a rotation body. The polishing roller polishes a surface of the rotation body by rotating in a state where a surface of the polishing roller is in contact with the surface of the rotation body and the toner removed by the cleaning portion has adhered to the surface of the polishing roller. The layer thickness restricting member restricts a layer thickness of the toner that has adhered to the surface of the polishing roller. The swaying portion includes a biasing portion, an undulating portion and a support portion, and causes the polishing roller to sway in an axis direction of the rotation body.

Abstract: A developer collecting device includes a suction duct, a collecting box, and a suction mechanism. The suction duct has one end adjacent to a development device and another end. The collecting box is connected to the other end and configured to suction and collect developer around the development device via the suction duct. The suction mechanism is disposed in the middle of the suction duct. The suction mechanism includes a suction port that is openable and closable. The suction mechanism is configured to suction the developer inside the suction duct from an outside of the suction duct.

Abstract: In test modes correcting at least one of an exposure timing of a first exposure portion and an exposure timing of a second exposure portion after transferring test toner images on an endless belt, a control portion is configured to be able to start the exposure of the first exposure portion after a position of an intermediate transfer belt, having been located at a developing position when a developing bias is started to be applied to the second developing portion, arrives at a transfer position.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier which carries thereon a developer image, a holding roller which holds thereon developer attached on the image carrier, a collection device which collects the developer on the holding roller via at least the image carrier, and a control device which executes a holding control of applying to the holding roller a holding bias having a polarity opposite to the developer such that the holding roller holds developer and a collection control of applying to the holding roller a discharge bias having a polarity same as the developer such that the developer held on the holding roller is moved to the image carrier and the collection device collects the developer via the image carrier. The control device starts the collection control at a timing after a predetermined point of time according to an estimated charge amount of the developer.

Abstract: Provided is a cleaning blade for cleaning a surface of an image holding member, including a contact member that contacts the surface of the image holding member at a corner portion of a tip end of the cleaning blade, wherein, when the position of the corner portion in a state where the image holding member is stopped is set to be a standard, a movement distance of the cleaning blade to the position of the corner portion in a state where the image holding member is driven is from 10 ?m to 30 ?m.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member, an image forming device for forming a toner image on the image bearing member, a recording material, a transfer device for transferring the toner image from the image bearing member to the recording material, a transfer belt for carrying the recording material, a first cleaning member, a second cleaning member, and a voltage control device. When continuously forming toner images on sheets of the recording material, a detection toner image is formed on the image bearing member between images to be formed on sheets of the recording material. The first cleaning member cleans the image bearing member. The second cleaning member cleans the transfer belt. The voltage control device controls the voltage applied to the transfer device so that the number of operations to clean the detection toner image is higher for the second cleaning member than the first cleaning member.

Abstract: A cleaning device includes a housing, a cleaning member, a cleaning blade, a collection member, a seal member, and a protection member. The housing is disposed above an image carrier, and an opening is formed in a face thereof facing the image carrier. The cleaning member rotates contacting a surface of the image carrier and the image carrier contact each other, and thereby, residual toner adhered to the image carrier is removed downstream of the image carrier in the rotation direction of the image carrier. The seal member is disposed at an upstream-side edge of the opening of the housing with respect to the rotation direction of the image carrier, and the seal member prevents leakage of waste toner through a gap between the housing and the image carrier. The protection member is disposed above the seal member with an interval therebetween, and the protection member contacts the cleaning member.

Abstract: A cleaning device includes a case, a rotating member, a sheet member, and a cover member. The rotating member includes a peripheral face which comes into contact with the cylindrical face of an image carrier, is rotatively driven in a same direction as the image carrier at a contact position, and recovers a toner which has attached on the image carrier. The sheet member extends toward a direction approaching a straight line that connects the rotating axis of the image carrier and the contact position of the rotating member, and includes a leading end which comes into contact with the cylindrical face. The cover member is provided in the case so as to cover an upside of the sheet member, extends toward the direction approaching the straight line, and reaches a position above the leading end of the sheet member.

Abstract: A cleaning device includes: a cleaning rotating body 160; a scraping member 130; a toner restriction face 141; and a downstream side restriction portion 140. The cleaning rotating body 160 is arranged in sliding contact with the surface of the image carrying body 2. A front end portion 131 of the scraping member 130 is arranged in contact with or in proximity to a surface of the cleaning rotating body 160. The scraping member 130 is a plate-like member and includes a toner receiving face 133 to which the toner is carried from the front end portion 131. The toner restriction face 141 is arranged to be orthogonal to the toner receiving face 133. The downstream side restriction portion 140 restricts movement of the toner to a downstream side in a rotational direction of the cleaning rotating body 166.

Abstract: A drum cleaning device includes a toner supply roller, a toner layer restricting member, and a toner receiving member. The toner layer restricting member includes an inclined portion formed in a lateral region outside of an image forming region to incline gradually away from a surface of a cleaning roller with increasing distance from an inner side of the lateral region. The toner receiving member includes a lower-level upper end portion provided in the lateral region outside of the image forming region, the lower-level upper end portion being located below a second contact region where the cleaning roller and the toner supply roller come into contact with each other. The inclined portion is disposed in a region overlapping the lower-level upper end portion.

Abstract: A cleaning device and an image forming apparatus capable of suppressing staying of toner in a brush and reducing stress on a brush by discharge products are provided. A cleaning device includes upstream and downstream cleaning brushes and a cleaning roller, which respectively contact the surface of a secondary transfer belt, and first to third bias applying sections. The first bias applying section applies a bias voltage having a polarity opposite to that of the normal toner to the upstream cleaning brush. The second bias applying section applies a bias voltage having a polarity opposite to that of the normal toner and set to be not less than the absolute value of the bias voltage applied to the upstream cleaning brush, to the downstream cleaning brush. The third bias applying section applies a bias voltage having the same polarity as that of the normal toner to the cleaning roller.

Abstract: Brush rollers rotate in a direction indicated by an arrow while being in contact with an image formation surface to remove toner remaining on the image formation surface from an intermediate transfer belt. The brush rollers each mainly include a rotational shaft and a brush. The brush rollers face the intermediate transfer belt with brush winding directions being opposite from one another. The brush rollers rotate in the direction indicated by the arrow. Thus, seams of the brush rollers can be prevented from being in contact with the same portion on the image formation surface of the intermediate transfer belt.

Abstract: A cleaning unit, which is included in a process cartridge or an image forming apparatus, includes a brush rotary body to remove toner, a toner collecting rotary body to collect the toner, a toner collecting blade to scrape the toner, and a cleaning blade to scrape the toner falling from the brush rotary body. The image carrier, the brush rotary body, and the toner collecting rotary body rotate in the same direction. The cleaning blade, the brush rotary body, and the toner collecting rotary body are located to cause a tangential line passing through a contact area of the brush rotary body and the toner collecting rotary body on an outer peripheral circle around a shaft of the brush rotary body to have an intersection point intersecting a non-contact surface of the cleaning blade disposed opposite to a contact portion of the cleaning blade with the image carrier.

Abstract: A cleaning device, including, a first blade to slidably contact with a surface of an image carrier to which a toner including an external additive adheres, a second blade to slidably contact with the surface of the image carrier and to be provided downstream of the first blade in a rotation direction of the image carrier, and a lubricant applying mechanism section to apply a lubricant to the surface of the image carrier, wherein hardness of the first blade is equal to or more than hardness of the second blade.

Abstract: There is provided a cleaning device for removing residual toner on an image carrier. The cleaning device includes a housing to cover a specified region of an image carrier. A first cleaning section and a second cleaning section are respectively placed in upper and lower parts of the housing partitioned by a partition member. The first cleaning section includes a first cleaning brush and a first regulating member. The second cleaning section includes a second cleaning brush and a second regulating member. The partition member substantially extends in a continuous manner with respect to a horizontal direction from the specified region to at least a position equivalent to an end portion on a housing sidewall side of the first or the second regulating member. A clearance exists between the housing sidewall and an end portion on the housing sidewall side of the partition member.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a housing provided with an opening opposed to a developer carrying member that carries developer; a collecting member provided along a downstream edge of the opening in a transporting direction of the developer and capable of coming into contact with and separating from the developer carrying member; a sealing member provided along an upstream edge of the opening in the transporting direction; a suction member that sucks air from the opening; a suction path provided between the opening and the suction member; an opening-closing unit that opens or closes the suction path; and a controller that controls the opening-closing unit so as to open the suction path at a time that is before separation of the collecting member from the developer carrying member and a predetermined time period after the time of contact between the collecting member and the developer carrying member.

Abstract: A cleaning device includes: a collection member configured to contact a photosensitive member, on which an electrostatic latent image is configured to be formed, and collect foreign substances on the photosensitive member; a shaft configured to attract the foreign substances from the collection member so as to make the foreign substances cling thereto; a scraping member configured to contact the shaft and scrape the foreign substances cling on the shaft; and a housing configured to accommodate the collection member and the shaft, wherein the scraping member is mounted to the housing. The scraping member includes: an elastic member; and a fiber member configured to be adhered to the elastic member and slidingly contact the shaft. The elastic member is configured to press the shaft to such an extent that fibers of the fiber member are pressed and compressed.

Abstract: A cleaning device to remove untransferred toner from a surface of an image carrier rotatable in a predetermined direction. The cleaning device includes a lubricant supply roller contacting the surface of the image carrier to supply a lubricant carried thereon to the surface of the image carrier, a first blade provided upstream from the lubricant supply roller in the direction of rotation of the image carrier, and a second blade provided downstream from the lubricant supply roller. The first blade contacts the surface of the image carrier to level the untransferred toner attaching to the surface of the image carrier to a thin layer. The second blade contacts the surface of the image carrier to level the lubricant supplied to the surface of the image carrier by the lubricant supply roller to a thin layer and to remove the untransferred toner from the surface of the image carrier.

Abstract: A belt device incorporatable in an image forming apparatus includes an endless belt, multiple belt tension rollers disposed in contact with an inner surface of the endless belt, a rotary cleaning member to contact a belt wound area of the endless belt facing an opposing roller to form a cleaning nip between the rotary cleaning member and the endless belt and rotate the rotary cleaning member in a direction opposite the belt moving direction within the cleaning nip, and a voltage applier. The cleaning nip is formed by offsetting a center of the cleaning nip upstream from a center of the belt wound area of the endless belt in the belt moving direction and by at least contacting the rotary cleaning member in a range from the belt wound area to a tensioned belt area located upstream from the belt wound area in the belt moving direction.

Abstract: An image forming device, including: photosensitive bodies arranged in parallel in a predetermined direction; a belt that runs in the predetermined direction to transfer a developer image formed on each of the photosensitive bodies to a sheet-like medium; recovering members that are respectively provided for the photosensitive bodies, wherein each recovering member recovers adhered substances adhered to each photosensitive body after the developer image was transferred to the sheet-like medium; a belt cleaner that removes the adhered substances adhered to the belt; a cleaning process execution unit that executes a cleaning process in which the adhered substances are transferred from each recovering member to the belt via each photosensitive body; and a cleaning time determination unit that determines a time period for which the cleaning process is executed, based on a color of the image formed on the sheet-like medium.

Abstract: A cleaning device includes a brush to contact a photoconductive member, a roller to contact the brush, and a blade. The blade is located along the roller in a longitudinal direction. The blade has a first portion, a second portion, and a bent portion between the first portion and the second portion. A contact surface or edge of the first portion contacts a surface of the roller to remove toner therefrom.

Abstract: A cleaning device of an image forming apparatus includes: a magnetic brush roller rubbing a surface of a photosensitive drum by a magnetic brush formed of a toner and carriers; a cleaning blade removing the toner remaining on a photosensitive drum; a toner concentration initialization control part, in order that toner-to-carrier ratio T/C of the magnetic brush formed on the magnetic brush roller falls within a predetermined range, controlling bias applied to the magnetic brush roller and an amount of the toner supplied from a developing device to the photosensitive drum.

Abstract: There is described an applicator for use in an image forming apparatus. The applicator includes an applicator comprising an elastomeric matrix and a functional material dispersed therein. The applicator includes an actuator for moving the applicator between a first position having the applicator in contact with a surface, and a second position. The actuator moves the applicator from the first position to the second position at a frequency of from about 10?5 Hz to about 10 kHz wherein the functional material diffuses from the elastomeric matrix to the surface.

Abstract: A cleaning apparatus includes a cleaning blade configured to abut with a surface of the image carrier member, and to remove residual toner from the surface of the image carrier member; a cleaning roller rotatably configured to attach residual toner removed by the cleaning blade to the surface and make abrasive contact with the surface of the image carrier member; a toner layer regulating member configured to regulate residual toner attached to the cleaning roller to a predetermined toner layer thickness and scrape and remove excess residual toner; a frame member configured to store residual toner scraped and removed from the cleaning roller; and a toner supply member configured to make contact with the cleaning roller to attach residual toner stored in the frame member to the surface, and to attach residual toner attached to the surface to the cleaning roller.

Abstract: A cleaning device includes first and second cleaning members and a moving member. The first cleaning member contacts a surface of a rotating member, which is in contact with an image carrier, to clean the rotating member by removing substances attached thereto. The moving member supports the first cleaning member in a movable manner. The second cleaning member is disposed downstream of the first cleaning member in a rotation direction in which the rotating member rotates and contacts the surface of the rotating member to clean the rotating member by removing the substances. The second cleaning member removes the substances that remain on the surface of the rotating member after the first cleaning member has been separated from the rotating member so that the substances are removed before a part of the surface of the rotating member on which the substances remain comes into contact with the image carrier.

Abstract: A cleaning device includes a rotary member, a sheet member, and a toner conveying member. The rotary member is held in contact with a cylindrical surface of an image carrier above a rotation axis of the image carrier. The sheet member is in contact at a distal end thereof with the cylindrical surface of the image carrier above the rotation axis of the image carrier and upstream of a contact position of the rotary member with the cylindrical surface of the image carrier in a direction of rotation of the image carrier. The toner conveying member is disposed above the sheet member and facing the peripheral surface of the rotary member.

Abstract: Apparatus for electrically reconditioning a rotatable photoreceptor in an electrophotographic (EP) printer includes a charger, an exposure subsystem, a transfer station, and an erase lamp arranged in that order around the photoreceptor in the direction of rotation thereof. A first corona electrode is disposed within 3 cm of the surface of the photoreceptor, but not in contact therewith, between the transfer station and the erase lamp. The transfer station and the erase lamp are at most 1 cm apart. A second corona electrode is disposed within 3 cm of the surface of the photoreceptor, but not in contact therewith, after the erase lamp in the direction of rotation of the photoreceptor. The erase lamp and the second corona electrode are less than 1 cm apart.

Abstract: An electrophotographic photoreceptor is prepared for charging. Corona electrodes before and after the erase lamp apply respective biases to provide the correct sign of charge for cleaning, and to discharged trapped charges in the photoreceptor. Toner is then cleaned off the photoreceptor. This leaves the photoreceptor electrically and mechanically reconditioned and ready for its next printing cycle.

Abstract: There is provided a pre-cleaning brush roller being a pre-cleaning member which is disposed on an upstream of a normally-charged-toner cleaning brush roller and an oppositely-charged-toner cleaning brush roller in a surface moving direction of an intermediate transfer belt, is applied with a voltage having a polarity opposite to a normal charge polarity of toner, and electrostatically removes the toner having the normal charge polarity.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: an image carrier; an exposure device; a developing device that develops the latent image on the image carrier by using a toner charged to a predetermined polarity and having an external additive; a transfer device that transfers a toner image developed on the image carrier to a transfer medium; a first charging member that charges the external additive and the transfer residual toner remaining on the image carrier and the image carrier after transfer to the same polarity as a polarity of the toner; a cleaning member that electrostatically attracts the external additive and the transfer residual toner charged by the first charging member; and a second charging member that charges the image carrier to an electric potential smaller in absolute value than an electric potential of the image carrier generated after the image carrier passes the cleaning member.

Abstract: A cleaning device includes a case, a rotating member, a sheet member, and a cover member. The rotating member includes a peripheral face which comes into contact with the cylindrical face of an image carrier, is rotatively driven in a same direction as the image carrier at a contact position, and recovers a toner which has attached on the image carrier. The sheet member extends toward a direction approaching a straight line that connects the rotating axis of the image carrier and the contact position of the rotating member, and includes a leading end which comes into contact with the cylindrical face. The cover member is provided in the case so as to cover an upside of the sheet member, extends toward the direction approaching the straight line, and reaches a position above the leading end of the sheet member.

Abstract: Brush rollers rotate in a direction indicated by an arrow while being in contact with an image formation surface to remove toner remaining on the image formation surface from an intermediate transfer belt. The brush rollers each mainly include a rotational shaft and a brush. The brush rollers face the intermediate transfer belt with brush winding directions being opposite from one another. The brush rollers rotate in the direction indicated by the arrow. Thus, seams of the brush rollers can be prevented from being in contact with the same portion on the image formation surface of the intermediate transfer belt.

Abstract: A cleaning device includes: a cleaning rotating body 160; a scraping member 130; a toner restriction face 141; and a downstream side restriction portion 140. The cleaning rotating body 160 is arranged in sliding contact with the surface of the image carrying body 2. A front end portion 131 of the scraping member 130 is arranged in contact with or in proximity to a surface of the cleaning rotating body 160. The scraping member 130 is a plate-like member and includes a toner receiving face 133 to which the toner is carried from the front end portion 131. The toner restriction face 141 is arranged to be orthogonal to the toner receiving face 133. The downstream side restriction portion 140 restricts movement of the toner to a downstream side in a rotational direction of the cleaning rotating body 166.

Abstract: A cleaning device, including, a first blade to slidably contact with a surface of an image carrier to which a toner including an external additive adheres, a second blade to slidably contact with the surface of the image carrier and to be provided downstream of the first blade in a rotation direction of the image carrier, and a lubricant applying mechanism section to apply a lubricant to the surface of the image carrier, wherein hardness of the first blade is equal to or more than hardness of the second blade.

Abstract: An electrophotographic printer includes a transfer roller cleaning device 12 and a carrier liquid supply unit 11 disposed at a portion of the circumference of a transfer roller 2 between a position of image transfer onto a recording medium 7 and the transfer roller cleaning device and including a carrier liquid supply roll 13 in rotational contact with a surface of the transfer roller. The transfer roller cleaning device comprises a cleaning roll 17 rotating in rubbing contact with the surface of the transfer roller and having a bias voltage applied thereto which is of a polarity opposite to that of a residual toner; a peripheral surface scraping blade 18 positioned downstream of the cleaning roll in the rotation direction of the transfer roller; a side surface scraping blade 19 likewise positioned downward; and a surface scraping blade 26 disposed at a portion of the circumference of the cleaning roll.