Patent ID: 9459564
Filing Date: 2016-10-04
CPC Classification: G03G

Claim Text:
1. An image forming apparatus, comprising: an image bearer including a plurality of layers; a transfer member to form a transfer nip between the image bearer and the transfer member; and a power source to output a transfer bias to transfer a toner image from the image bearer onto a recording sheet in the transfer nip, wherein the transfer bias alternates between a transfer-side bias that causes the toner image to move from the image bearer to the recording sheet, and an opposite-side bias different from the transfer-side bias, and wherein a duty ratio of a time period, during which the opposite-side bias is output, relative to one cycle of a waveform, is greater than 50% so that a polarity of residual toner on the image bearer after transfer of the toner image onto the recording sheet is the same as a polarity of toner on the image bearer before transfer of the toner image onto the recording sheet.