Patent ID: 6321049
Filing Date: 2001-11-20
Classification: G03G

Abstract:
An image forming apparatus, comprising:a photoconductive member;a charging member configured to charge a surface of said photoconductive member;a development mechanism configured to contact said photoconductive member to transfer toner thereto so as to develop an image on said surface of said photoconductive member, said toner in a normal charged condition having a same polarity as a polarity of a charge of said photoconductive member;a transfer mechanism comprising a transfer roller configured to contact said photoconductive member so as to transfer said image developed by said development mechanism from said photoconductive member onto a recording sheet; anda power supply source configured to supply a first voltage to said transfer roller when a region of said surface of said photoconductive member charged by said charging member passes through a development region at which said photoconductive member and said development mechanism contact each other without having a development operation performed by said development mechanism, and reaches a transfer region at which said photoconductive member and said transfer roller contact each other under a condition in which no recording sheet exists therebetween, said first voltage having a same polarity as a polarity of a second voltage applied to said transfer roller during a normal transfer operation,wherein said photoconductive member is exposed to light for a time period in which said photoconductive member moves one rotation or more to reduce a voltage of an entire surface thereof after said photoconductive member is charged by said charging member but before an image is output and an image forming operation is ended,wherein said development mechanism is applied with a voltage having a reverse-polarity relative to a voltage applied to said development mechanism during a normal development operation when a region of said surface of said photoconductive member having said reduced voltage reaches said development region,wherein said power supply source is caused to apply to said transfer roller for a predetermined time period a voltage having a same polarity relative to a voltage applied to said toner during said normal development operation when said region of said surface of said photoconductive member having said reduced voltage reaches said transfer region, andwherein said transfer roller is grounded for a predetermined time period.