Patent ID: 7474865
Filing Date: 2009-01-06
Classification: G03G

Abstract:
1. An image forming method using an image forming apparatus which includes: a driving roller; a blade opposing roller which is a follower roller biased by a biasing member in a bias direction to be moved away from the driving roller and free to reciprocate in the bias direction; a transfer belt which is stretched around at least two rollers including the driving roller and the blade opposing roller and which is rotatably transported in a predetermined transport direction; a cleaner blade unified with the blade opposing roller for reciprocating unitarily with the blade opposing roller in the bias direction and holding whose distal end in contact against the blade opposing roller via the transfer belt so as to clean a surface of the transfer belt; M, where M is integer which is equal to or larger than 2, image forming stations which are arranged on the downstream side of the blade opposing roller and on the upstream side of the driving roller in the transport direction and which individually form toner images of mutually different colors; and M transfer members disposed in one-on-one relation with the M image forming stations and each of which individually opposes the corresponding image forming station via the transfer belt, the image forming method comprising: performing a color mode or a monochromatic mode, selectively, bringing the transfer belt into a thrust-condition, as needed after completion of the monochromatic mode, with being positioned N, where N is integer which is equal to or smaller than (M−1) and which is equal to or larger than 1, color transfer member(s) out of the (M−1) color transfer members in adjacency to the image forming stations, the thrust-condition in which the transfer belt is thrust against the image forming stations; and releasing the transfer belt from the thrust-condition with moving the N color transfer member(s), which is/are positioned in adjacency to the image forming stations by the trusting, away from the image forming stations so as to bring the blade opposing roller into following rotation in the opposite direction of the transport direction as allowing the blade opposing roller to be moved in the bias direction by the biasing force of the biasing member.