Patent ID: 7761020
Filing Date: 2010-07-20
Classification: G03G

Abstract:
1. An image forming apparatus, comprising: an image bearing member; first driving means for rotating the image bearing member; electrical charging means for electrically charging the image bearing member; latent image forming means for forming an electrostatic latent image on the electrically charged image bearing member; developing means for developing the latent image formed on the image bearing member, to form a toner image with columnar toner particles whose shape is stretched in one direction; second driving means for effecting relative movement of an image transfer body with respect to the image bearing member; and transfer means for transferring the toner image from the image bearing member to the image transfer body by contacting the image bearing member with the image transfer body, the image bearing member and the image transfer body having different moving speeds at a contact position where they are in contact with each other, wherein the different moving speeds of the image bearing member and the image transfer body at the contact position cause a rubbing action between the image bearing member and the image transfer body, and wherein the rubbing action causes the cylindrical toner particles to align with one another along their respective longitudinal axes, and wherein the transfer means comprises: