Patent ID: 8989646
Filing Date: 2015-03-24
Classification: G03G

Abstract:
1. A cleaning device which is disposed above an image carrier capable of carrying a toner image on a cylindrical surface thereof and rotating about a rotation axis thereof and configured to clean the cylindrical surface, the cleaning device including: a rotary member including a peripheral surface held in contact with the cylindrical surface of the image carrier above the rotation axis of the image carrier, the rotary member being configured to be driven into rotation so that the peripheral surface thereof travels, at a contact position thereof with the image carrier, in the same direction as but with a linear speed difference from the image carrier and thereby allow toner deposited on the cylindrical surface of the image carrier to adhere to the peripheral surface of the rotary member; a sheet member including a distal end extending toward the cylindrical surface of the image carrier, the sheet member being in contact at the distal end with the cylindrical surface of the image carrier above the rotation axis thereof and upstream of the contact position of the rotary member in a direction of rotation of the image carrier; and a toner conveying member which includes a rotation axis extending in a direction of length of the rotary member, is disposed above the sheet member and facing the peripheral surface of the rotary member, further includes a spiral member provided around the rotation axis thereof to extend in an axial direction of the rotation axis, and is configured to be driven into rotation about the rotation axis, wherein a first standing wall is provided lateral to the toner conveying member and to the opposite side of the toner conveying member to the rotary member to face the toner conveying member, and the cleaning device further including a support member which is disposed to a lateral portion of a housing of the cleaning device and extends from the lateral portion of the housing toward the cylindrical surface of the image carrier, one end of the sheet member being attached to an end of the support member located toward the cylindrical surface of the image carrier, the support member supporting the sheet member, wherein the sheet member is interposed between the support member and the cylindrical surface of the image carrier and, with the one end of the sheet member attached to the support member, the other end of the sheet member is in contact with the cylindrical surface of the image carrier, and the toner conveying member is disposed to avoid that a peripheral edge of the spiral member located above the support member is located in an area nearer to the other end of the sheet member with respect to the end of the support member.