Patent ID: 7346307
Filing Date: 2008-03-18
Classification: G03G

Abstract:
1. A cleaning unit for, in order to achieve image formation by use of amorphous and spherical toners of a plurality of different colors, sequentially cleaning a toner remaining on a surface of an image carrier, which repeats a process comprising development, transfer, and cleaning for each of the colors, by a blade making contact with the image carrier and then scraping off the toner adhering to the surface thereof for each process, the cleaning unit comprising: toner remaining-removing switching means comprising a rotary member which makes contact with the image carrier, the switching means being provided upstream of the blade in a rotation direction of the image carrier and permitting switching such that the toner scraped off by the blade remains at a predetermined region between the blade and the rotary member near the image carrier or the toner is removed from the predetermined region; and a controller for controlling switching made by the toner remaining-removing switching means, wherein the process by use of the amorphous toner is first performed in the image formation, and wherein the controller switches the toner remaining-removing switching means to make the toner scraped off including the amorphous toner remain at the predetermined region during the cleaning in the first process and maintains the toner including the amorphous toner remaining at the predetermined region, and thereafter switches the toner remaining-removing switching means to make the toner scraped off removed from the predetermined region during the cleaning starting from any of the subsequent processes until an end of the image formation.