Patent ID: 6205306
Filing Date: 2001-03-20
Classification: G03G

Abstract:
An electrophotographic apparatus comprising:a photosensitive member;electrostatic image forming means for forming an electrostatic image on said photosensitive member, said electrostatic image forming means including charging means for electrically charging said photosensitive member and first exposure means for exposing said photosensitive member charged by said charging means;developing means for forming a toner image by developing the electrostatic image with toner;transfer means for electrostatically transferring the toner image onto a transfer material;wherein said photosensitive member has characteristics such that a rate of change of surface potential of said photosensitive member relative to a change of an exposure amount of said photosensitive member, is smaller in the case of a first exposure amount than in the case of a second exposure amount which is larger than in the first exposure amount; andreducing means for reducing a potential difference between a potential of said photosensitive member at the portion to which the toner is deposited and the potential of said photosensitive member of a portion to which the toner is not deposited, after a developing operation of said developing means and before a transfer operation of said transfer means,wherein said reducing means includes pretransfer exposure means for exposing said photosensitive member,wherein said pretransfer exposure means effects exposure of said photosensitive member with an exposure amount which is higher than a lower exposure amount side peak of a second order differential curve of a curve of plots of the surface potential of said photosensitive member relative to the exposure amount of said photosensitive member.