Patent ID: 7177582
Filing Date: 2007-02-13
Classification: G03G

Abstract:
1. An image forming apparatus comprising: a photoreceptor; a charging device which charges a surface of the photoreceptor; an exposing device which exposes the surface of the photoreceptor to form a latent image; a developing device which adheres a toner to the latent image to form a toner image on the surface of the photoreceptor; a transferring device which transfers the toner image to a transfer medium; and a cleaning device which removes a toner remaining on the surface of the photoreceptor after the toner image is transferred, the cleaning device including a cleaning auxiliary device comprising: a cleaning blade which scrapes the toner from the surface of the photoreceptor; a housing which stores the toner scraped from the surface of the photoreceptor; a lower seal which receives the toner and guides the toner to the housing; and a toner accumulating member which is disposed nearer to the housing than the cleaning blade and the lower seal are, wherein a lower end of the toner accumulating member is fixed; an upper end of the toner accumulating member is located above a lower end of the cleaning blade; the toner accumulating member accumulates the toner at a tip of the cleaning blade; the toner accumulating member has at least one opening; and the following condition is satisfied: wherein S(O) is a total opening area obtained by summing areas of all openings; and S(C) is an area of a rectangle defined by two sides having the same length as a length of the cleaning blade in its longitudinal direction and two sides having the same length as a distance between the lower end of the toner accumulating member and a position at the same height on the toner accumulating member as the lower end of the cleaning blade.