Patent ID: 8270856
Filing Date: 2012-09-18
Classification: G03G

Abstract:
1. An image forming apparatus, comprising: an image forming unit configured to form a toner image on a moving surface of an image carrier at an image forming position; a transfer unit configured to transfer the toner image formed on the moving surface of the image carrier to a recording medium at a transfer position while causing the recording medium to be in contact with the moving surface of the image carrier; a fixing unit including a fixing member and configured to fix the toner image on the recording medium while causing the fixing member to be in contact with the recording medium that is transferred from the transfer unit; a re-transfer unit configured to re-transfer the recording medium transferred from the fixing unit and having the toner image fixed on a first side thereof to the transfer unit after reversing the first side of the recording medium so as to cause a second side of the recording medium to have an image formed and fixed thereon; a cleaning unit including a cleaning member and configured to clean a portion of the moving surface of the image carrier which has passed the transfer position at which the toner image is transferred by the transfer unit but before entering the image forming position at which the toner image is formed by the image forming unit by causing the cleaning member to be in contact with the portion of the moving surface of the image carrier to remove toner from the portion of the moving surface; and a controller configured to: when the in-between printed sides area of the moving surface of the image carrier enters the transfer position, the controller interrupts the transferring operation of transferring the releasing agent absorption toner image from the image carrier to the recording medium performed by the transfer unit to keep the releasing agent absorption toner image on the in-between printed sides area of the moving surface of the image carrier even after the in-between printed sides area of the moving surface passes the transfer position.