Patent ID: 7499664
Filing Date: 2009-03-03
Classification: G03G

Abstract:
1. An image forming apparatus comprising: a latent image carrier; a charging unit that includes a charging member to which a charging bias of a predetermined polarity is applied, and that uniformly charges a surface of the latent image carrier; a latent image forming unit that forms a latent image on the surface of the latent image carrier that is uniformly charged; a developing unit that develops the latent image into a toner image by applying a toner that is charged to a polarity same as the predetermined polarity on the latent image; a transferring unit that transfers the toner image, by forming a transfer electric field between the latent image carrier and a surface moving member that moves on the latent image carrier keeping a contact with the surface of the latent image carrier, to any one of a recording member and the surface moving member, the recording member arranged between the transferring unit and the surface moving member; a temporarily-retaining unit that contains a blade for temporarily and mechanically retaining a residual toner, which remains on the surface of the latent image carrier after the transferring unit transfers the toner image, by abutting the blade on the latent image carrier while the residual toner travels from the transferring unit to the latent image forming unit; and a controlling unit that at a predetermined timing controls to return the residual toner retained by the temporarily-retaining unit to the surface of the latent image carrier; wherein the latent image carrier and at least the charging unit, the developing unit, and the temporarily-retaining unit are integrated in a detachable process cartridge, and the controlling unit is configured to synchronize movement of the temporarily-retaining unit simultaneously with the application of the charging bias to the charging member.