Patent ID: 6944413

Claim:
An image forming apparatus including at least: an image carrier which is movable; a corona charger which is arranged to face said image carrier and comprises a conductive shield having an open face on a side facing said image carrier and a face which is opposite to the open face and has a first ventilation opening, and a discharge electrode arranged in said conductive shield; and a duct which is arranged adjacent to said corona charger and is provided with an airflow opening in one of ends thereof in the axial direction of said image carrier, wherein air is sent or sucked through the airflow opening which is formed in one of the ends of said duct in the axial direction of the image carrier, said image forming apparatus being characterized in that said conductive shield is provided with second ventilation opening in a face other than the open face facing said image carrier and the face opposite to the open face on the downstream side in the direction of airflow, and said duct has a third ventilation opening at a position facing said second ventilation opening of said conductive shield and a fourth ventilation opening in a face of said duct, in which the third ventilation opening is formed, near the outlet of the duct.