Patent ID: 8660458

Claim:
An image forming apparatus comprising: a first air flow duct for guiding air including flying toner particles created in the image forming apparatus; a second air flow duct having a fan for exhausting cleaned air to an exterior of the image forming apparatus; and a toner particle collecting unit arranged between the first air flow duct and the second air flow duct, wherein the toner particle collecting unit includes: a cyclone separator including: a cyclone main body, an air flow inlet, connected to the first air flow duct, for flowing the air including toner particles in a tangential direction of an inner surface of an upper portion of the cyclone main body, and an outlet tube for exhausting the cleaned air from which the toner particles have been separated, wherein the cyclone separator is configured to centrifuge the toner particles from the air including toner particles due to swirl flow generated in the cyclone main body, and exhausts the cleaned air through the outlet tube; a toner particle collection box, mounted under the cyclone separator, for containing the toner particles having been separated from the air including toner particles; an air channel section for guiding the cleaned air from the outlet tube to the second air flow duct; and a filter mounted on the air channel section, wherein the cyclone separator, the toner particle collection box, and the filter are structured to be integrally detachable from the image forming apparatus, wherein the filter is structured to be vertically long, and arranged in the air channel section to be parallel to the central axis of the cyclone separator, and wherein the outlet tube is connected to a U-shaped pipe.