Patent ID: 7796919

Claim:
An image forming apparatus comprising: a developer supply member to whose surface developer can be affixed; and an image carrier wherein, by the developer being supplied from the developer supply member in a state in which an electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface, the electrostatic latent image is made as a development by this developer and a visible image is formed, wherein the image forming apparatus transfers the visible image formed on this image carrier to a recording medium and forms an image on the recording medium, and the image forming apparatus further comprises electrostatic latent image forming means that forms an electrostatic latent image for removing developer in a specified region of the image carrier surface corresponding to a region where developer is affixed that resides for more than a predetermined time period on the surface of the developer supply member, and wherein by forming the electrostatic latent image for removing developer, a developer renewal operation is performed that supplies the developer that resides for more than a predetermined time period on the surface of the developer supply member to the image carrier surface, wherein the region in which the electrostatic latent image for removing developer is formed is a non-paper passage region other than the region where the recording medium passes the image carrier; and wherein the electrostatic latent image for removing developer formed on the image carrier by the electrostatic latent image forming means is formed as a low density an-image that supplies to the image carrier surface only a part of the developer that resides for more than a predetermined time period on the surface of the developer supply member so that the developer is replaced and eliminated in the region on the surface of the developer supply member that corresponds to the non-paper passage region.