Patent ID: 7620354

Claim:
An image forming apparatus, comprising: a plurality of image bearing members for bearing a toner image; a movable belt member adapted to carry a recording material; a plurality of transfer members for supplying an electric charge to a plurality of transfer areas of said belt member, to transfer the toner image from respective ones of said image bearing members onto the recording material; a plurality of charge removal needles for removing the electric charge from said belt member, wherein said plurality of charge removal needles are positioned at downstream sides from associated ones of said plurality of transfer members with respect to a conveyance direction of the recording material; a first stretching member for stretching said belt member and removing the electric charge from said belt member; and a second stretching member for stretching said belt member and removing the electric charge from said belt member, wherein the recording material is separated from said belt member at a position in which said belt member is stretched by said second stretching member, wherein said plurality of transfer members and said plurality of charge removal needles are disposed between said first stretching member and said second stretching member, and wherein each of said plurality of charge removal needles and each of said first and second stretching members are electrically coupled to a predetermined point of electric potential and said predetermined point of electric potential is electrically coupled to ground through a single resistor.