Patent ID: 7697879

Claim:
An electrophotographic image forming apparatus forming an image on a recording medium, the electrophotographic image forming apparatus comprising: an electrophotographic photosensitive drum including a photoconductive layer on a rigid base; an exposure device forming a latent image on the electrophotographic photosensitive drum along a longitudinal direction of the electrophotographic photosensitive drum; a developer carrying member that carries a developer along the longitudinal direction of the electrophotographic photosensitive drum as well as developing the latent image using the developer in contact with the electrophotographic photosensitive drum; and a cleaning blade that cleans the electrophotographic photosensitive drum in contact with the electrophotographic photosensitive drum along the longitudinal direction of the electrophotographic photosensitive drum, wherein when it is assumed that a longitudinal length of the photoconductive layer is Le, a longitudinal length of the developer carrying member to be contacted with the electrophotographic photosensitive drum is Ldr, and a longitudinal length of the cleaning blade to be contacted with the electrophotographic photosensitive drum is Lcl, the following expression is satisfied: Le≧Ldr>Lcl, wherein in the longitudinal length Ldr of the developer carrying member, the developer carrying member includes a carrying area where a developer is carried and a non-carrying area where no developer is carried, and wherein when it is assumed that a longitudinal length of the carrying area of the developer carrying member is Lt, the following expression is satisfied: Lcl≧Lt, and wherein a position of an end of the developer carrying member and a position of an end of the cleaning blade in the longitudinal direction on one end of the electrophotographic photosensitive drum are arranged in succession from an outside in the longitudinal direction.