Patent ID: 8526855

Claim:
An image forming apparatus comprising: an image carrier that is rotatably formed and carries a latent image formed thereon; an exposure device that forms the latent image on the image carrier; a developing device that develops the latent image on the image carrier by using a toner charged to a predetermined polarity and having an external additive; a transfer device that transfers a toner image developed on the image carrier to a transfer medium; a first charging member that charges the external additive and the transfer residual toner remaining on the image carrier and the image carrier after transfer to the same polarity as a polarity of the toner; a cleaning member that electrostatically attracts the external additive and the transfer residual toner charged by the first charging member to the same polarity as the polarity of the toner; and a second charging member that charges the image carrier to an electric potential smaller in absolute value than an electric potential of the image carrier generated after the image carrier passes the cleaning member, wherein the cleaning member is charged to the same polarity of the toner and electrostatically attracts the external additive and the transfer residual toner by an electronic field between the charged image carrier and the cleaning member.